Carvings at the Tomb of Wang Siwen

Carvings at the Tomb of Wang Siwen

The stone carvings from the tomb passage of Wang Siwen are located on Waiyanwo Mountain in Simingshan Village, Jishigang Town, Haishu District, Ningbo City. In 1995, after the discovery of the "Record of the Wang Family’s Secluded Hall" at the home of villager Xie Junye, it was investigated and found that the carvings came from the tomb passage on Yanwo Mountain. In 1998, the epitaph was donated to the storage of the Office of the Yinzhou District Cultural Relics Management Committee, and this epitaph was also included in the "Yinzhou Stone Inscription Collection – Selections of Epitaphs." Wang Siwen passed away in 1155, and the stone carvings from this tomb passage can be dated back to around 1150.

There are currently three surviving stone carvings in front of the tomb. One is a broken turtle base, measuring 1.40 meters in length, 1.10 meters in width, and 0.50 meters above ground. Its back has a groove where a stele would have been inserted. The turtle’s shell is carved with a “double-line hexagonal linked turtle-back pattern,” created using three engraved lines to highlight two raised lines. Another piece is buried in the soil on the west side, opposite the broken turtle, and may be intact. To prevent theft, it has not been excavated. Seven meters north of the broken turtle lies a pair of warrior figures. One is missing the lower half, with only the upper body remaining, standing 1.20 meters tall and 0.74 meters wide. The figure wears a battle helmet with phoenix-winged ear flaps, a fish-scale-patterned suit of armor, and holds a sword in both hands. It appears majestic and ancient, though its facial expression is rather plain.

The tomb of Wang Siwen faces south and is backed by mountains on three sides, which are shaped like a swallow’s nest—hence the mountain is called “Yanwo” (Swallow’s Nest). The tomb was destroyed in the early years after liberation. Based on the remains, the spirit way was measured to be over 100 meters long, and the burial site on the mountainside has also been destroyed. Now, only a few scattered stone statues remain in the flat area of the valley.

These stone carvings were designated as a Yinzhou District-level cultural relics protection site in May 2005, and were transferred to Haishu District in 2016 following an administrative division adjustment in Ningbo City.