Tomb of Chen Yong

Tomb of Chen Yong

The Tomb of Chen Yong is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Tomb of Chen Yong is located in Wachen Village, Shizhuang Township, Guan County, and is a key cultural relic protection unit of Liaocheng City. The tomb mound stands about 7 meters high with a circumference of over 20 meters. It is surrounded by dense woods, creating a serene and quiet atmosphere.

Chen Yong (1344–1428) was a local official during the Ming Dynasty. He once joined the rebel forces with Zhu Yuanzhang and later stayed behind in Dongchang Prefecture, serving as the Commandant of the Dongchang Guard. He was in charge of defending Dongchang for a total of 12 years and achieved many accomplishments. In the second year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Yong, who was then the Commandant of Dongchang, initiated the reconstruction of the earthen city originally built in the third year of the Xining era of the Song Dynasty into a brick city to fight against the remaining forces of the Yuan Dynasty. Later, in order to “survey the enemy from afar,” he also oversaw the construction of a tower in the center of the city using leftover bricks, stones, and timber from the city wall project. This tower was completed in the seventh year of Hongwu (1374) and was named “Yumulou” (Tower of Leftover Timber), commonly known as the Ancient Tower or Drum Tower, and later officially named Guangyue Tower.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Shandong Province