Chunmu Gang

Chunmu Gang

Chunmu Gang is a cultural relic protection unit of Cao County.

The tomb of Chunshen Jun, a prime minister of the Chu State during the Warring States period, is located 10 kilometers northwest of Cao County and is a county-level key cultural relics protection unit.

Chunshen Jun, whose surname was Huang and given name Xie, served as the prime minister of the Chu State and was one of the Four Lords of the Warring States, alongside Mengchang Jun of Qi, Xinling Jun of Wei, and Pingyuan Jun of Zhao. Huang Xie was versatile and eloquent. While serving as the Left Minister, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Qin State, where he persuaded King Zhao of Qin to abandon his plan to attack Chu and instead form an alliance with the state. In 272 BC, he accompanied the Chu crown prince Xiong Wan to Qin as a hostage, living in Xianyang for nine years. When King Qingxiang of Chu fell seriously ill, to ensure the prince's return to succeed to the throne, Huang Xie disguised the prince as a charioteer of the Chu envoy and helped him escape back to Chu, while he himself remained in Qin. Later, with the help of Fan Ju, the Qin chancellor, he returned to Chu. In 262 BC, after the crown prince Xiong Wan ascended the throne, he appointed Huang Xie as prime minister and granted him the title of Chunshen Jun, along with lordship over twelve counties north of the Huai River (now mostly part of western Shandong, including Meng County, which was then the area of present-day Cao County). Thereafter, Huang Xie served as prime minister for over twenty years, making significant contributions to the stability and prosperity of the Chu State.

Huang Xie was known for his hospitality and kept thousands of scholars and followers at his residence, among them Li Yuan from the State of Zhao. Li Yuan schemed to marry his sister to Chunshen Jun as a concubine but later framed him. As a result, Huang Xie’s followers took his head and fled to Meng County (now northwest Cao County), burying it on a high mound, which came to be known as Chunmu Gang.

In the 20th year of the Dading era of the Jin Dynasty, the Kaiyuan Temple, also called Chunmu Temple, was built on the mound. The temple was surrounded by dense woods that cast deep shade, creating a secluded retreat far from worldly bustle. Its grand and solemn halls, vast scale, and pleasant scenery made it a serene place. However, after suffering damage from multiple wars, it was rebuilt twice, and worship continued until it was demolished after the liberation. Today, remnants of broken steles and stones still stand, bearing witness to its former glory.