Tomb of Xie Zhaozhe

Tomb of Xie Zhaozhe

The Tomb of Xie Zhaozhe is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Fujian Province.

Tomb of Xie Zhaozhe

Located at the foot of Elephant Mountain in Xiayang Village, Yingqian Town, Changle City, 35 kilometers south of Fuzhou, the tomb covers an area of 195 square meters and was built in the 10th year of the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty (1637). It faces west and is backed by Elephant Mountain, overlooking the Min River. Flanked by small hills and fronted by a winding stream, the site is surrounded by orchards. The tomb platform is paved with lime-soil and stone slabs, and the burial mound is compacted earth. The platform is 8.4 meters wide, and the distance from the platform to the burial chamber is 13.7 meters. In front of the burial mound is an altar, on which stands a pavilion housing a tombstone. The stele is 1.96 meters high and 0.90 meters wide, inscribed with: “The Noble Tomb of Lord Xie, Built in the Autumn of the Year Dingchou, Chongzhen Era.” The burial enclosure, platform, and furnishings are constructed of granite. Aside from some damage to parts of the stone enclosure, the rest remains well-preserved.

Designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage site in 1991.

Xie Zhaozhe (1567–1624), courtesy name Zaihang, was a native of Changle, Fujian. He also went by the literary names Wulin, Owner of Little Grass Studio, and in his later years, Laborer Amidst Mountains and Rivers. He passed the imperial examination in the 20th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty (1592) and successively served as magistrate in Huzhou and Dongchang, principal official in the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing, section chief in the Ministry of War, and assistant director in the Department of Land Reclamation under the Ministry of Works. He once submitted a memorial criticizing eunuchs for extorting wealth from the people even during droughts, for which he was commended by Emperor Shenzong. In the first year of the Tianqi era (1621), he was appointed judicial commissioner of Guangxi and later rose to the position of Right Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guangxi. After entering government service, he traveled extensively across famous mountains and rivers in Sichuan, Shaanxi, the Two Lakes region (Hubei and Hunan), the Two Guangs (Guangdong and Guangxi), Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other areas. Wherever he went, he composed poetry marked by grandeur, solemnity, realism, and emotion, becoming a representative poet of the Fujian poetic school. He collaborated with Xu Bohuo to reprint the Chunxi-era "Annals of Three Mountains" and authored the influential Ming Dynasty encyclopedia "Wu Za Zu" (Five Assorted Offerings), as well as the "Records of Mount Taimu," which he also wrote. Note: 淛 (zhè) is the traditional form of the character 浙 (Zhè), meaning “Zhe (River).” Xie Zhaozhe may also be written as Xie Zhaozhe.