Tomb of Zheng Xuan and Shrine of Duke Zheng

The Tomb of Zheng Xuan and Shrine of Duke Zheng

The Tomb of Zheng Xuan and Shrine of Duke Zheng are cultural relics protection units designated by Shandong Province.

The Tomb of Zheng Xuan and Shrine of Duke Zheng are provincial-level key cultural relics protection zones, located west of Houdui Village, Shuangyang Town, Gaomi City. Zheng Xuan (127–200 AD), courtesy name Kangcheng, was a native of Gaomi. He was the eighth-generation descendant of Zheng Chong, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat in the Han Dynasty, and a master of Confucian classics and Minister of Agriculture during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He studied at the Imperial Academy, mastering the "Changes of Jing," "Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals," the "Three Unified Calendars," and the "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art." He also learned the "Ancient Text Book of Documents," "Rites of Zhou," and "Zuo Commentary" from Zhang Gongzu, and finally studied ancient-text classics under Ma Rong. After returning home from his scholarly travels, he taught students in Donglai, gathering thousands of disciples. Despite his poverty, he remained dedicated to study and eventually became a great Confucian scholar. During the Party Proscription, he was confined and focused on writing and annotation. Mainly grounded in ancient-text Confucianism but also incorporating contemporary interpretations, he annotated numerous classical texts, authoring works such as "Treatise on the Seven Celestial Bodies" and "Zhonghou," totaling over a million words. His school of thought is known as "Zheng Studies" and he is regarded as the synthesizer of Han Dynasty Confucian studies.

Tomb of Duke Zheng In the spring of the fifth year of the Jian'an era (200 AD) during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Yuan Shao ordered his son Yuan Tan to compel Zheng Xuan to join the army. On the way, he fell ill and passed away east of present-day Daming, Hebei. He was initially buried in Jidong (present-day Zhengmu Town, Qingzhou City). Later, due to the deterioration of the tomb, he was reburied in his hometown. The original mound was 6 meters high, and in 1993, protective walls were constructed around it.

The Shrine of Duke Zheng was first built during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, featuring structures such as the Tongde Gate, the Hall of Worship, and side halls, and was quite large in scale. It was later destroyed and collapsed several times, and was rebuilt and renovated many times throughout history. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was renovated in 1987 and restored in 1993, with courtyard walls built around it. Inside the courtyard are three shrine halls, 8.1 meters high, 9.6 meters long, and 5.7 meters wide, built of brick and stone. Steps lead up from the ground to the entrance of the shrine. Inside there is a clay seated statue. Above the shrine niche is a horizontal plaque reading “Sage of Mount Tai and the Sea,” with couplets on both sides that read “Embodies the nobility of Mount Tai and the Sea, embodies the grand principles of refined literature.” Southeast of the shrine stands a pavilion containing a stele commemorating the 1987 restoration of the Shrine of Duke Zheng. In front of the shrine are two stone tablets: the one on the east side is from the fifth year of the Cheng’an era of the Jin Dynasty, with the inscription “Record of the Jin Dynasty’s Restoration of the Shrine of Duke Zheng” in seal script on the forehead, documenting Zheng Kangcheng’s life and achievements; the one on the west side is from the 60th year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty (1795 AD), commemorating the restoration of the Shrine of Duke Zheng.

Zheng Xuan (127–200), courtesy name Kangcheng, was a native of Gaomi in Beihai (present-day southwestern Gaomi, Shandong). He was a Confucian scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty and one of China’s renowned classicists. Zheng Xuan initially studied contemporary-text Confucianism before turning to ancient-text Confucianism. He incorporated various schools of thought, unifying them into a cohesive system, becoming the greatest “synthesizing scholar” of the Han Dynasty and the synthesizer of Confucian studies from both the Western and Eastern Han periods. His achievements in Confucian studies and the academic school formed from his teachings were later referred to...

...as “Zheng Studies,” “Comprehensive Studies,” or the “Synthesizing School.”

In his youth, Zheng Xuan went to the Imperial Academy in Luoyang, the capital, where he studied under Diwu Yuanshen (Diwu being the surname) from Jingzhao (present-day northwest Xi’an)... More details about Zheng Xuan ++

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Shandong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units