Tomb of Emperor Yao

Tomb of Emperor Yao

The Tomb of Emperor Yao is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Tomb of Emperor Yao is located at Yaowang Temple in Hujixiang, Mudan District, Heze City (two li west of Hujizhen), where Hujixiang now stands on the site of the ancient Chengyang. Historical records state: "Lüshi Chunqiu · Ansi" says, "Emperor Yao was buried in Gulin----"; Eastern Han scholar Gao You noted, "Yao was buried in Chengyang; this place called Gulin is at the foot of Chengyang Mountain." Wei-Jin scholar Huang Pu wrote in "Chronicles of Emperors" that "Gulin is Chengyang"; "Qianlong’s Imperial Commentary on Comprehensive Mirror" also states, "Emperor Yao passed away in Chengyang, was buried in Gulin, and Gulin is Chengyang."; "Commentary on the Water Classic" mentions, "Two li west of Chengyang lies the Tomb of Emperor Yao."

In front of the tomb are a Sacrificial Text Stele erected in 1545 (the 24th year of the Ming Jiajing era) by Meng Shu, the magistrate of Puzhou, and a stele inscribed with "Tomb of Emperor Yao of the Tao Tang Clan," written in 1903 by Miao Runfu, also a magistrate of Puzhou. Before the steles are the Hall of Offerings, East and West Audience Halls, East and West Changing Rooms, the Main Gate, the Memorial Archway, and the Hall of the Goddess. The courtyard also contains several stone tablets and 246 ancient cypresses planted in the late Qing Dynasty. Five hundred meters south of the tomb lies the Tomb of Yao’s mother, Qingdu, and 350 meters west lies the Tomb of Yao’s consort, Lady Zhongshan, along with her memorial shrine.