Tomb of Tao Yuanming

Tomb of Tao Yuanming

The Tomb of Tao Yuanming is located on the southern slope of Mianyang Mountain in the southwest of Mount Lu, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. It lies to the north of Mount Hanyang and to the south of Mount Huanglong. This site not only fulfilled his desire to “dwell near the city yet live in leisure and ease,” but also embodies the poetic charm of “picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge, and gazing leisurely at the southern mountain.”

Tao Yuanming passed away on the 15th of September in the fourth year of the Yuanjia era (427 AD) during the reign of Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty. After his death, he was posthumously honored with the title “Jingjie” (Reverent and Upright), and thus his tomb is also known as the Jingjie Tomb.

The tomb is situated just over a hundred meters from the original site of the Tao Yuanming Temple. A brick path winds up the hillside from the temple to the tomb. The tomb faces south and is built on a north-south axis. It measures 7.9 meters in length, 4.1 meters in width, and 1.62 meters in height. The outer structure consists of a rectangular arched brick and stone tomb. The tombstone bears the horizontal inscription “Pure Breeze and Lofty Integrity” at the top, and the central vertical engraving reads “Tomb of Mr. Jingjie, the Recluse Tao of the Jin Dynasty.” On the left side are two stelae: one inscribed with “The Biography of Master Five Willows” and the other with the “Epitaph.” On the right side are the “Ode to Returning Home” as well as the name of the person who erected the stele and the year it was created. This tomb was reconstructed in the mid-autumn of the first year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1736).

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units