Yuan Li Yu’an’s Tomb

Yuan Li Yu’an’s Tomb

Yuan Li Yu’an’s Tomb is a cultural tourism attraction.

Yuan Li Yu’an’s Tomb is located on the east side of Zoucheng Railway Station Square. In March 1975, it was excavated by the Zoucheng Cultural Relics Preservation Office. The tomb originally had an earthen mound above ground, with a remaining height of 0.5 meters. The burial pit is oriented north-south, measuring 3.7 meters in length and 3.5 meters in width. It features a wooden coffin encased in a stone outer coffin, which was reinforced with a mixture of lime, rice paste, granite pebbles, and yellow sand poured around it to a thickness of 0.4 meters, making it exceptionally sturdy. The lid of the stone outer coffin bears an inscription in intaglio: “Tomb of Mr. Li Yu’an of Yuan, buried on the fifth day of the second month in the tenth year of the Zhizheng era (1350).”

Due to the oxygen-free, temperature-stable, humid conditions inside the wooden coffin, along with the preservative effect of traditional Chinese medicine, Li Yu’an’s remains and the burial garments were remarkably well-preserved. On the right side of the coffin was placed the skeletal remains of a woman who had been reburied there, believed to be the bones of Li Yu’an’s wife. Inside the coffin were 69 copper coins from the Tang and Song dynasties, as well as 55 articles of clothing made of silk, cotton, and linen—including shoes, hats, boots, socks, robes, shirts, skirts, and trousers. Among them were five embroidered garments that exhibit typical characteristics of Lu embroidery, with fine examples including a diamond-patterned silk skirt ribbon featuring landscapes and figures, a floral twill skirt ribbon with plum blossoms and birds, and an unpatterned silk shoe embroidered with Lu-style flowers.