Tomb of Liu Jingxuan

Tomb of Liu Jingxuan

The Tomb of Liu Jingxuan is a cultural heritage site protected at the county level in Tong'an District.

The Tomb of Liu Jingxuan is located in Mian Community, Guoxi Village, Xiangping Subdistrict, Tong'an District. It is a county-level cultural heritage site dating back to the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Jingxuan, whose given name was Yuanyuan, originally came from Zelu Bao, Ganhuo Li, Tong'an County, Quanzhou Prefecture (now Aitou Village, Tingxi Town, Tong'an District, known as the “Nine Communities of the Liu Clan,” a traditional settlement of the Liu family). He was born during the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty, around the year 1512. He achieved the rank of Jinshi (advanced scholar) in the civil service examinations, distinguished for his outstanding talent. Originally serving as a second-rank literary official in the Hanlin Academy, he later became the tutor to Emperor Jiajing while in the capital, holding the prestigious position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. After retiring to his hometown, he was honored with the title of “Fengzheng Daifu” (a high-ranking civil honorific) and posthumously conferred the title of Grand Secretary. Upon his death, Emperor Jiajing, in recognition of his mentor’s meritorious service, bestowed an imperial burial and had him interred together with his wife, Lady Lü.

Along the central axis of the tomb complex, from south to north, are successively built a stone memorial archway, a stone pedestal stele, a moon-shaped pool, and a square stone pavilion. The tomb lies behind the pavilion, constructed of stone, with a turtle-back shaped whole stone sealing the burial chamber. The tomb perimeter is built with rammed earth mixed with lime, and its inner walls are lined with neat stone slabs engraved with bas-reliefs of auspicious animals. The overall layout of the tomb perimeter area is in the shape of a “wind” character. The square stone pavilion in front of the tomb is 2.3 meters wide and 3.5 meters tall, featuring a double-eave hip-and-gable roof, with the inscription “Yong Si Ting” (Pavilion of Eternal Remembrance) in seal script on the lintel. In front of the pavilion stands a stone stele with a rounded top, 1.1 meters high and 0.5 meters wide, inscribed with: “The Tomb of Liu Jingxuan, Imperial Hanlin Academician, and His Consort, Lady Lü, Honored as Yi Ren.” The memorial archway is situated at the front end of the tomb area, a four-pillar three-bay structure with upward-reaching ends, spanning 5.44 meters, with the central bay rising 4.1 meters. The archway lintel is inscribed in regular script with “Jingxuan Shouyu” (Liu Jingxuan’s Eternal Resting Place), while the reverse side is carved with “Xi Shan Hui Xiu” (Beautiful Mountains and Streams Converge Here). The tomb mound is carved from blue stone blocks into the shape of a longevity turtle, with a horizontally placed granite stele screen behind it, engraved with bas-reliefs of sea waves and auspicious animals. This tomb remains well-preserved and exquisitely crafted, serving as a valuable artifact for the study of Ming Dynasty tomb architecture and stone carving craftsmanship.

Protected area: Extends 70 meters outward from all sides of the tomb.

Guoxi Village: Guoxi Village…… More details about Guoxi Village++