Tomb of Chen Wenlong

Tomb of Chen Wenlong

The Tomb of Chen Wenlong is a cultural relic protection unit of Hangzhou.

Tomb of Chen Wenlong, Southern Song Dynasty, located on both sides of Zhiguo Temple on the northern slope of Geling.

Chen Wenlong (1232–1277), originally named Zilong, courtesy names Junben and Degang, was a native of Xinghua, Fuzhou (now Putian, Fujian). He was the top scholar in the 1269 Wu Chen imperial examination under Emperor Lizong of Song, who bestowed upon him the name Wenlong. In 1277, after the Yuan army captured Guangzhou, the garrisons in Quanzhou and Fuzhou surrendered one after another. Envoys sent to persuade Chen Wenlong to surrender visited Xinghua twice, but were both sternly rejected — their letters were burned and the envoys executed. Chen spent all his family fortune to recruit soldiers, raising the banner “Alive as a Song official, dead as a Song ghost,” and defended Xinghua City fiercely. However, due to being outnumbered, a turncoat opened the city gates in surrender. When the city fell, Chen failed to take his own life and was captured along with his family. On the way to Hangzhou after being captured, he began—, and during the journey, he wrote a poem expressing his resolve: “A household of a hundred perished, only my loyal heart known to heaven and earth.” Upon visiting Yue Fei’s temple in Hangzhou, he swallowed incense ash inside the temple and died. He was buried next to Zhiguo Temple at West Lake in Hangzhou. Later generations honored Chen Wenlong alongside Yue Fei and Yu Qian as the “Three Loyal and Austere Figures of West Lake.” Legend says that the day after his burial, thorny bamboos grew behind his tomb, which no one could climb. People spread the saying, “The pines and cypresses in front of Yue Wang’s tomb never grow northward, only southward; the bamboos at Chen Wenshu’s (Chen Wenlong was also posthumously honored as Wen肃) tomb all grow thorns”—a result of being moved by Chen Wenlong’s loyalty and righteousness.

From the outside, the Tomb of Chen Wenlong takes the form of a circular mound. The tomb structure consists of two parts: a cylindrical main body with a pointed top covering it. The surroundings of the tomb are covered in dense woods, giving the site a serene and ecologically rich environment. In front of the tomb stands a large stone stele, beneath which is an altar. From a distance, the tomb appears semi-circular, enclosed by a perimeter wall made of grey bricks. There are three steps on each side, and climbing them reveals the scenery around the tomb. Historical records indicate that Chen Wenlong was from Putian, Fujian. To commemorate this great patriotic hero, local people built several temples in his honor. It is said that someone once found Chen Wenlong’s official robe in the Wulong River, prompting merchants of Putian-Xian origin to fund the construction of the Shangshu Ancestral Temple. During the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Hongwu ordered the renovation of Chen Wenlong’s tomb and temples to honor the national hero. Later, during the Qing Dynasty—in the Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, and Guangxu eras—the Shangshu Ancestral Temple was rebuilt multiple times. Today, many places in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region have built temples commemorating Chen Wenlong. The Tomb of Chen Wenlong on Beishan Street at the West Lake has also not been forgotten. Many tourists visiting the West Lake go to pay their respects at the tomb in memory of this anti-Yuan national hero.

Protected area: Extending south to the northern edge of Gelin Road, and including the tomb area and the space in front of the tomb to the north, with a total area of 983 square meters.

Construction control zone: Shared with the provincial-level cultural heritage sites Jingyi Villa, the former Industrial Pavilion of the First West Lake Expo, and the New Central and West Buildings of the New Hotel, with a total area of 98,304 square meters.