Tomb of Xu Shen

Tomb of Xu Shen

The Tomb of Xu Shen is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tomb of Xu Shen is located east of Xuzhuang Village, Jishi Township, Zhaoling District. The tomb mound is 5 meters high with a base diameter of 16 meters. In front of the tomb stand two stone tablets erected during the Qing Dynasty’s Kangxi and Guangxu reigns, and behind the tomb are rows of cypress trees. The local cultural relics department acquired 12 mu of land to establish the Xu Shen Cemetery. In the 25th year of the Guangxu reign, Zhou Shi from Dong’e made a special trip to the tomb site to pay homage and purchased three mu of land in the northeast corner of the city to build the Xu Nan Pavilion Shrine, which houses a memorial plaque inscribed with “Tribute to Xu Shen, Courtesy Name Shuzhong, Scholar of the Grand Tutor’s Pavilion, Known as the Unparalleled Master of the Five Classics,” with a hanging plaque reading “Peerless Among the Five Classics.” It is now the Xu Shen Memorial Hall in Yancheng County. In 1986, the Tomb of Xu Shen was designated as a Provincial-Level Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Xu Shen Memorial Hall in Yancheng County is located on the western section of Haihe Road, Yancheng District, Luohe City, Henan Province. Postal Code: 462300

Jurisdiction and Affiliation: The museum began preparations in September 1984 and was officially established in April 1985. It is affiliated with the Yancheng County Bureau of Culture.

Introduction to the Building: The site of the Xu Shen Memorial Hall in Yancheng County was originally the Nan Pavilion Shrine (Xu Shen Shrine), built in the 28th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1902). After the Xinhai Revolution, it was converted into a school, with most of the buildings turned into classrooms, except for the five-bay hallway inside the main gate, which was preserved. In 1984, after research by the county government, the largely original hallway was handed over to the cultural department to establish the Xu Shen Memorial Hall. The building covers an area of 62.9 square meters.

Collection: In addition to collecting cultural relics and materials related to Xu Shen and organizing special exhibitions in his honor, the Xu Shen Memorial Hall in Yancheng County is also responsible for the investigation, collection, and protection of cultural relics across the county. As needed, it also hosts the “Yancheng County Cultural Relics Exhibition,” showcasing fine pieces of Shang and Zhou dynasty bronzeware and Han dynasty pottery from its collection.

Opening Hours: The Xu Shen Memorial Hall in Yancheng County is open all year round.

Daily hours: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Location of the Attraction

Eastern earthen mound of Xuzhuang Village, Jishi Township, Zhaoling District, Luohe City, Henan Province

Xu Shen, courtesy name Shuzhong (circa 58 AD – 147 AD), was a renowned Confucian scholar, philologist, exegete, and lexicographer from Wansuili, Zhaoling, Runan (present-day Xuzhuang, Jishi Township) during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He is the author of the Shuowen Jiezi and other works.

Xu Shen (58–147 AD) and the Shuowen Jiezi

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Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units