Tomb of Yang Shenxiu

Tomb of Yang Shenxiu

The Tomb of Yang Shenxiu is a Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Tomb of Yang Shenxiu

Tomb of Yang Shenxiu (Third Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites)

Era: Late Qing Dynasty

Location: 50 meters south of Yizhang Village, Xiayang Township, Wenxi County

Yang Shenxiu was a reformist during the late Qing Dynasty. His courtesy name was Yicun, and he was from Wenxi, Shanxi. During the Hundred Days' Reform period, he was executed by Empress Dowager Cixi for advocating reform and modernization, and he is one of the Six Gentlemen of the Hundred Days' Reform. The tomb mound is circular, 3 meters high, with the lower part built from stone slabs and the upper part forming an earthen mound, 6 meters in diameter. A tombstone stands beside the mound, with the inscription “Tomb of Yang Shenxiu, a Martyr of the Hundred Days’ Reform” on the headstone.

Yang Shenxiu was from Yizhang Village, Wenxi County, Shanxi. He was born on April 24, 1849 (the second day of the fourth month in the 29th year of the Daoguang reign in the Qing Dynasty). He became a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the county level) at the age of 12, and passed the provincial examination (Juren) at 21, ranking third as a Jingkui. In 1871, at the age of 22, he went to Beijing to take the imperial examination (Hui Shi) for the Xinyou Year (the 10th year of the Tongzhi reign), but did not pass. While in Beijing, he studied under teachers, delved into Han Learning, strongly advocated the Modern Text School, and had a particular fondness for the Gongyang Commentary.

From 1877 to 1878 (the third to fourth years of the Guangxu reign), several provinces in northern China, including Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi, experienced severe drought, especially in Shanxi. Shanxi Governor Zeng Guoquan reported in his memorial: “The land is parched…” More detailed information about Yang Shenxiu ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units