Li Ye’s Memorial Gateway

Li Ye’s Memorial Gateway

Li Ye’s Memorial Gateway is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Located two kilometers south of the county town, Li Ye’s Memorial Gateway is a tomb gateway. The 1851 revised edition of the Zitong County Annals states: “The tomb of Han Dynasty scholar-official Li Juyou (Li Ye’s courtesy name was Juyou) was traditionally believed to be in Shimaba.” Both the Book of the Later Han: Biographies of Unconventional Figures and the Chronicles of Huayang: Accounts of People from Zitong record that Li Ye, courtesy name Juyou, was a native of Zitong. From a young age, he demonstrated integrity and studied the Lu Poetry under the guidance of the scholar Xu Huang. In the third year of the Yuanshi era (3 AD) during the reign of Emperor Ping of the Western Han Dynasty, he was recommended by the prefect and appointed as a “Lang” (a type of official). In the initial year of the Ruizhi era (8 AD), when Wang Mang usurped the throne, Li Ye, filled with resentment, feigned illness, resigned from his post, and returned to his hometown, where he shut himself away from the world. Liu Xian, the Prefect of Guanghan Commandery (with its seat in Zitong), admired Li Ye’s reputation and forcibly summoned him. Li Ye, though ill, went and was nominated as a “Fangzheng” (an official title). In the first year of the Jianwu era (25 AD) of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Gongsun Shu took control of Shu and established the “Da Cheng Kingdom.” Hearing of Li Ye’s virtuous reputation, he summoned Li Ye to serve as a scholar-official. Li Ye declined, citing illness. In the seventh year of the Longxing era (31 AD) of the Da Cheng Kingdom, Gongsun Shu, furious at Li Ye’s refusal to respond to his summons, dispatched the Grand Master of Ceremonies Yin Rong to Zitong with poisoned wine. Yin Rong was told: “If he accepts, grant him a noble title. If he refuses, give him the poison.” Upon arriving in Zitong, Yin Rong said to Li Ye: “Now the realm is in chaos, who can distinguish right from wrong? Why risk your insignificant self in such treacherous waters? The court admires your virtue and fame, and has left the position vacant for seven years. Rare delicacies have been sent every season in remembrance of you. It would be better to serve those who appreciate you and provide for your descendants, preserving both your life and reputation. Would that not be optimal?” Li Ye replied: “I will not enter a perilous state, nor dwell in a chaotic one. I will not follow wrongdoing, even if it concerns my own kin — such is the way of righteousness.” Yin Rong then urged Li Ye to consult his wife and children before making a decision. Li Ye smiled and said: “One’s reputation can be built but not destroyed; one’s body can be killed but not dishonored.” He then drank the poison and died. When Gongsun Shu heard of Li Ye’s death, he was shocked and ashamed of the stigma of killing a virtuous man. He sent emissaries to offer condolences and bestowed a hundred bolts of silk and a million coins in funeral expenses. However, Li Ye’s son, Li Hui, fled and refused to accept them. In the twelfth year of the Jianwu era (36 AD), Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han posthumously honored Li Ye, decreeing: “Commemorate his virtue, record his lofty principles in the records of Yibu, and depict his image.” The Chronicles of Huayang praised Li Ye’s refusal to collaborate with a traitorous regime as: “Juyou remained unbroken like jade, his noble spirit resounding like gold.” In the fifth year of the Jiajing era (1526 AD) during the Ming Dynasty, Dai Ao, an official of the Anmian Military Circuit, visited Zitong and, after seeing Li Ye’s tomb and gateway, in honor of the ancient sage, discussed with County Magistrate Zhang Tong the conversion of the Shuicao Temple at the foot of Changqing Mountain into the “Temple of Han Scholar-Official Li Juyou,” creating a statue of Li Ye for seasonal worship. In the fourteenth year of the Daoguang era (1834 AD) during the Qing Dynasty, Magistrate Xu Ningji rebuilt the Li Ye Shrine. Throughout history, many visitors to Li Ye’s shrine and gateway have composed poems in his memory.

Protected Area: The site boundary extends 6.6 meters east to the rear eaves gutter of Ren Ziqun’s house (west side), 7.9 meters west to the enclosing wall of the Zitong County Paper Mill, 17.4 meters north to the living quarters ditch of the Zitong County Paper Mill (north side), and 16 meters south to the water ditch of the Zitong County Paper Mill (south side).

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units