Tomb of Li Kaixian

Tomb of Li Kaixian

The Tomb of Li Kaixian is a cultural relic protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Tomb of Li Kaixian is located to the south of Dong’ezhuang Village, Bucun Subdistrict, Zhangqiu District. The protected area is defined as the space within 10 meters outward from the existing perimeter wall of the tomb. The construction control zone is the same as the protected area.

The Tomb of Li Kaixian, with the burial ground measuring approximately 80 meters from north to south and 50 meters from east to west, features a spirit way in front of the tomb that still has one stone memorial archway inscribed with a couplet written by Xue Suo: “Through endless night when will dawn break? Amid rustling tall pines no years are marked.” The horizontal plaque reads: “Tomb of the Li Ancestors.” Within the grounds, there are two stone memorial archways, four tomb steles, and a total of sixteen stone statues including civil officials (Wengzhong), stone horses, stone sheep, and stone tigers. According to villagers’ recollections, there was once a stone gate in front of the tomb chamber, with an inscription on both sides reading: “Born by Heaven’s decree, buried here after death.” The horizontal plaque reads: “Honored in life, buried in death.” Artifacts such as epitaphs and stone inkstones have been excavated from the tomb of Li Kaixian. Among them, fragments of the epitaph stele of Li Kaixian himself, fragments of the epitaphs of his wives Lady Wang and Lady Zhang, along with some related materials, are preserved in the Li Kaixian Memorial Hall. Stone artifacts such as the inkstone are now housed in the Zhangqiu District Museum. The tomb of Li Kaixian, along with those of his father and grandfather, are arranged in a north-south sequence, making it one of the better-preserved Ming Dynasty celebrity tombs in Jinan. In 1999, the Li Kaixian Memorial Hall was completed and opened to the public.

Li Kaixian (1501–1568), a native of Zhangqiu County, styled Bohua and also known by his pseudonym Zhonglu, was one of the Eight Talents of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty. He was a litterateur and playwright who served as Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

On September 3, 1979, the Tomb of Li Kaixian was designated by the Jinan Revolutionary Committee as one of the first batch of municipal-level key cultural relic protection units. On June 12, 1992, it was announced by the People’s Government of Shandong Province as one of the second batch of provincial-level key cultural relic protection units.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Shandong Province