General Xu Shiyou Memorial Hall

General Xu Shiyou Memorial Hall

The General Xu Shiyou Memorial Hall is located in Xujiawa, Hepu Village, Tianpu Township, 35 kilometers southeast of Xin County, and is a key cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province. It sits on the Lailong Ridge beneath Wanzi Mountain, facing south with its back against Lailong Ridge and fronting Wuhu Mountain. The site includes five earthen-structured rooms, each approximately 20 square meters in area, built along the mountain slope with the ground rising in terraces. The lintel of the entrance gate bears a plaque inscribed with “Former Residence of General Xu Shiyou,” written by Wang Guangying, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. Upon entering through the main gate, the first room is the central hall of the residence, flanked by flower baskets offered by various sectors of society, including those presented by over ten veteran generals such as Li Desheng and Wan Haifeng, as well as dozens of provincial- and ministerial-level officials like Lieutenant General Zhang Wentai, Zhi Shuping, and Chen Quanguo. Nearly a hundred flower baskets were also contributed by CCTV and various government agencies and organizations. The east and west walls display photos of General Xu Shiyou from different periods, authentically documenting his revolutionary experiences and reflecting his true character—his lifetime of military service, illustrious achievements, and simple, unadorned lifestyle. Behind the central hall is a room housing a wooden coffin, which General Xu Shiyou arranged for his eldest son, Xu Guang, who worked in Xin County, to prepare for him in a letter dated October 22, 1979. Exactly six years later, on October 22, 1985, General Xu Shiyou passed away. This coffin was made from five types of wood—pine, fir, locust, willow, and cypress—symbolizing “five sons united in heart.” The eastern room was General Xu Shiyou’s living quarters during his lifetime. In 1985, when he returned home to visit family, he stayed here, and the wooden bed and armchair he used are still placed in their original positions. Descending the steps leads to two ground-floor rooms where a stone mill used by General Xu Shiyou during his lifetime is displayed. On the southern wall is a hole about the size of a person, through which General Xu Shiyou once escaped. The story goes that while visiting his mother, he was betrayed by a traitor and surrounded by over a hundred members of the Kuomintang militia. In a moment of crisis, Xu Shiyou opened a hole in the wall, leaped onto the roof using his qinggong (lightness skills), and fought off several bandits before escaping. In 2002, four exhibition rooms were built at the western end of the former residence to display the general’s personal belongings, including documents, books, photos, and commemorative medals, along with over 300 agricultural tools he once used.

Another notable site in General Xu Shiyou’s hometown is the Sword-Sharpening Pool. This trapezoidal pond, built with strip stones and irregular rocks, is a major attraction at the General Xu Shiyou Residence. To the south of the pond is a bamboo grove, to the north are farmlands, to the west is the General Xu Shiyou Square, and to the east lies a massive rock. At the age of eight, General Xu Shiyou followed his master, Lin Zijin, to the Shaolin Temple to study martial arts. At 18, yearning for his mother, he used his mastery of the eighteen martial arts to leave the temple and return home. In his spare time, he practiced swordplay and saber techniques by this pond, and when tired, he would sharpen the Guan Yu-style broadsword he brought back from the Shaolin Temple on this large rock. After joining the revolution, General Xu Shiyou never parted with the swords he had sharpened on this very stone, which helped him achieve great military feats on the battlefield. Later, local residents began calling this pond the Sword-Sharpening Pool. Next to the sharpening stone used by the general lies a lock-shaped rock, a stone lock he used to train his arm strength. The two stone locks weigh 43.5 kilograms and 46 kilograms respectively.

