Tomb of Xie Lingyun

Tomb of Xie Lingyun

The Tomb of Xie Lingyun is a cultural tourism attraction.

Tomb of Xie Lingyun

Tomb of Xie Lingyun Situated on Lotus-shaped Hill in Group 12, Quan Village, Kangle Li, about 2 kilometers northeast of the county seat. Xie Lingyun (385–433) was a poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, originally hailing from Yangxia in Chen Commandery (today’s Taikang, Henan). He produced a wealth of landscape poetry and is honored as the pioneer of Chinese landscape poetry. His grandfather, Xie Xuan, achieved great military merit in the Battle of Fei River in 383 during the Jin Dynasty and was enfeoffed as the Duke of Kangle (present-day Wanzi). Xie Lingyun inherited the title and became the Duke of Kangle, hence he was known as “Xie Kangle.” Later, his title was reduced to Marquis of Kangle. He held various official positions including Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary, Commander of the Left Guard of the Crown Prince, Prefect of Yongjia, Director of the Imperial Secretariat, and Interior Minister of Linchuan. In October 433 during the Yuanjia era of the Song Dynasty, Xie Lingyun was falsely accused of treason amid political infighting within the Liu-Song ruling clique and was executed by public exposure in Guangzhou at the age of 49.

According to the Genealogy of the Xie Clan of Nanyuan, Wanzi: “The youngest son of Huan, Gongyi, styled Lingyun, was studious from youth, gifted and refined in spirit, absorbing the essence of mountains and rivers. He was as renowned as Yan Yanzhi, and his writings were considered foremost in the Jiangzuo region. In the Yiyou year (425) of the Liu-Song Dynasty, he served as Director of the Imperial Secretariat and later became the Prefect of Linchuan. He inherited the title of Duke of Kangle... Born on the 18th day of the 6th month in the Jiawu year (384, though it should be the Yimao year, i.e., 385 — Editor's note) at dawn. Died on the 3rd day of the 4th month in the Guimao year (433) at the hour of the Rat. Buried at Lotus-shaped Hill, Changtang, outside the North Gate, oriented toward the Mao Mountain and You (West) direction. The whole county erected statues in his honor and worshiped him; lands were allocated to build a temple for perpetual incense offerings... ”

The Tomb of Xie Lingyun is an earthen mound tomb, with a bluestone stele erected in front of it by descendants of the Xie family. The inscription reads: “Erected by the collective descendants of the Xie clan. Tomb of the founding ancestor Xie Gong, styled Lingyun. Renovated in the spring month of the 7th year of the Guangxu era.” There are varying accounts of where Xie Lingyun was ultimately buried, but the Tomb of Xie Lingyun in Wanzi is the only existing tomb with an authentic inscribed stele. Moreover, Wanzi was the hereditary fief of Xie Lingyun, and his family genealogy provides accurate records, lending credibility to this site as his tomb. However, whether it is indeed the burial place of his actual remains remains to be verified.