Fan County's Danzhu Tomb

Fan County's Danzhu Tomb

The Danzhu Tomb in Fan County is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Henan Province.

The Danzhu Tomb is located about 25 kilometers southwest of Fan County in the north of Xinzhuang Township, and 4 kilometers east of Pucheng in Danzhu Village (also known as Danxu Village). This ancient tomb is said to be the burial site of Danzhu, the son of Emperor Yao, dating back over 4,000 years.

According to *Records of the Grand Historian · Annals of the Five Emperors*, "Yao asked, 'Who can succeed me in this task?' Fang Qi replied, 'Your heir Danzhu is wise and capable.'" (Zheng Xuan said: "Danzhu, the son of Emperor Yao’s heir, was named Danzhu and was wise and open-minded.") Another account from *Puzhou Annals* and local legends states that Danzhu was the son of Emperor Yao. When Yao grew old and decided to pass on his throne, he did not choose Danzhu due to his hot temper and impulsive nature, but instead passed it to Shun. Shun granted Danzhu a territory around the Fan River area to govern. Although Danzhu had a strong and fiery temperament, he possessed certain capabilities in managing lands. He led the tribal people in the Fan River region to cultivate and sow fields, develop water conservancy projects, promote agriculture, produce pottery, and build the Yan Zhu city (the old city south of the Yellow River), which helped advance the political, economic, and cultural development of the area. Through his governance, the locals were industrious, fields were well-tended, travelers showed mutual respect, and social order between young and old was maintained—comparable to the governance skills of Yao and Shun. Danzhu was deeply respected by the people. After his death, the tribal people mourned him and buried him in a grand tomb eight li east of Pucheng. The tomb appeared mountain-like from afar and became known as Danzhu Tomb. Legend says that the tomb was clearly visible from eight li east of Pucheng. Stories about Danzhu have been widely passed down in the region.

The Danzhu Tomb covers an area of three mu. It is said that the tomb was over ten zhang high, but due to its location in a flood-prone area of the Yellow River, it has been covered multiple times by silt. Currently, the top of the tomb stands about three meters above the ground, while the underground burial site remains well-preserved.

Before 1964, it was a provincial-level cultural heritage site in Shandong Province (at that time, Fan County was under Shandong Province’s jurisdiction). In 1983, the Fan County government erected a protection monument for the site. In December 1999, it was submitted for recognition as a provincial-level cultural heritage site in Henan Province.

In August 1975, Wang Mingrui from the Henan Provincial Museum conducted a trial excavation on the top of the Danzhu Tomb, digging a trench that was 2 meters deep, 3 meters long, and 1.5 meters wide. This uncovered the stratified soil layers within the tomb, as well as unearthed plain pottery basins and pots from the Warring States period, pottery jars and tripods from the Western Zhou Dynasty, and pottery shards and lids from the late Longshan Culture.

This tomb is an important cultural site rich in historical significance, reflecting the political, economic, and cultural development of the Pufan area over 4,000 years ago. It holds great importance for the study of ancient architecture and culture.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Provincial-Level Cultural Heritage Sites in Henan Province