Tomb of Mu Ying

Tomb of Mu Ying

The Tomb of Mu Ying is a cultural heritage protection unit of Dingyuan County.

The Tomb of Mu Ying is located in Dingsi Village, Dingcheng Town, dating back to the Ming Dynasty. It is categorized as an ancient tomb site, covering an area of 1,800 square meters. It was designated as one of the first batch of cultural heritage protection units in Dingyuan County, with the official announcement number Ding Zheng Zi [1992] No. 37.

Mu Ying, a native of Dingyuan, Anhui, was one of Zhu Yuanzhang’s principal generals in the conquest of the southwestern regions (including Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and parts of Sichuan). Among Zhu Yuanzhang’s more than 20 adopted sons, he was the one who achieved the greatest military distinction in the southwest and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Xiping. He passed away in the 25th year of the Hongwu era (1392) at the age of 48, was posthumously titled Prince of Qianning, and given the posthumous name “Zhaojing.” He was buried on General Mountain in Yinxiang Township, Jiangning County. Buried here alongside Mu Ying and his wife were also their son, the Dingyuan Loyal and Reverent King Mu Sheng, their ninth-generation descendant, the Prince of Qian, Mu Changzuo, and their tenth-generation descendant, the Prince of Qian, Mu Rui, all in joint burial tombs.

The tomb is divided into three sections: front, middle, and rear. The rear section contains three coffin chambers, each equipped with stone doors, serving as the resting place for Mu Ying and his two wives. The tomb was robbed in the winter of 1949. Aside from recovering imitation funeral objects and ceremonial items such as a gold mountain (made of copper), a silver mountain (made of iron), bronze trumpets, and copper horns, a blue-and-white porcelain figure vase and Mu Ying’s personal seal were also retrieved.

The tomb of Mu Sheng is located about 200 meters southeast of Mu Ying’s tomb. It was excavated in 1959 and is also divided into front, middle, and rear sections, sharing a similar structure to Mu Ying’s tomb but on a smaller scale. In the central chamber’s cross hall, facing the entrance, apart from a blue-and-white porcelain vase, there were also funeral objects such as tin cups, plates, bowls, bottles, and wine pots. At either end of the cross hall were stone-made weapons, coffin racks, and armor stands. Mu Sheng was ordered to commit suicide by poison after a defeat in battle against ethnic minorities in Guizhou and was posthumously titled “Prince of Dingyuan” with the posthumous name “Loyal and Reverent.” Mu Rui and Mu Changzuo were buried much later, during the Wanli to Tianqi eras. Particularly noteworthy is the tomb of Mu Rui, from which over 100 precious funerary items—including gold, jade, and amber artifacts—were excavated in 1974 (not including rubies and sapphires). The gold items alone, including one gold ingot, weighed approximately two kilograms. Among them, the “Qianning Prince’s Testament” gold medallion is the most valuable. Logically, Mu Rui’s tomb should not have contained such rich burial objects, nor should he have inherited the title “Prince of Qian.” This illustrates the significant status the Mu family held among the officials of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, from the founding of the Ming Dynasty by Zhu Yuanzhang in 1368 to the capture of the Guangxi King by Wu Sangui in Burma in 1661, the Mu family remained closely tied to the fate of the Ming, enjoying glory and enduring hardship alongside the dynasty, maintaining prominence across generations.

Protected Area: With the center of the tomb mound as the reference point, the protected zone extends 10 meters east, 20 meters west, 30 meters south, and 30 meters north.

Construction Control Zone: Extending 20 meters outward from the protected area in all four directions—east, west, south, and north.

Dingcheng Town: Dingcheng Town is the seat of the Dingyuan County Party Committee and County Government, serving as the political, economic, and cultural center of the county. It is situated slightly north of the center of the county, approximately 142 kilometers east of Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province; 95 kilometers south of Hefei, the provincial capital; 70 kilometers north of Bengbu, a key north-south transportation hub; and 70 kilometers west of Huainan City. Established as a formal town in 1959, it was upgraded to a standard town in 1984. The town currently covers an area of 125 square kilometers, governs 13 community neighborhood committees and 20 administrative villages, with 59,600 mu of contracted arable land, and a resident population of 43,476 households totaling 111,974 people, including an urban population… Detailed information on Dingcheng Town++