Tomb of Duke Xian of Jin

Tomb of Duke Xian of Jin

The Tomb of Duke Xian of Jin is a cultural relic protection unit of Shanxi Province.

The Tomb of Duke Xian of Jin is located on the eastern ridge of Huaiquan Village, Nanfan, Jiang County. The tomb stands a hundred feet high, unaccompanied by a shrine and solitary in its resting place, resembling a wooden bell without a handle. He was the son of Duke Wu of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period, named Guizhu, and was the first to establish the capital at Wei (Jiang County, Shanxi).

Duke Xian first married a woman from the Jia clan, but they had no children. He then married Lady Qi of Qi, who gave birth to the wife of Duke Mu of Qin and Crown Prince Shen Sheng. Later, he took two more women from the Rong tribes, who bore Chong'er and Yiwu. During the campaign against the Li Rong, he captured Li Ji, who gave birth to Xi Qi. Duke Xian favored Li Ji and often heeded her slander, first forcing Crown Prince Shen Sheng to take his own life, then attempting to harm Princes Chong'er and Yiwu in order to secure the throne for Xi Qi. Duke Xian reigned for twenty-six years. After his death, due to his tyrannical and incompetent rule, he was not included in the ancestral worship rites as a means to honor virtue and condemn evil. The Tomb of Duke Xian is a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit.

The Tomb of Duke Wen of Jin is located in Xiacun Village, Weizhuang, Jiang County. Duke Wen was a feudal lord of the Spring and Autumn Period, the second son of Duke Xian of Jin and younger brother of Crown Prince Shen Sheng, named Chong'er. Duke Xian favored Li Ji, killed Crown Prince Shen Sheng, and Chong'er fled to the Di (Di) state, remaining in exile for nineteen years. Later, with the military support of Duke Mu of Qin, he returned to Jin to reclaim the throne, executed Prince Dai, welcomed King Xiang of Zhou, rescued the State of Song, defeated the State of Chu, and succeeded Duke Huan of Qi as the leader of the alliance. He reigned for nine years and was posthumously honored with the title "Wen" (Civil). During Duke Wen’s reign, the capital was located at Wei (present-day Jiang County, Shanxi). He was buried on the western ridge of Xiacun Village, Weizhuang, Jiang County.

The existing tomb mound is over 40 meters high, resembling a small hill, solitary and shrine-less, shaped like a wooden bell without a handle, built from layered soils of various colors. It has not been excavated and remains well-preserved.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Shanxi Province