Zhang Shijie’s Tomb in Doumen

Zhang Shijie’s Tomb in Doumen

Zhang Shijie’s Tomb in Doumen is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhuhai City.

Zhang Shijie’s Tomb is situated on the slopes of Huangyang Mountain behind Huangyang Village in Jing’an Town, Doumen District, Zhuhai City. Originally built in the late Song and early Yuan dynasties, it was renovated in the 13th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1748) by Zhang Rulin, the then magistrate of Xiangshan County. The tomb is made of lime-sand, faces northeast, and has an area of 203 square meters. It is shaped like an armchair and features a “golden well,” three-tiered retaining earth ridges, side wing walls, and a three-level worship platform. The golden well has a circular diameter of 3.8 meters, with its walls painted vermilion and adorned with carved scroll patterns. The tombstone is made of Duanzhou stone, standing 1.33 meters high and 0.61 meters wide, inscribed with the following hollow regular script epitaph: “Tomb of Lord Zhang Shijie, Duke of Yue, Vice Director of the Privy Council, Grand Tutor of the Song Dynasty.” The edges are inlaid with red sandstone, and the top of the stone is carved with a “two dragons competing for a pearl” design. In front of the tomb is a pair of regular script couplets: “Cloudy hills gaze empty at the minister’s abode; the sea still pays homage to the Yongfu Mausoleum.”

A pair of octagonal granite tomb markers are placed in front of the tomb. In 1987, it was designated and announced as a cultural relic protection unit of Doumen County (District); in 1994, it was designated and announced as a cultural relic protection unit of Zhuhai City.

Zhang Shijie ( ?–1279), a native of Fanyang (present-day Zhuozhou, Hebei), was among those who escorted the Song imperial family from Fujian to Guangdong during the late Southern Song Dynasty alongside Lu Xiufu and others. In February of the second year of the Xiangxing reign (1279), he led over 200,000 Song troops in a decisive battle against Zhang Hongfan, the Mongol and Han Generalissimo, at Yamen. After being defeated and drowning, a tomb was later erected here in his honor. In the 13th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1748), Zhang Rulin, the magistrate of Xiangshan, carried out renovations to the tomb site.

In 1994, the Zhuhai Municipal People’s Government designated it as a cultural relic protection unit.

Zhang Shijie ( ?–1279), a native of Fanyang, Zhuozhou (present-day Zhuozhou, Hebei), was a renowned anti-Yuan general and national hero of the late Southern Song Dynasty. He held the titles of Grand Tutor and Vice Director of the Privy Council, and was posthumously honored as Duke of Yue. Together with Lu Xiufu and Wen Tianxiang, he is known as one of the “Three Heroes of the Late Song.” He successively supported two emperors of the Southern Song, vowing never to surrender to the Yuan, but ultimately perished in the Battle of Yashan. His fleet was destroyed in a typhoon, leading to his drowning at the foot of Pingshang Mountain. Zhang Shijie’s Tomb is located in Huangyang Village, Jing’an Town, Doumen County. The tomb faces east and covers an area of 616 square meters. It features three tiers of earth ridges, two winding sets of wing walls on either side, a three-level worship platform, a golden well, a pair of tomb markers, and a front figure (possibly a guardian statue). The tomb is built of lime-sand,… More details about Zhang Shijie ++