Tomb of Ren Ao

Tomb of Ren Ao

The Tomb of Ren Ao is a protected cultural heritage site of Hebei Province.

The tomb of Ren Ao from the Western Han Dynasty is located about 2.5 kilometers northeast of Longyao County’s urban area, south of Qiudi Village. The tomb is 10 meters high and covers an area of 12 mu, shaped like an earthen mound, commonly known to locals as “Qiudi Geda.” This earthen burial mound has withstood over two thousand years of wind and rain, yet still stands solemnly and majestically.

Several trees grow on the top of the tomb, and there is also a sign marking it as a “Key Cultural Relic Protected Site” by Longyao County. On the ground near the tomb site, artifacts such as Han Dynasty tubular tiles and scroll-patterned eaves tiles have been found. Originally, there was a stone stele from the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty (1553) inscribed with “Tomb of Ren Gong, Han Dynasty Imperial Censor and Local Virtuous Gentleman.” This stele has since been relocated to the Longyao County Cultural Relics Preservation Office for safekeeping.

Ren Ao (circa ? BC – 179 BC), a native of Pei County during the Qin Dynasty, initially served as a prison official in Pei. He was a close acquaintance of Liu Bang. At the beginning of Liu Bang’s uprising, Ren Ao followed him as a guest and held the position of imperial censor. After the fall of the Qin, when Liu Bang established himself as King of Han and contended with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, for supremacy, Liu Bang led his forces eastward against Xiang Yu, and Ren Ao was promoted to Governor of Shangdang. During the reign of Empress Lü, Ren Ao was enfeoffed as Imperial Censor-in-Chief. In the first year of Emperor Xiaowen’s reign, Ren Ao passed away and was posthumously honored with the title “Marquis Yi.” He was buried in front of Qiudi Village in Guang’a County. During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong reign, Yuan Wenhuan, the magistrate of Longping County, composed a poem in his memory:

Outside Guang’a City, the sunset glows with sorrow,

I sigh at the vast earth shrouded in desolate soil.

The ancient tomb veiled in cold mist divides the wild hues,

The worn stele and withered grass chill the barren isle.

A thousand autumns of deeds shine bright in history,

Ten years of merit rose with Han’s founding lord.

What once happened in Feng and Pei is now past lore,