The Tombs of Scholar Liang and His Son

The Tombs of Scholar Liang and His Son

The Tombs of Scholar Liang and His Son are a cultural tourism attraction.

The Tombs of Scholar Liang and His Son

In Xifeng’s Liuchang Township lies a historic site admired by locals: the Tombs of Scholar Liang and His Son. The tomb of Scholar Liang alone is situated on a small hill amidst tea groves in Liangjiazhai, approximately 2 kilometers from the township government seat.

(According to *Qianfeng County Biographies*): Scholar Liang, named Liang Zijing, was a native of Liangjiazhai in Liuchang. In the third year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1738 AD), during the Wuwu imperial examination session, he ranked fifth among successful candidates and once served as an educational officer in Qingzhen County. He returned to his hometown in his later years and lived to be 102 years old. Due to their prominence and prestige in the area, the tombs of Scholar Liang and his son were constructed with great care and unique design. The two tombs are located at the highest point of the burial ground. The stone materials were quarried, intricately carved, and transported from elsewhere. The tombs are built in a circular shape, backing southeast and facing northwest. Among them, the tomb of Scholar Liang alone is more grandiose in scale than that of his father.

The tomb has a diameter of 2.8 meters and a height of 1.9 meters. The inscriptions at the front of the base are quite elaborate, and the calligraphy is considered excellent. The main inscription reads “Imperial Qing Eulogy: Scholar Linlang Liang Zijing’s Tomb” in ten prominent characters. To the right are two lines of smaller text: “Born on the

thirteenth day of the second month in the year Jiawu of the 30th year of the Kangxi reign, at the hour of Hai; passed the provincial imperial examination in the Wuwu year of the Qianlong reign, ranking fifth among scholars of Guizhou.” On the left is the inscription: “Erected in the leap second month of the 60th year of the Qianlong reign, in the year Yimao, on Qingming Festival.” The sides of the tomb bear the couplet: “Literary legacy endures beneath the earth, ancestral offerings remain fresh before the grave.”

The horizontal plaque reads: “High as Mountains, Long as Rivers.” On the inner upper wall of the tomb couplet are carvings of Taoist

“Taiji Diagrams.” The lower parts of the stone walls list the names of Scholar Liang’s four sons, 18 grandsons,

19 great-grandsons, and 16 great-great-grandsons. It is evident that Scholar Liang, who lived to be 102, had a flourishing and five-generation lineage. Such an extended family was truly rare.

Just 2 meters to the left of Scholar Liang’s tomb lies the grave of his father, Liang Zhongfu.

This tomb is only 1.6 meters high with a diameter of 2.1 meters. The stone materials and the tombstone used here are less refined compared to those of Scholar Liang’s tomb.

This tomb was built in the fourth year of the Qianlong reign (1739 AD), the very next year after Scholar Liang passed the imperial examination. Its simplicity indicates that Liang Zijing’s life was not particularly affluent in the first year following his success.

According to inscriptions and the Liang family genealogy: Scholar Liang had four brothers. Only after he became a scholar did the family begin to prosper, becoming one of the wealthiest households in the region. Strangely, although he had a five-generation household of 57 descendants at the time of his death, none of his direct descendants have survived to the present. According to descendants of the dozens of Liang families who have lived in Liangjiazhai for over a hundred years, no descendants of Scholar Liang have visited this place in the past century. From this, it can be inferred that Scholar Liang indeed had no surviving descendants. It is likely that during the Daoguang era, when epidemics ravaged Liuchang, leaving most households deserted, the Liang family was not spared. However, within Liangjiazhai, remnants such as the stone courtyard, flower stands, and partial carved patterns from Scholar Liang’s former residence still remain.

Two meters to the left of Liang Juren’s Tomb lies the tomb of his father, Liang Zhongfu.

The mound is only 1.6 meters high and 2.1 meters in diameter, and the stone materials used for the tomb and the gravestone are not as refined as

those of Liang Juren’s Tomb. This tomb was built in the fourth year of the Qianlong reign (1739 AD),

which happens to be the year after Liang Juren passed the imperial examination. The simplicity of the tomb indicates that

Liang Zijing’s life was not very prosperous in the first year after he became a juren.

According to the inscriptions on the tombstone and the Liang family genealogy, Liang Juren had four brothers, and it was only after

he passed the exam that the family began to prosper, becoming one of the wealthiest and most prominent households in the region. Strangely enough,

although he died at a time when five generations were living under one roof and he had 57 descendants, to this day

there are no direct descendants of his still alive. According to residents of dozens of Liang-family households who have lived in Liangjiazhai for over a hundred years,

no descendants of Liang Juren have visited here in the past century. From this, it can be inferred that Liang Juren indeed has no surviving descendants.

It is possible that during the Daoguang era, an epidemic swept through the Liuchang area, leaving nine out of ten households empty, and the Liang family was not spared either.

However, within Liangjiazhai, the stone courtyard, flower stands, and some carved stone patterns from Liang Juren’s former residence still remain to this day.

No one was spared either.

However, within Liangjiazhai Village, the stone courtyard, flower stands, and some carved stone patterns from the former residence of the scholar Liang still remain to this day.