Tomb of Marquis Cao

Tomb of Marquis Cao

The Tomb of Marquis Cao is a cultural heritage protection unit of Shandong Province.

The Tomb of Marquis Cao is located in Deping Town, Linyi County. It dates back to the Han Dynasty. In 2013, it was designated as part of the fourth batch of provincial-level cultural heritage protection units by the Shandong Provincial People's Government.

About 100 meters east of the tomb is Caojiazhuang Village, which derived its name from the tomb. According to the village monument, the ancient tomb is said to be the burial mound of Cao Can, the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty. The village was inhabited by the Cao family from the Han Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty. Wars and plagues during the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties left only one woman in the village. During the Yongle era, Zhao Youcai migrated from Shouguang and married her, rebuilding the community. Today, the Zhao and Cao families in the village share a common ancestry.

The old "Deping County Annals" recorded: "Caojiazhuang, also known as the Emperor’s Tomb, is located eight li northwest of the county, standing two zhang high and spanning two hundred bu in circumference. The identity of the emperor is unclear." Currently, the tomb mound has a perimeter of about one hundred meters and a height of seven to eight meters. It is covered with miscellaneous trees of varying heights, blooming with colorful flowers in spring and summer, and adorned with clusters of jujubes resembling red agates in autumn, making it a scenic highlight of the ancient town.

The ancient tomb of Cao has been identified as dating back to the Han Dynasty, but it has not yet been confirmed whether it is the tomb of Cao Can.

According to "Records of the Grand Historian: The House of Chancellor Cao," Cao Can ( ?–190 BC), courtesy name Jingbo, was a native of present-day Pei County, Jiangsu. After Liu Bang became emperor, he rewarded his meritorious subjects, and Cao Can ranked second, being granted the title of Marquis of Pingyang. When Liu Fei was made King of Qi, Cao Can served as the Chancellor of Qi for nine years. He adopted the philosophy of "governing by non-interference" or "Yellow Emperor–Laozi doctrine" advocated by Gai Gong, which helped stabilize the previously turbulent society, restore and develop the economy, earning him the reputation of a wise chancellor among the people of Qi. When Xiao He died during the reign of Emperor Hui of Han, Cao Can succeeded him as Chancellor of the Han Empire for three years, adhering to the established laws and regulations, “making no changes and strictly following Xiao He’s policies,” thus creating the famous saying "Xiao sets the rules, Cao follows them," and becoming a renowned statesman in the early Western Han Dynasty.

Cao Can was the first minister to be ennobled in the Han Dynasty and held a prominent status, but there are no definitive records about the location of his tomb in existing official histories. According to Han Dynasty funeral customs, he might have been buried in his hometown of Pei County, Jiangsu, or in his enfeoffed territory, present-day southwestern Linfen, Shanxi, or even as an accompanying burial in the mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang in Xianyang, Shaanxi. Since Cao Can served as Chancellor of Qi for many years and died just three years after leaving the post, the possibility that he was buried here cannot be ruled out either.

Deping Town: Deping Town is located 35 kilometers north of Linyi County, at the junction of five counties and districts — Laoling, Ningjin, Lingxian, Shanghe, and Linyi — covering a total area of 144.23 square kilometers with a population of 60,400.

Deping has a long history, abundant talent, and profound cultural heritage. From the Later Tang of the Five Dynasties to 1956 when it was restructured from a county into a town, it served as the seat of a historical county government, boasting a history of over 2,000 years. Literary figures from the Three Kingdoms period such as Mi Heng, master calligraphers of the Ming Dynasty like Guo Chen, eminent statesmen such as Ge Shouli, and modern renowned storytelling artist Shan Tianfang all hailed from Deping before stepping out into the wider world... More details about Deping Town++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units