Xianxiao Tomb

Xianxiao Tomb

Xianxiao Tomb, also known as the Tomb of the Chaste and Filial Woman. It is located beneath the west bank of the canal, north of the Huangjingtang Temple, at the northwest end of today’s Dongfeng Bridge; the Qingfeng Pool and the Qingfeng Chaste Woman Stele are situated in the northeast part of Bucheng. These two sites are connected by one event. During the Ming Dynasty, there was a local leather craftsman who lost all his property and had to offer his wife and daughter as debt repayment. His wife, Madam Xu, carried their young daughter, followed her husband, and when they reached Qingfeng Pool, she jumped into the water. The family dog, seeing its owners fall into the water, barked frantically and then also jumped in and drowned. People regarded the dog as loyal and it was buried alongside its owners. Yang Weidong from Qijiang, Sichuan, who became a Jinshi (advanced scholar) during the Wanli era and served as an official in the Ministry of Works overseeing the Xiaozhen area, was deeply moved upon hearing the story. He built a brick tomb for them and constructed the Qingfeng Chaste Woman Shrine. Inside the shrine, clay figures of the leather craftsman’s family were enshrined. In the center stood Madam Xu, holding her young daughter with the dog lying at her feet, while behind the right-side door of the shrine was a figure of the leather craftsman, carrying a cloth sack on his shoulder, looking wretched. Qingfeng Pool has crystal-clear water. Yang Weidong also erected a stone monument in front of Qingfeng Pool in their memory—this is the Qingfeng Chaste Woman Stele.