Tomb of Liu Wendian

Tomb of Liu Wendian

The Tomb of Liu Wendian is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The tomb of Liu Wendian is located in Yixiu District, Anqing City, dating from 1995.

Liu Wendian was the president of Anhui University. On October 29, 1928, in Anqing, Liu Wendian had a dispute with Chiang Kai-shek, then Chairman of the Nationalist Government, and was temporarily detained at the provincial capital bureau before being transferred to Nanjing.

Lu Xun, under the pen name “Peiwei,” published “Knowing Is Hard, Doing Is Hard” (first issue of Crossroads on December 11, 1931), stating, “Professor Liu Wendian, president of Anhui University, was detained for many days simply because he did not address ‘Chairman’ [Chiang Kai-shek] as such, and was only released on bail with great difficulty…” At the end of the article, there is a special note: In November 1928, when Liu Wendian was summoned by Chiang Kai-shek due to an incident involving Anhui University, he addressed Chiang as “Mr.” instead of “Chairman,” prompting Chiang to detain him on the pretext of “lax academic discipline.” He was released in December of the same year.

Zhou Zuoren later wrote in “Recollections of Peking University” and specifically mentioned Liu Wendian: “After the success of the Northern Expedition, he was in Wuhu (incorrect, should be Anqing), and for some reason angered Chiang Kai-shek, leading to his detention for several days. People at the time held him in high regard because of this.” Liu Wendian always maintained a deep longing for his hometown of Anqing. “The homeland is adrift, things are no longer the same; the land is desolate, contrary to my wishes. The frontier is engulfed in flames, news from home is cut off; the secrets of ancient texts fade within dusty volumes. How could literature last a thousand years? Nor is there any news of when I might return. Ruan Ji surely harbored the sorrow of isolation, standing alone, gazing at the setting sun.” In the summer of 1938, when Anqing fell, Liu Wendian, who was then teaching at Southwest Associated University, composed the poem “Reflections,” expressing his inner concerns. “Hordes of barbarians fill the city, heaven and earth shut close; wind and dust rage wildly, rats roam the barren wilds. The drums and horns from the borders still sound strong, yet the aspirations for a thousand years of literature remain unfulfilled. New dreams are hazy, old dreams are recalled; the homeland has fallen, let alone other lands. Looking back at the corner of the capital, where does it lead? The autumn mountain roads stretch long for thousands of miles.” For eight years during the war of resistance, this longing for home lingered deeply within him. In 1958, Liu Wendian passed away in Kunming. Later, in accordance with his wishes, his family relocated his ashes and buried them in the suburbs of Anqing.

The tomb of Liu Wendian is not far from the campus of Anqing University (under preparation), located in Liaoyuan Community, Dalongshan Town, Yixiu District, at a place called “Gaojiashan,” also commonly known as “Monk’s Tomb.” During the Republican era, this area was called “Chejigang” and belonged to Huaining Zongpu.

Every day, students from Anqing University (under preparation) come here to pay their respects to their former president. Zhang Yuzheng of Anhui Evening News wrote “The Madman Liu Wendian.” I’ve read some chapters and really liked it. Compared to other biographical literature, its success lies in portraying Liu Wendian’s spirit of “madness.” In the 2010 Anhui Literature Awards, “The Madman Liu Wendian” only won second prize, which is really too low.

In 2012, the tomb of Liu Wendian was announced by the People’s Government of Anhui Province as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units.

Protected area: with the outer edge of the tomb corridor as the base point, 5 meters to the east, west, and north, and 10 meters to the south.

Construction control zone: 20 meters beyond the protected area in all directions—east, south, west, and north.

Liu Wendian (1889–1958), from Hefei, Anhui, originally from Huaining, Anhui. A distinguished modern master of literature and history, textual criticism, and an expert on Zhuangzi. His original name was Wencong, courtesy name Shuya, and pen name Liutianmin. He served as a professor at Peking University, president of National Anhui University, and head of the Chinese Department at Tsinghua University. From 1938, he went to Kunming and taught successively at Southwest Associated University and Yunnan University. He devoted his life to the collation of ancient texts, research, and teaching of ancient literature. The courses he taught ranged from the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, through the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties to the modern era, and from Greece, India, Germany, to Japan, ancient… Liu Wendian’s detailed information++

Dalongshan Town: Located at Jixiang Pass in the northern suburbs of Anqing City, Dalongshan Town borders Anqing Civil Aviation Airport and the railway freight station, and is named after Dalong Mountain. It is the first town on the way from Anqing to the northwest counties (cities) and a strategic gateway for southwestern Anhui to connect with rivers and seas.

Dalong Mountain is situated between 116°58′–117°01′ east longitude and 30°35′–30°38′ north latitude. It borders Shankou Township to the south, neighbors Huaiyueshan Town to the west, adjoins WuHeng Township to the north, and is adjacent to the Dalongshan Scenic Area to the northeast. It is 178 kilometers from Hefei, 10 kilometers from Anqing, and 20 kilometers from Huaining County… Dalongshan Town detailed information++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Anqing City