Tomb Cluster of the Founders of Plum Blossom Fist (Tomb Cluster of the Zou Family)

The Tomb Cluster of the Founders of Plum Blossom Fist (Tomb Cluster of the Zou Family)

The Tomb Cluster of the Founders of Plum Blossom Fist (Tomb Cluster of the Zou Family) is a cultural heritage site protected by Hebei Province.

The Tomb Cluster of the Founders of Plum Blossom Fist (Plum Blossom Fist Holy Land) is located in Houmazhuang Village, Pingxiang County. During the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, Zou Hongyi had honed his literary and martial skills to an extremely refined and mystical level, gaining widespread fame. In order to promote Plum Blossom Fist to society, he left Xuzhou and traveled to Kaizhou (now Puyang, Henan), where he successively accepted Cai Guangrui, Wang Xizheng, and Meng Youde as disciples, teaching them all aspects of martial and literary arts. After mastering their skills, the three set out separately to teach and spread the art. Cai Guangrui, after accepting Han Huali and Sun Panlong in Kaizhou, traveled north to promote the fist style. On the way through Neihuang County, he accepted Yang Bing from Balizhuang as a disciple—later known as the Martial Talent of the Renchen Year (1712) during the Kangxi reign. He then continued northward, arriving at Mapuqiao (Houmazhuang) in Pingyi, Pingxiang County (Pingxiang County), where he accepted Zhang Fu as a disciple. He subsequently taught martial arts there and took on more disciples, including Li Jinde, Xu Jinde, and Zheng Yude.

In the Yiyou Year (1705) of the Kangxi reign, Cai Guangrui sent Li, Xu, and Zheng to Henan to invite their master, Zou Hongyi. This event became legendary in martial arts circles as the “Three Virtues Inviting the Master.” After being invited to Mapu, Zou Hongyi settled there, establishing a training ground to accept disciples and teach the Plum Blossom Fist. “At one point, there were no fewer than a hundred disciples under his tutelage.” From then on, Plum Blossom Fist was officially and widely spread among the public. Disciples from counties such as Pingxiang, Guangzong, Nanhe, Weixian, Julu, Jize, Quzhou, Yongnian, Shahe, and Xingtai flocked to Mapu to learn the art. In the ninth year of the Qianlong reign (1744), Zou Wenzu, the son of Zou Hongyi, longed for his father and led his family northward in search. After many twists and turns—first stopping at Sanguandian in Nanhe, then heading to Wei Village in Guangzong (which offered no place to settle), they eventually rooted themselves in Mapu, Pingxiang (as recorded in the *Genealogy of Origins*).

When the Zou Wenzu family arrived in Mapu, their father had already passed away several years prior. After paying respects at his tomb, they settled in Houmazhuang. Continuing their father’s legacy, they dedicated themselves to the martial art and, centered around Mapu, promoted Plum Blossom Fist across Hebei, Shandong, and Henan provinces. Zou Wenzu wrote in the continuation of the *Genealogy of the Zou Family*: “In the year of Ji Mao, we relocated to Mapu Bridge, ten li north of Pingyi. People only know that we moved from the south to the north, but not that we returned to our ancestral land.” Later, generations of the Zou family were buried in the northern part of present-day Houmazhuang Village—that is, the Tomb Cluster of the Zou Family. Zou Hongyi’s grandsons—Zou Ke (who traveled far teaching the fist and whose whereabouts became unknown), Zou Kerang, Zou Kexie, and Zou Kecheng—inherited their grandfather’s mission, dedicating their lives to teaching Plum Blossom Fist. According to the inscription on Zou Kecheng’s stele: “Zou Kecheng was accomplished in both literature and martial arts. In terms of military strategy, he was revered by the nation and capable of strengthening the country; in terms of education, he transformed the *Book of Changes* into something wondrous, able to discern the future from the past. His teachings have been passed down through branches with clear lineage, reaching over ten provinces and blessing millions of families with his virtue.”

In July 1993, the “Tomb Cluster of the Zou Family” was listed as a provincial-level key cultural heritage site by the People’s Government of Hebei Province. In 1994, Wang Zuwu, Vice Governor of Hebei Province, inscribed the words “Plum Blossom Fist Holy Land” for the site.

Location: Houmazhuang Village, Pingxiang County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province

Transportation: Take a local minibus headed for Houmazhuang within Pingxiang County.

Driving Directions: Starting from downtown Xingtai, drive east along S325 for about 40 km. Turn right where you see a sign for the Plum Blossom Fist Tomb Site on the south side of the road, then follow the rural road for approximately 4 km. The tomb site will be visible to the left, located north of Houmazhuang Village.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Heritage Sites Protected by Hebei Province