Tomb of Xu Heng

Tomb of Xu Heng

The Tomb of Xu Heng is a cultural relic protection unit of Henan Province.

The Tomb of Xu Heng is located 1 kilometer south of Xinlifeng Village in Zhongzhan District, Jiaozuo City. It was built in the 18th year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan Dynasty (1281).

The site currently preserves structures such as the burial mound, memorial hall, and cemetery grounds. The original burial area covered nearly 200,000 square meters. The tomb mound is circular, facing south, with a loess dome that is 16 meters in diameter and about 7 meters high, surrounded by blue stone walls. In front of the tomb stands an ancient stele inscribed with “Tomb of Xu Wenzheng, Confucian Scholar of the Yuan Dynasty.” Beneath this stele lies the Yuan-era “Map of the Tomb Area,” housed within an antique-style stele pavilion. To the south of the tomb stele lies the sacred path (shendao), flanked by four stone figures, one pair of stone horses, one stone tiger, and one pair of stone sheep. The human statues are arranged with civil officials to the east and military officers to the west, holding ritual tablets and weapons—artifacts from the Yuan Dynasty. Additionally, remnants such as the Yuan Dynasty “Stele of the Sacred Path of Xu Heng” can still be found. Within the cemetery grounds, the Hall of Sacrificial Feasts (xiangtang) is located to the south. It is five bays wide and two bays deep, with plaques hanging beneath the eaves on the north and south sides, inscribed with “The Successor of Zhu Xi” and “Continuing the Way of Cheng and Zhu,” respectively. Inside the hall stands a white marble statue of Xu Heng. The mountain gate of the cemetery is three bays wide and two bays deep, with side doors (yemen) on either side.

Since its construction over 700 years ago, the Tomb of Xu Heng has undergone multiple renovations through the Yuan, Ming, Qing, and Republican periods, and remains a relatively well-preserved elite family cemetery of high-ranking Yuan Dynasty officials. The tombs are arranged in a hierarchical sequence from north to south, reflecting orderly burial customs, and provide important insights into the funeral systems and burial traditions of the time.

Xu Heng was a renowned statesman and Neo-Confucian scholar of the Yuan Dynasty. He held various official positions throughout his life, including Education Commissioner of the Capital Region, Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, Minister of Education, Vice Director of the Secretariat, and Grand Academician of the Academy of Scholarly Worthies.

Location

Among the Xu family tombs, south of Lifen Village, Zhongzhan District, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relic Protection Units