Tomb of Shen Kuo

Tomb of Shen Kuo

The Tomb of Shen Kuo is a cultural relic protection unit of Hangzhou City.

The Tomb of Shen Kuo is located at the southern foot of Taiping Mountain in Anxi Village, Liangzhu Subdistrict. It dates back to the Song Dynasty and is classified as an ancient tomb.

In the second year of the Shaosheng era (1095), Shen Kuo passed away in Runzhou (present-day Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) and was later buried at the southern foot of Taiping Mountain in Xiaxi Village, Anxi, Qiantang (now part of Liangzhu Town, Yuhang District, Hangzhou). The tomb is located on the southern slope of Taiping Mountain in Xiaxiwan, Anxi, Yuhang District, Hangzhou, with Jinlong Mountain to the east and Fenghuang Mountain to the west.

The Tomb of Shen Kuo was damaged in earlier years. According to the Wanli-era "Qiantang County Annals," local oral accounts, and clues provided by academic circles elsewhere, the tomb and its stone statues were finally discovered in 1983 at the southern foot of Taiping Mountain in Anxi. Beneath the layer of accumulated Song Dynasty bricks, fragments of a Northern Song celadon bowl with carved designs and several ancient coins bearing the reign titles "Yuanyou" and "Yuanfeng" from the Song Dynasty were unearthed, all consistent with the era and location of the burial. Eventually, the tomb was restored to its original appearance in 2008 with government funding.

In 2009, the Tomb of Shen Kuo was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit of Hangzhou City.

Protected area: Extending east to the prolongation of the retaining wall, and south, west, and north to the boundary of the surrounding wall, covering a total area of 935 square meters.

Construction control zone: An area approximately 30 meters beyond the tomb’s courtyard, covering a total area of 7,610 square meters.

Shen Kuo (1031–1095), courtesy name Cunzhong, was a native of Qiantang (present-day Yuhang) in the Song Dynasty. During his youth, he studied Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and medicine, and was highly knowledgeable. In the first year of the Hehe era (1054), he served as a county clerk in Shuyang County, Haizhou. Noticing that the local Shu River was poorly maintained and frequently caused flooding, he initiated a river improvement project, widening and deepening the channel, dredging the waterway, and constructing a system of one hundred channels and nine weirs. This benefited over 7,000 hectares of farmland along the river, turning the land into fertile fields. In the sixth year of the Jiayou era (1061), he was appointed as the magistrate of Ningguo County, Xuancheng. Commissioned by Zhang Ke, the transport commissioner of Jiangnan, he implemented a “work relief” program, collaborating with... More details about Shen Kuo ++

Anxi Village: Located by the Dongtiaoxi River, Anxi Village is part of Liangzhu New Town. In 2003, it was formed through the merger of Xiaxi Village, Anxi Village, Zhongxi Village, Shangxi Village, and Shiling Village to create the new Anxi Village. The village covers a large area of 12 square kilometers, comprising 14 villager groups, 1,044 households, and a population of 4,102. It has 11,000 mu of forested land, 400 mu of tea fields, and three hill ponds and reservoirs. The main agricultural focus of Anxi Village includes rice, bamboo, tea, and early bamboo, while the village economy primarily revolves around bamboo and tea production.

The Anxi Village Convenience Service Center is committed to being convenient and beneficial for residents... More details about Anxi Village ++