Tomb of Li Jie

Tomb of Li Jie

The Tomb of Li Jie is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tomb of Li Jie is located at the foot of Meishan Mountain in Yuzhai Village, west of Longhu Town, Xinzheng City, Henan Province.

According to the "Zheng County Annals," Li Jie was a native of Guancheng, Zhengzhou, and died in February of the fourth year of Daguan during the Northern Song Dynasty (1110 AD), and was buried at Meishan in Xinzheng. During the Song Dynasty, the earthen mound over Li Jie’s tomb was quite large, and later his family members were also buried in the area, forming the Li Jie Tomb Cluster. In later generations, it gradually fell into disrepair, and the mound suffered continuous damage from both human activity and natural forces. When a cultural relics survey was conducted in 1961, only a 3-meter-high mound remained of Li Jie’s tomb, with the rest leveled to the ground, surrounded by farmland.

Li Jie, courtesy name Mingzhong, came from an official family during the Northern Song Dynasty. He once served as the county magistrate of Caozhou and the prefect of Guozhou. In the seventh year of Yuanyou, he worked at the Directorate of Buildings for 13 years, successively holding positions such as director’s clerk, assistant director, deputy director, and director. He personally oversaw the construction of many large-scale architectural projects, including palaces, royal residences,

imperial ancestral temples, the Biyong Hall, the Ministry of Personnel, city gates, temples, and the Mingtang Hall where the emperor held grand ceremonies. He accumulated extensive practical experience in project planning, organization, and management. Not only was he the author of the officially commissioned Song Dynasty manual on architectural design and construction, but his work also had a profound impact on the evolution and development of architecture in later generations. This book is undoubtedly the most detailed and comprehensive ancient Chinese architectural treatise that has been passed down to this day. Li Jie was also a man of great learning and talent, skilled in large seal script and painting. He authored the 13-volume "Continuation of the Classic of Mountains and Seas," the 10-volume "Ancient Seal Script and Shuowen," the 3-volume "Record of the Lute," and the 2-volume "Sequel to the Register of People with the Same Names." Li Jie passed away in 1110 and was buried west of Yuzhai Village in Longhu Town, Xinzheng City.

Li Jie compiled the monumental architectural treatise "Yingzao Fashi" (Treatise on Architectural Methods), marking an epoch-making innovation in the history of Chinese architecture and representing a major advancement in construction practices. It is a scientific summary of the valuable experience of ancient Chinese laborers in the field of architecture. It had a profound influence on the development of architectural technology in later generations. Li Jie became a renowned and internationally respected master of architectural science, and is also revered as the founding figure in the field of ancient Chinese architecture.

In 2001, the Tomb of Li Jie was designated as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit in Xinzheng; on May 26, 2006, it was announced as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units