Former Residence and Tomb of Qiu Jun

Former Residence and Tomb of Qiu Jun

The former residence and tomb of Qiu Jun are designated as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

The former residence and tomb of Qiu Jun are located on the eastern side of the southern section of Qiuhai Avenue in Shuitou Village, Haixiu Town, Xiuying District, and Jinhua Road, Fucheng Town, Qiongshan District, Haikou City, Hainan Province.

Qiu Jun, courtesy name Zhongshen, also known by his art names Shen’an, Yufeng, Qiongshan, and the alias Old Man Haishan, was a native of Xiati Village (also called “Zhujuli,” now known as “Jinhua Village”) in Fucheng Town, Qiongshan. He was a prominent Neo-Confucian scholar and statesman of the mid-Ming Dynasty and an outstanding intellectual of the 15th century. Alongside Hai Rui, he was known as one of the “Two Jewels of Hainan” and is a famous historical figure widely known among both young and old in Hainan. Born in the 18th year of the Yongle reign (1421), Qiu Jun lost his father at a young age and was raised by his mother. Diligent and gifted, he gained a reputation for poetic talent in childhood. Qian Qianyi, a great poet from the late Ming and early Qing period who compiled the *Collected Poems of Dynastic Reigns*, selected some of Qiu Jun’s poems and noted in his short biography that Qiu Jun “could compose poetry at the age of seven or eight, astonishingly quick-witted. In his lifetime, he wrote tens of thousands of poems, often composed extemporaneously without editing, many of which remain.”

The former residence of Qiu Jun is located at No. 9, Lane 3, Jinhua Road. A plaque bearing the four large characters “Qiu Jun’s Former Residence,” inscribed by Luo Zhewen, a renowned expert in ancient architecture and calligrapher from the National Cultural Heritage Administration, hangs above the courtyard entrance. The residence was originally built in the second year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1369), covering an area of approximately 700 square meters, making it the oldest surviving wooden structure in Hainan. The residence currently consists of two sections: the “Keji Hall” and the front hall. The front hall is three bays wide and four rafters deep, with a single-eave flush-gable roof covered in simple board and tile, standing 4 meters tall. The Keji Hall is also three bays wide but 13 rafters deep, with a similar roof style. The former residence has a history of over 640 years. It was once a multi-courtyard complex, and at its largest, it was said to comprise “eighteen houses of the Qiu people.”

The tomb of Qiu Jun is about 4 kilometers from the former residence, near the tomb of Hai Rui, and covers an area of approximately 2,500 square meters, preserving structures such as the burial mound. The main tomb is built of stone with a round top, standing 6 meters high and consisting of six tiers with 16 steps. The base features a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) design, with the “##” (myriad) symbol in between—this symbol represented good fortune in ancient times. In front of the main tomb stands a stele 4.4 meters high, with carvings of “flying dragons” at the top, and patterns of pine trees, cranes, and auspicious clouds on the sides. The upper part of the stele bears the inscription “Imperial Burial Commissioned by the Ming Dynasty,” while the central inscription reads: “Tomb of Qiu Gong, Duke of Guanglu, Pillar of the State, Junior Guardian, concurrently Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Minister of Revenue, Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, posthumously honored as Left Pillar of the State and Grand Preceptor, with the posthumous title ‘Wenzhuang’; and his wife, Madam Wu, honored with the First Rank Title.” (This is a joint burial tomb.) In front of the main tomb is a stone memorial archway inscribed with “Eminent Scholar-Official.” The tomb path is flanked by stone statues including civil officials (Wengzhong), stone sheep, stone lions, and stone horses, with a pair of stone ornamental columns (Huabiao) at the very front. The entire tomb complex faces a clear spring-fed pond at the front, open fertile fields at the front view, and a lush green hill at the back, presenting an atmosphere that is simple, elegant, solemn, and respectful.

In 1996, the former residence and tomb of Qiu Jun were included in the fourth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council.

Fucheng Subdistrict: The Fucheng Subdistrict Office is located in the northern part of Qiongshan District, bordered by Qiongzhou Avenue to the east, Chengxi Town to the west, Gaodeng Street to the south, and Guoke Subdistrict’s Dongke Village to the north, covering a total area of 6.6 square kilometers. On June 18, 2013, the Fucheng Subdistrict Office was officially established. It currently administers six community residents' committees: Ganzhuyuan, Yunlu, Fucheng, Zhongjie, Beiguan, and Wenfang, with a total population of 106,448.

Fucheng Subdistrict enjoys a prime location and convenient transportation. Major urban roads such as Longkun South Road, Hongcheng Lake Road, and Qiongzhou Avenue run through the area, and key urban thoroughfares include... More details about Fucheng Subdistrict ++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level