The Liu Family Cemetery in Xiangyuan

The Liu Family Cemetery in Xiangyuan

The Liu Family Cemetery in Xiangyuan is a cultural heritage site protected by Xiangyuan County.

The Liu family cemetery is located on a riverside terrace south of Xiaojiaoduo Village, Xialiang Town, Xiangyuan County. It stretches 50 meters from east to west and 200 meters from north to south, covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters. This is a family cemetery from the Ming Dynasty, oriented north-south and built along the mountain slope. From south to north, there is a stone memorial archway that is 3.2 meters high and 2.9 meters wide, inscribed with “Liu Family Ancestral Tomb.” Twenty meters north of the archway stands the Spirit Way Stele of Liu Long, who served as an official up to the rank of Grand Master for Counseling the State and Minister of War of the Nanjing Military Commission. The stele is made of bluestone, featuring a dragon head at the top and a turtle base. It stands 4.25 meters tall in total, with a capital 0.85 meters high, body 2.40 meters high, width 1.07 meters, and thickness 0.26 meters. The base is 1.50 meters long, 1.2 meters wide, and 0.80 meters high. It was erected in the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1553). The inscription, written in regular script, records the life of the tomb owner. The text was composed by Yang Bo and calligraphed by Lei Li. The *Shanxi General Gazetteer* from the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty states: “The tomb of Minister Liu Long is located at Xiaojiaoduo (in Xiangyuan County), northeast of the county.” Thirty meters west of Liu Long’s stele is the Spirit Way Stele of Liu Kui. Liu Kui (d. 1543) served as Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. His stele is also made of bluestone, with a dragon head and turtle base. It stands 4.25 meters tall in total, with a capital 1 meter high, width 1.25 meters, and thickness 0.45 meters. It was erected in the 22nd year of the Jiajing reign (1543). The inscription, written in regular script, details the life of the deceased. The text was composed by Sun Cheng’en. Approximately 25 meters north of Liu Kui’s stele is the Spirit Way Stele of Liu Fengyi. Liu Fengyi (d. 1507) served as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Justice. His stele is made of bluestone, with a dragon head and turtle base. It is 4.70 meters tall, with a capital 1 meter high and a base 1 meter high. It was erected in the 2nd year of the Zhengde reign (1507). The inscription, written in regular script, records the life of the tomb owner. The calligraphy was done by Sun Jiao. This cemetery cluster has not been excavated. In 1981, it was designated as a county-level cultural heritage site by the People’s Government of Xiangyuan County.

Xiaojiaoduo Village: Xiaojiaoduo Village is located 15 kilometers southeast of Xialiang Town and enjoys convenient transportation. The village has a total of 63 households, with a population of 219. The cultivated land area is 494.5 mu. There are 4 cadres in the village’s two committees and 9 Party members. … More detailed information about Xiaojiaoduo Village ++