Joint Burial Tomb of Yang Rugu and His Wife

Joint Burial Tomb of Yang Rugu and His Wife

The joint burial tomb of Yang Rugu and his wife is a cultural relic protection unit designated by Anqing City.

The joint burial tomb of Yang Rugu and his wife is located on Shamao Mountain, on the left side of Shizimen Lake Bridge at Baizi Village, Shankou Township. It is a joint tomb for a couple (Yang Rugu’s wife was surnamed Liu). The site includes a burial pit and a tombstone, with a relief carving of cranes on the stone slab directly in front of the pit. A pair of square-shaped ornamental pillars, each nearly two meters tall, stand about two meters from the tomb. The inscriptions on both sides were written by Grand Secretary Zhang Tingyu of the Baohe Hall, dated “the first month of the lunar year Bingyin during the eleventh year of Qianlong in the Great Qing Dynasty, auspicious dawn of Dingchou day” (1747). The tomb of Yang Rugu and his wife may not be remarkable in itself, but the presence of Zhang Tingyu’s name evokes deep emotion. Zhang Tingyu was seven years younger than Yang Rugu. In their time, these two fellow townsmen in politics once collaborated—Zhang Tingyu inscribed the plaque, while Yang Rugu, then Censor-in-Chief, authored the text for the “Tiantan Imperial Tribute Dongyue San Si White Paper Ledger Old Association” stele, which had considerable influence in the capital. Before long, one passed away, and the other composed the inscription for the former’s memorial. It is truly a case of “a dream of home upon a shade-tree pillow” (a line from Zhang Tingyu’s poem) and “dim, cold clouds shroud a lonely mound” (a line from Yang Rugu’s poem).

Shankou Township: Named after the town of Shankou within its jurisdiction, the area was historically known as Wankou. Located in the western suburbs of Anqing City, it lies 12 kilometers from National Highway 206. To the east, it borders Shili Township along Shimen Lake; to the south, it faces Hekou Town across the Wanhe River; to the west, it neighbors Hongpu Town; and to the north, it connects with Yueshan Town. The region features low mountainous and hilly terrain. The township covers an area of 55.5 square kilometers, with 4,869 mu of arable land, a total population of 11,700, and administration over 6 administrative villages, 1 neighborhood committee, and 101 villager groups. It currently has 290 Party members across 15 branches, 16 administrative and public institutions, 5 enterprises directly under the county or higher authorities, and numerous individually-owned private enterprises... More detailed information about Shankou Township ++

Further Reading:

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