Tomb of Wang Yuegao

Tomb of Wang Yuegao

The Tomb of Wang Yuegao is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Tomb of Wang Yuegao is located about half a li southwest of Beibalizhuang Village on Xinfaxiang Street. The entire cemetery covers an area of over ten acres and is planted with numerous pine and cypress trees.

Wang Yuegao (？～1678), styled Dengru and also known by his literary name Beishan, was a native of Beibalizhuang in Chiping County. Intelligent from childhood, he was able to write essays at the age of seven and handled his father’s funeral at ten as if he were an adult. In the third year of the Shunzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, he passed the imperial examination as a Juren, and in 1658 became a Jinshi (presented scholar), entering the Hanlin Academy. He was later promoted to Right Remonstrating Official of the Board of Works, and in 1663 went to Jiangnan to serve as chief examiner. With keen insight, those he selected later included two top-ranking imperial examinees, five ministers, and three grand secretaries, gradually earning him great prestige. Later, when earthquakes struck Yan, Qi, Jiang, and Huai regions, Wang promptly submitted memorials requesting tax exemption and disaster relief. In 1649, he served as Right Remonstrating Official of the Board of War. He once submitted a “Proposal on River Works Construction,” emphasizing the urgency of river management, suggesting the convergence of the Yellow and Huai rivers, advocating dredging rather than blocking, proposing the appointment of dedicated officials—all of which were adopted. He later took office as Director of the Board of Rites, presided over military examinations, and those who ranked first in the examinations were all highly valued in the military. Thereafter, he submitted multiple memorials, requesting care for meritorious officials, exemption of excess grain taxes, exposure of corruption, and correction of the calendar—each proposal was pertinent and earned high praise. During his twenty years in office, he left no personal wealth behind and authored ten volumes of the “Huai Xuan Collection.”

Locals respectfully referred to Wang Yuegao as “Wang the Hanlin.” In front of his tomb stand dozens of steles, including a dragon stele inscribed with calligraphy personally written by Emperor Kangxi for Wang Yuegao, as well as a tomb epitaph written by his student Zhang Ying, who later became the top imperial scholar (Zhuangyuan) of the Qing Dynasty.

The coffin of Wang Yuegao was encased in a structure built with lime-soil mixture, which was then enclosed with blue bricks to form a brick chamber. Further out, the structure was surrounded by stone blocks measuring 135 zhang in length, 35 chi in width, and 95 cun in thickness. The stones were connected with grooves, and molten iron was poured into the joints. Finally, the whole was sealed with earth, making the tomb extremely sturdy.

During the Cultural Revolution, the tomb of Wang Yuegao was excavated. The coffin was still intact, and not many relics remained, except for a jade-carved flower vase containing a plum blossom. Both the vase and the blossom were carved from a single piece of jade—the blue representing leaves, the pink representing petals. There were seven leaves and five blossoms, making it a uniquely elegant and beautiful artifact.

Inside the Tomb of Wang Yuegao lies an epitaph stone that remains well-preserved. The inscription consists of twenty-six characters: “Imperial Qing Mid-Rank Official, Internally Promoted Fourth-Rank Capital Official, Director of the Board of Rites, Seal-Bearing Remonstrating Official of Beishan, Tomb Epitaph of Wang Gong.” The text is in small seal script, except for the character “promoted” (升), which is written in the script style of the Warring States period “An Yi Xia Guan Zhong Bell,” making it relatively difficult to recognize.

Source: Chiping County Chronicles Office