Tomb of Zhang Guangzao

Tomb of Zhang Guangzao

The Tomb of Zhang Guangzao is a cultural relic protection unit of Anhui Province.

The Tomb of Zhang Guangzao is located near Yaojiawan Village, Nantang Community, Taozhou Town, Guangde County.

This tomb is relatively large in scale. The front exterior features a three-gate, six-pillar granite gateway-style structure, while the interior consists of a five-chamber brick joint tomb. The five chambers together are 7.2 meters wide, with the total width including the outer edge of the earthen mound reaching 12.8 meters, and the mound standing approximately 2.5 to 3 meters high. The lower part consists of a stone base carved with geometric patterns, the middle section has three gates inlaid with a tomb stele and two epitaphs, the six stone pillars are engraved with three sets of couplets, and the top features a corrugated stone eave, with flames carved in the middle and sawtooth-like ridges on both sides.

In the 1950s, the tomb was looted. Later, during the early stages of agricultural collectivization and farmland water conservancy projects, all the stone components of the tomb structure were moved to Daguang, where they were used as materials to build the drainage culvert beneath the dam of a reservoir. During the "Third National Cultural Relics Census" in 2009, the Tomb of Zhang Guangzao was rediscovered. Efforts were made to excavate the dam culvert and fully rescue all the buried tomb components submerged in the pond. The remaining tomb is an approximately 3-meter-high earthen mound, hidden within dense bamboo and thorny thickets. It is a single mound with three chambers, serving as a joint burial tomb with his two wives, Lady Wu and Lady Tang, from before and after. The chambers are built with gray bricks arranged side by side, about 4 meters wide. Not far from the tomb mound, a Qing Dynasty imperial edict stele erected in the 14th year of the Guangxu reign by the Guangde Prefecture to protect the Tomb of Zhang Guangzao was also discovered. The stele prohibits grazing and deforestation in the cemetery area. Currently, a number of important components of the tomb—including the epitaphs, stone pillars with inscribed couplets, and stone lions—have been unearthed and transported to the Guangde County Cultural Relics Management Office.

The structure and exterior architecture of the Tomb of Zhang Guangzao reflect the historically consistent funeral systems and customs of the Jiangnan region, holding certain historical and cultural value.

Protected area: Extending 10 meters to the front, 6 meters to the rear, and 4 meters to both the left and right from the edge of the tomb.

Construction control zone: Outside the protected area, extending south to the drainage channel of the Xuancheng–Hangzhou Expressway, north to the South Ring Road of the county economic development zone, west to the north entrance of the Yaojiawan Bridge where Highway 318 enters, and east to the watershed of the hill behind the tomb.

Nantang Community: Nantang Community is located south of the county economic development zone and the Xuancheng–Guangde Expressway, just across a river from the new urban area. Both the Xuancheng–Guangde Expressway and the South Ring Road run through our community, providing very convenient transportation and a superior geographical location.

At the end of June this year, the county party committee and government adjusted the administrative divisions of our community. It now extends east to Liuting Village and Fujia Village in Dongting Township and Linxi Road in the development zone, south bordering Zhongming Village in Lucun Township, west bounded by the Wuliangxi River, and north to Guangci Avenue. The total area is approximately 200,000 square kilometers, comprising 87 residential groups, as well as residential areas such as Dongcheng Shengjing, Oak Rose Garden, and the Commercial and Trade Center... More details about Nantang Community ++