Tomb of Wang Bao

Tomb of Wang Bao

The Tomb of Wang Bao is a cultural relic protection unit of Ziyang City.

Wang Bao was highly learned, excelling especially in literary prose and poetry, with a rich body of writings. The Huayang Guo Zhi (Records of the States South of Mount Hua) mentions him alongside Sima Xiangru, praising his work as "magnificent and elegant, flourishing like a garden of blossoms." His famous works such as "Ode to a Sage Sovereign and His Wise Ministers," "Nine Elegies," "Ode to the Sweet Spring Palace," "Rhapsody on the Flute," "Gift to Scholar Zhou," and "Servant Contract" have been widely celebrated. Wang Bao's tomb is located in Mochiba, Ziyang City, about 10 kilometers north of the urban area. The tomb mound is approximately five meters high, round in shape, and about 20 meters in diameter. The stone stele in front of the tomb was erected in the 23rd year of the Chenghua era of the Ming Dynasty by Pan Zhang, the Assistant Surveillance Commissioner of Sichuan who oversaw education. The stele stands two meters high and about one meter wide, bearing an inscription in the center that reads "Tomb of Wang Bao, Imperial Counselor of the Western Han" (the original stele broke into two parts and is now preserved in a cultural relics management institution). About 200 meters southwest of Wang Bao’s tomb lies a pond approximately seven meters long and four meters wide. The water appears dark when viewed, but crystal-clear when scooped, fragrant when stirred, and sweet when drunk—this is an ever-flowing spring. Legend says it was where Wang Bao washed his inkstone while living in seclusion, reading and writing—thus named the Ink Pond. About 30 meters northeast from there, there is another small pond, said to be the Minor Ink Pond. The Tomb of Wang Bao is a cultural relic protection unit of Ziyang City.