The Tomb of Hu Shi’s Ancestors and Father

The Tomb of Hu Shi’s Ancestors and Father

The Tomb of Hu Shi’s Ancestors and Father is a cultural relic protection unit of Xuancheng City.

The Tomb of Hu Shi’s Ancestors and Father

Located on a small hill northwest of Yuchuan Village, Shangzhuang Town, Jixi County, about three Chinese miles from Shangzhuang Village. The tomb faces south and is built into the hillside, covering an area of 65 square meters. The entire tomb site consists of several main parts: the grave pit, the grave facade, the burial mound, and the gravestone. A total of four people are buried here, in the following order: Hu Shi’s father Hu Chuan, mother Feng Shundi, grandfather Hu Kuixi, and grandmother Lady Cheng. The entire tomb is constructed entirely of granite, and the gravestone was inscribed by Zheng Xiaoxu, the Prime Minister of Manchukuo and a master calligrapher. The grave pit includes a set of stone table and stools, and there is a thatched hut on the southern side of the grave pit, specifically used for tomb-sweeping ceremonies. The entire graveyard remains largely intact.

Hu Shi’s grandfather Hu Kuixi was a minor official in the Qing government, and Lady Cheng passed away without a formal burial. Both were placed in a temporary coffin repository (cuoji) near the current tomb site. Hu Shi’s father, Hu Chuan, was an official stationed in Taiwan under the Qing government. In 1895, during the First Sino-Japanese War, he was ordered to return to the mainland but died of an epidemic in Xiamen. His coffin was transported back to his hometown, Shangzhuang, by Hu Shi’s second elder brother Hu Shaozhi, and was also not formally buried, remaining in a cuoji near the current tomb site. In 1918, after Hu Shi’s mother Feng Shundi passed away, Hu Shi returned home for the funeral and officially selected the current tomb site for burial, moving the remains of his grandparents and father here as well. Known for his filial piety, Hu Shi spared no expense in constructing the family tomb. The construction involved significant expenditure, with the entire tomb built of granite (commonly called mashi), the gravestone inscribed by Zheng Xiaoxu, a master calligrapher and Prime Minister of Manchukuo. The grave pit includes a set of stone table and stools, and there is a thatched hut on the southern side of the grave pit, used exclusively for tomb-sweeping. Such a grand tomb construction was beyond the means of ordinary families in rural towns during the early Republic of China, reflecting the social influence of the Hu family and Hu Shi himself at the time. Most residents of Shangzhuang Town over the age of fifty or sixty still recall the original appearance of the Hu Shi family tomb. In 1988, the local township government, together with Hu Shi’s relatives, raised funds to renovate the tomb. The newly renovated tomb is similar in structure and scale to the original, although different materials were used. The new tomb is built with bricks and cement, while the original gravestone by Zheng Xiaoxu remains in place. A vertical stele inscribed with “Chuyue Shanfang” (Moon-Hoeing Mountain House) stands atop the tomb, and the sides of the grave facade are engraved with a couplet: “The human heart twists like winding waters; worldly affairs pile up like overlapping mountains.” The calligraphy was done by Hu Yun, a member of the Shangzhuang clan. This design of the tomb exudes a highly philosophical and literary atmosphere.

The Tomb of Hu Shi’s Ancestors and Father is an important part of the cultural heritage of Shangzhuang Town and also a significant component of the Hu Shi’s Former Residence, which is a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit. In 2005, it was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit, with approval document number Jizheng [2005] No. 41. In 2016, it was listed as a city-level cultural relic protection unit, with approval document number Xuanzheng Mi [2016] No. 219.

Hu Shi (December 17, 1891 – February 24, 1962), of Han ethnicity, was from Shangzhuang Village, Jixi County, Anhui Province. He was a renowned modern scholar, poet, historian, litterateur, and philosopher. Advocating for literary reform, he became one of the leaders of the New Culture Movement. His original name was Simai, his formal name Hongxing, courtesy name Xijiang, later changed to Hu Shi, with the courtesy name Shizhi. His pen names included Tianfeng and Canghui, among others. The names and courtesy names “Shi” and “Shizhi” were derived from the then-popular Darwinian theory of “survival of the fittest.”

Hu Shi began his education at the age of five and received nine years of private schooling in his hometown of Jixi, laying the foundation for… More details about Hu Shi ++

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