Tomb of Yi Yin in Cao County

Tomb of Yi Yin in Cao County

The Tomb of Yi Yin in Cao County is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Tomb of Yi Yin is located in Yinmiao Village, Daji Town, Cao County, Heze City, Shandong Province.

Historical records state that Yi Yin served under five rulers of the Shang Dynasty: Tang, Wai Bing, Zhong Ren, Tai Jia, and Wo Ding. In the eighth year of Wo Ding’s reign, Yi Yin passed away, and Wo Ding buried him with the rites accorded to a Son of Heaven near the capital city of Bo.

In 1994, local residents in Cao County raised funds to build the Yuan Sheng Ancestral Tomb at the site, making it a county-level key cultural relic protection unit. Locals celebrate the birthday of Yi Yin on the 21st day of the second lunar month every year, and a temple fair is held on this day annually.

Legend has it that Yi Yin was once a slave in the State of Youxin. To commemorate the Sage Yi Yin, locals built the A Heng Shrine at the former site of the State of Youxin (now Xinzongji Village in Cao County).

During the Ming Dynasty, Fan Xizheng, the magistrate of Cao County, constructed the Yi Yin Shrine in front of Yi Yin’s tomb. The shrine had three courtyards, and over the dynasties, dozens of steles were erected there.

During the Xuande era of the Ming Dynasty, Fan Xizheng, the magistrate of Cao County, built the Yi Yin Shrine in front of Yi Yin’s tomb. The shrine had three courtyards, and numerous stone tablets were erected over the generations. It later came to be called the Yin Temple, and Yi Yin was revered as Lord Yin. The Ming Dynasty scholar Chen Ce was moved to write the poem “Visiting the Yi Yin Shrine”: “The road turns north of Cao City, gazing up at the Sage’s shrine. Vivid paintings display grandeur, where qilin and phoenix reveal his noble form. Sunset falls on empty tablet earth, high clouds frame stone inscriptions. Grateful for such exceptional fate, I halt my horse in deep reflection.”

In 1994, local residents raised funds to renovate the Yuan Sheng Ancestral Tomb, and after the restoration, the temple was completely renewed.

In October 2013, it was approved as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the People’s Government of Shandong Province.

Yinmiao Village: Yinmiao Village…… More information about Yinmiao Village++

Further reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units