Tomb of Wang Debang

Tomb of Wang Debang

The Tomb of Wang Debang is a cultural relic protection unit of Hunan Province.

Tomb of Wang Debang

Dating back to the Qing Dynasty. Located in Youshanling Village, Dangdi Township, Lingling District, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province. It is the burial mound of the notable Qing figure Wang Debang.

The tomb covers an area of four mu, faces west with its back to the east, and features a circular mound standing 4 meters high with a base diameter of 20 meters. The tombstone, elegiac couplets, gate tower, and stone carvings are arranged in a circular formation. The tombstone is inscribed in intaglio with “Tomb of Wang Debang, the First-Rank Official of the Reign, Grantee of the Imperial Order and Grand Master of Splendid Happiness.” The seal script epitaph written by Weng Tonghe reads: “His outstanding achievements match those of Lady Ge Si of Xiangyin, deserving shared reverence in her ancestral hall; his illustrious reputation echoes through the capital, as esteemed voices rise from Zhuxiang Lane.” This is combined with the elegiac couplet by Liu Kunyi, Governor-General of Liangguang, on the right, while the joint elegiac couplets by Zhang Zhidong, Governor-General of Huguang, and the two sons of Zuo Zongtang, are placed on the left. Four dragon-phoenix stone pillars and other exquisitely carved stone artworks featuring flowers, birds, insects, and fish are all remarkably fine.

Wang Debang (1837–1893), courtesy name Langqing, was a native of Jianghua. He was a military general of the Xiang Army in the late Qing Dynasty. He participated in the suppression of the Taiping Rebellion and later accompanied Zuo Zongtang to Gansu and Xinjiang to quell uprisings. During the Sino-French War, he cooperated with Feng Zicai to decisively defeat French forces and was conferred the title of “Grantee of the Imperial Order and Grand Master of Splendid Happiness.” He was later promoted to Governor of Guizhou.

On January 4, 1996, the People's Government of Hunan Province designated it as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit, with the designation number 21-21.

Source: Overview of Cultural Relics in Hunan

Youshanling Village: 【Youshanling】 Yǒｕｓｈāｎｌǐｎｇ

This place has a mountain called Youshanling, hence the name. The village committee is stationed in Group 4 and governs 6 villager groups. The total area is 3.1 square kilometers, with 80 hectares of arable land, 221 households, and 855 residents.

… Detailed information about Youshanling Village++