Tomb of Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Chu

Tomb of Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Chu

The Tomb of Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Chu, is a Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tomb of Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Chu, is located to the east of Jiuxian Village No. 3 in the town of Jiuxian. It is said to be the tomb of Xiang Yu’s head. According to *Records of the Grand Historian • Biography of Xiang Yu*: “After Xiang Yu died, all regions of Chu submitted to Han, except for Lu. The Han forces then mobilized troops from across the empire intending to massacre the city. However, moved by their adherence to righteousness and loyalty to their lord unto death, they showed the people of Lu Xiang Yu’s head, and the elders of Lu finally surrendered. Initially, the King of Chu had appointed Xiang Yu as the Duke of Lu. Since Lu was the last to yield after his death, he was buried in Gu Valley according to the rites befitting a duke of Lu. The King of Han held a memorial service for him and wept before leaving.” Gu Valley, refers to today’s Jiuxian Township. The original tomb was grand in scale, covering 60 mu, with a earthen mound 10 meters high and approximately 300 meters in diameter. In front of it was a gully about 20 meters wide and 3–4 meters deep, called Ba Wang Gou (Overlord’s Gully). There were originally four stone tablets and dozens of Han dynasty cypress trees in the tomb area, but most were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Fortunately, the main burial site remained unharmed. Currently, there is one broken stone tablet with inscriptions, one-third of which has been chiseled off. The surviving text reads: “The Overlord of Chu, who with one sword overthrew Qin and possessed strength to pull up mountains. With his double pupils, who could rival him for a thousand years? The autumn wind brings sorrow like startled deer to passersby; today, the Han tombs are strewn with patches of grass... ...There are two tombs of the Overlord, one at Wu River in Hezhou. When I visited, I saw lush greenery and temple halls... The local people came daily to pray for blessings. I was moved by the Overlord’s peerless heroism, believing his spirit merited solemn reverence. In the spring of the year of Wushen, when I came to govern Wenyang, I passed through Gu Valley and saw moss-covered village steles and ancient burial mounds... Upon asking the locals, they also referred to it as the Overlord’s tomb. Amidst the cold winds, I rode on...”. Other historical materials also document that Xiang Yu’s tomb is situated east of the ancient city. To the east of the tomb lies the tomb and stele of General Li. General Li was a renowned general under Xiang Yu—specifically, the leader who “refused to surrender in Lu.” After persuading Liu Bang to bury Xiang Yu, he committed suicide here in loyalty to his lord and was buried here as well. Locals regularly visit the tomb to pay tribute to Xiang Yu during traditional holidays, commemorating this ancient hero. The tomb is currently a municipal-level cultural relics protection site. Following expert assessment by provincial authorities, it has been preliminarily identified as a provincial-level cultural relics protection unit (to be officially announced).

Address: Jiuxian Township, Dongping County

Visiting Time: Approximately 1 hour

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