General Xu Shiyou’s Tomb General Xu Shiyou’s Tomb is located in Xujiawa, Hepu Village, Tianpu Township, 35 kilometers southeast of Xin County, and is a key cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province. Construction began in October 1985, situated on the Lailong Ridge beneath Wanzi Mountain in Xujiawa, Hepu Village, Tianpu Township, facing south. The tomb was built by the Nanjing Military Region, covering an internal area of 78.2 square meters. The tomb complex is shaped like a grandmaster’s chair, with the mound above ground forming a circular dome, standing 2 meters high and 4.2 meters in diameter, constructed from nine sector-shaped and one circular granite slabs. In front of the tomb stands a granite stele, 3.12 meters tall, 0.8 meters wide, and 0.25 meters thick. This stele was erected privately by Yang Shangkun, then President of China, and Marshal Xu Xiangqian. The inscription, written by the renowned calligrapher Fan Zeng, features seven bold semi-cursive characters in the front: “Tomb of Comrade Xu Shiyou.” Because the stele was erected by Yang Shangkun and Marshal Xu Xiangqian, it could only bear the title “Comrade” rather than “General.” The reverse side of the stele features vertically arranged semi-cursive characters in small script, detailing General Xu Shiyou’s remarkable military achievements throughout his life. Inside the tomb, General Xu Shiyou’s coffin consists of a double-layered casket. The inner coffin was made from golden-thread nanmu wood, personally sourced by General You Taizhong, former Commander of the Guangzhou Military Region and a close friend of Xu Shiyou, from Guangxi. Inside the coffin were placed 100 yuan, two pistols, and two bottles of Moutai liquor. These items symbolize “money to buy a path, liquor to bolster courage, and guns to fight ghosts.” Liquor shared an inseparable bond with General Xu Shiyou’s life, and he had a particular fondness for Moutai. The pistols were among his most cherished possessions. One of them belonged to Zhang Lingfu, commander of the KMT’s elite 74th Division, known as Chiang Kai-shek’s godson, who was killed in the Battle of Menglianggu. Originally displayed at the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, it was later retrieved with Mao Zedong’s approval and worn by General Xu Shiyou. The other pistol was a platinum-plated gift revolver presented to him by former French President Charles de Gaulle. General Xu Shiyou was the first and only general in China since the advocacy of cremation to be granted special permission by the Party Central Committee for burial in the earth.

During his lifetime, General Xu Shiyou repeatedly petitioned the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao Zedong, stating, “Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been hard to reconcile. I joined the revolution at a young age and was unable to fully care for my birth mother. In life, I served the country with loyalty; in death, I wish to serve my mother with filial piety by being buried beside her.” On October 22, 1985, after General Xu Shiyou passed away in Nanjing, Comrade Deng Xiaoping instructed: “General Xu Shiyou was a man of unique character, unique experiences, and unique contributions. The Central Committee will make special arrangements and permit his burial in the native soil near the old pine forest.” Thus, General Xu Shiyou’s earth burial became the only exception permitted by Mao Zedong and approved by Deng Xiaoping. Approximately 30 meters southwest of General Xu Shiyou’s Tomb lies the joint burial site of his parents, surrounded by five century-old pines. Their crowns all tilt inward toward the center, resembling five phoenixes facing the sun, hence the name “Five Phoenix Pines.”

Within the 3-square-kilometer forested area surrounding the General’s Tomb grows the “General’s Orchid.” Among the many varieties of orchids—such as grass orchids, Cymbidium, and the General’s Orchid—the latter is the hardiest and grows in the mountains of General Xu Shiyou’s hometown. The General’s Orchid is an evergreen perennial herb that thrives in the corners of shrubbery, growing in clusters with slender, drought-resistant leaves and a well-developed root system. When spring arrives, they bloom competitively, filling the mountains with fragrance. Most flowers are purple or green, but some rare ones are red or white. The blooming period is relatively short, typically around 15–20 days. In autumn, the roots of the orchid produce small black multi-faceted nodules filled with white powder, which can be used for disinfection and hemostasis. To this day, farmers in the Dabie Mountains use this powder to stop bleeding if they injure their fingers while working in the fields.

Source: Office of Local Chronicles of Xinyang City

Hepu Village: Overview

Hepu Village is located in the southern part of Tianpu Township, 7.5 kilometers from the township government. To the east, it borders Xianyangyan Village, Futianhe Town, Macheng; to the south, it neighbors Xinwuhe Village, Huangtugang, Macheng, and Xiaozhai Village, Chengmagan Township, Macheng; to the west, it is separated from Dafan Village, Sidian Township; and to the north, it is close to Hepu Village and Huangtuling. The village office is situated in the middle section of Hepu, covering an area of 150 square meters with a construction area of 300 square meters. It consists of seven two-story buildings facing west, occupying a total village area of 16 square kilometers, including 1,100 mu of arable land—809 mu of paddy fields and 191 mu of dry land. The village has a total of 28... (Detailed information on Hepu Village++)

Further Reading:

· China National Third-Class Museum