Tomb of Cai Yansen

Tomb of Cai Yansen

The Tomb of Cai Yansen is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Tomb of Cai Yansen is located in Shantou Natural Village, Pubian Village, Xindian Town. It was built in the fourth year of the Jiajing era during the Ming Dynasty (1525) and was renovated in 2005. Facing south, the tomb is 10 meters wide and has a total depth of 36 meters, covering an area of approximately 360 square meters. The mound was newly constructed using hexagonal stone blocks arranged in a turtle-back shape, measuring 4.2 meters in length, 3.1 meters in width, and 0.5 meters in height. In front of the mound stands a tombstone along with a stone pavilion and an offering hall. The tombstone is 1.45 meters wide and 1.85 meters high, featuring a raised, beveled rectangular frame with bas-relief carvings. The inscription in running regular script reads “Mausoleum of Master Cai and Madam Li of the Great Ming,” with the inscription date “Erected on a propitious day in early summer, the fourth year of Jiajing, 1525.” The frame is 1.25 meters high and 0.6 meters wide. In front is a single-bay, two-story stone pavilion with a hip-and-gable roof supported by four pillars, measuring 2.5 meters wide, 1.9 meters deep, and 4.4 meters high. The offering hall is connected to the tombstone, flanked by stone slabs on both sides, and covered with a double-slope tiled roof. It is 1.5 meters wide, 1 meter deep, and 1.9 meters high. Below the hall, in front of the tombstone, there is a long, upward-curving stone offering table, measuring 1.05 meters long, 0.55 meters wide, and 0.55 meters high. On both sides of the stone pavilion are arc-shaped stone walls in a “wind” character design, the widest point being 4 meters, with the ends of the walls shaped like swirls. In front of the pavilion are three stepped tomb platforms; the third platform is 25.6 meters long and 5.6 meters wide. The main facade of the first platform’s steps features seven sets of animal-patterned stone carvings. Originally, a memorial archway stood in front of the tomb path, with the plaque inscribed “Celebration of Longevity,” but it was destroyed in the 1960s.

Source: Xiang’an Cultural Center

Xindian Town: Established as Xindian Commune in 1959, restructured as a township in 1984, and upgraded to a town in 1987. Located along the southeastern coast of the county, it faces the islands of Xiamen and Kinmen across the sea to the south. Covering an area of 118 square kilometers with a population of 81,000, it is traversed by the Ma (Xiang)–Ao (Tou) and Shui (Tou)–Liu (Wu Dian) highways. Liu Wu Dian Port is one of Fujian Province’s natural harbors and serves as a berthing site for Taiwanese vessels. The town administers Xindian, Lianhe, Xiawu, Shamei, Xiaolong, Hengcuo, Dongyuan, Maolin, Dazhai, Lvtang, Xiwai, Xiangwu, Hutou, Dongkeng, Hongqian, Hongcuo, Luku, Xiahaibin, Xiaxu, Anshan, Liuwu Dian, Dongjie… More detailed information about Xindian Town++