Tomb of Xue Rengui

Tomb of Xue Rengui

The Tomb of Xue Rengui is a cultural relic protection unit of Jining City.

Tomb of Xue Rengui

(I) Historical Background

The tomb site of Xue Rengui features a stone memorial archway facing east. The archway is constructed from three whole slabs of stone, with square-shaped pillars on either side, each topped with a carved stone lion. The horizontal beam of the archway spans the pillars. The front side is inscribed with “Rebuilt Tomb of Xue Rengui, the Renowned General of the Tang Dynasty,” while the back side bears small regular script inscriptions

reading: “By decree of the Patrol Circuit of Western Yanzhou and the Two Provincial Offices, and with explicit orders from Magistrate Wang Huaide, Constable Liu Xizhao, Confucian School Instructor Peng Yunfang, and Teaching Assistants Qu Qianwu and Zhang Yanyi, this was erected in the early part of the sixth month of the summer, the year of Dingwei, the 35th year of the Wanli reign (1607), in Jiaxiang County, Yanzhou Prefecture, Jining Subprefecture, Shandong Province.”

According to local residents, about 10 meters west of the archway, tomb stones were once exposed but later reburied.

In his later years, Xue Rengui served in Daizhou. Had he not remained in office during his twilight years, he should have returned to his hometown in Longmen. Jiaxiang is thousands of miles away from both Daizhou and Longmen, and it is unclear on what basis earlier generations identified this tomb as that of Xue Rengui.

(II) Current Status

The tomb site of Xue Rengui, the renowned general of the Tang Dynasty, no longer has a burial mound. Only a stone memorial archway remains, facing east. The archway is constructed from three whole slabs of stone, with square-shaped pillars on either side, each topped with a carved stone lion. The horizontal beam of the archway spans the pillars. The front side is inscribed with “Rebuilt Tomb of Xue Rengui, the Renowned General of the Tang Dynasty,” while the back side bears small regular script inscriptions reading: “By decree of the Patrol Circuit of Western Yanzhou and the Two Provincial Offices, and with explicit orders from Magistrate Wang Huaide, Constable Liu Xizhao, Confucian School Instructor Peng Yunfang, and Teaching Assistants Qu Qianwu and Zhang Yanyi, this was erected in the early part of the sixth month of the summer, the year of Dingwei, the 35th year of the Wanli reign (1607)...”

...in the early part of the sixth month, in the year of Dingwei, the 35th year of the Wanli reign (1607).”

Xue Rengui, a renowned general of the Tang Dynasty, was a native of Longmen in Jiangzhou (present-day Hejin, Shanxi). His given name was Li, and his courtesy name was Rengui, though he was commonly known by his courtesy name. He was born in the ninth year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty (613) and died in the second year of the Yongchun era of the Tang Dynasty (683). His major exploits occurred during the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong of Tang.

Xue Rengui came from a poor family in his youth. He studied literature and martial arts, developed great physical strength, and grew up to work in farming. He married a woman surnamed Liu.

In the later years of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong planned to lead a military campaign against Goguryeo. Starting in the autumn of the 18th year of Zhenguan (644), he began mobilizing military supplies, provisions, and recruiting soldiers in active preparation for war. Xue Rengui went to enlist under General Zhang Shigui... More details about Xue Rengui ++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Municipal-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Jining City