The Han Family Tomb Complex in Shen County

The Han Family Tomb Complex in Shen County

The Han Family Tomb Complex in Shen County is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Han Family Tomb Complex is located in Dongduzhuang Town, Shen County, Shandong Province.

The Han Family Tomb Complex is the family burial ground of Han Yunchong, the military governor of Wei-Bo during the Tang Dynasty, and his father Han Guochang, who was the prefect of Beizhou and an imperial censor. Locally, it is known as the "Tomb of King Han." The Han family originated from Runan in Henan and had served as generals for the Wei regime for generations. Han Guochang held the position of prefect of Beizhou and died in the sixth year of the Dazhong era (852) of the Tang Dynasty. Han Yunchong became the military governor of Wei-Bo and died in the first year of the Qianfu era (874). According to the Old Book of Tang, “The military governor of Wei-Bo governed Wei Prefecture and administered six regions: Wei, Beizhou, Bo, Xiang, Chan, and Wei.” The Wei-Bo military stronghold was one of the three major separatist powers in Hebei. Han Yunchong was a highly prominent official who wielded both military and political power across a vast area between Wei and Bo, ruling as a local warlord.

The original Han Family Tomb Complex included: two spirit way steles for Han Guochang and Han Yunchong, in front of which stood stone statues including horse lead figures, stone horses, warrior figures, sheep, tigers, and five tomb markers. There used to be another row of stone carvings opposite them, though now fragmented. About 150 meters behind the steles lie the tombs of Han Guochang and Han Yunchong, which contain stone coffins over two meters tall. Approximately 300 meters northwest of the spirit way steles, four tombs belonging to descendants of the Han family were discovered. All date back to the Five Dynasties period, and epitaphs were unearthed in two of them. The tomb owners were brothers Han Yueyi and Han Chuan’yi, grandsons of Han Guochang and sons of brothers of Han Yunchong.

The current Han Family Tomb Complex preserves the burial grounds and spirit way steles of Han Guochang, Han Yunchong, their family members, along with related stone carvings such as horse lead figures, stone horses, warrior figures, sheep, tigers, and tomb markers. According to the Old Book of Tang, the Wei-Bo military stronghold was one of the three major separatist powers in Hebei. Han Yunchong served as the military governor of Wei-Bo during the Tang Dynasty, and his father Han Guochang was the prefect of Beizhou and an imperial censor. Therefore, the scale of their family tomb complex is grand, with stone carvings exuding an ancient simplicity. They were carved using round sculpture techniques, and the stele tops feature high-relief carvings of coiled dragons in layered, distinct forms.

The spirit way stele of Han Yunchong stands 6.38 meters tall, 2.15 meters wide, and 0.75 meters thick, consisting of a top, body, and base. The stele top and body are carved from a single massive stone. The top is square with rounded corners and features a high-relief depiction of two dragons playing with a pearl. The dragons are coiled and curved, with clear layering. Each dragon presses a claw onto a pearl at the center-top of the stele top. The center of the stele top has a rectangular flat surface inscribed with three rows of 12 seal characters in intaglio: “Spirit Way Stele of the Late Tang Military Governor of Wei-Bo, Lord Han.” On both sides of the stele top are low-relief carvings of three downward-facing dragon heads. The back of the stele top is decorated with a dragon body. The stele body itself is 3.57 meters tall, with slight damage at the bottom. Its text is in regular script, carved in intaglio, with about 50 lines and around 84 characters per line, approximately 3,800 characters remaining. The base is turtle-shaped, with inward-turned feet and visible claws, finely detailed. Viewed from the side, the turtle appears both still and as if slowly moving forward. The horse lead figure is positioned on the left side of the stone horse, with its head damaged. It wears a round-collared, wide-sleeved robe, with a belt around the waist, holding the horse reins in both hands. The right hand grasps the rein near the bit, as if reining in the horse. The horse has a plump, round body, adorned with a bridle, lowered head, upright mane, and a concave saddle on its back. The warrior figure wears a long robe, tightly gripping a sword in both hands at chest level, gazing straight ahead. The stone sheep is large and stout, with both front legs kneeling, lying in a crouched posture. Details such as the horse bridle and clothing patterns on the human figures are rendered using low-relief techniques. The entire set of stone carvings is rugged and archaic, vividly shaped, and represents a rare artistic treasure among Tang Dynasty stone sculptures. The inscription is in regular script, with dignified, neat, and graceful handwriting, making it an important material for studying calligraphy.

In 2006, the Han Family Tomb Complex, as an ancient tomb site from the Tang Dynasty, was included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Dongduzhuang Town: Dongduzhuang Town is the hometown of Zeng Guangfu, a national model worker in agriculture. It is located at the junction of Hebei, Shandong, and Henan provinces. To the west, it borders Nanle County in Henan and Daming County in Hebei. To the south lies the Tuohai River, to the west the Majia River, to the east is the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, and to the north is the Jiliao Expressway. Provincial Highway Lin’guan runs through the town. The town covers a total area of 121.2 square kilometers, has a population of 30,000, 42 administrative villages, and 47,231 mu of arable land. In recent years, the town has undergone significant and high-standard industrial restructuring, forming two main industries: melon and vegetable production, and livestock breeding.

The town plants early spring greenhouse watermelons... More details about Dongduzhuang Town++