Liushuiyan Yang Hui’s Tomb

Liushuiyan Yang Hui’s Tomb

Liushuiyan Yang Hui’s Tomb is a Guizhou Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Liushuiyan Yang Hui’s Tomb is located 1 kilometer west of Baiguo Village, Tuanxi Town, Zunyi County.

The Yang family ruled Bozhou for 725 years, and Yang Hui was the 25th hereditary chieftain of the Yang clan, active during the mid-Ming Dynasty. After his time, the Yang family lineage continued, but their fortunes gradually declined, until they were finally destroyed by the Ming court during the reign of Yang Yinglong. Yang Hui’s Tomb is a three-chamber stone tomb constructed from bluestone. The tomb, along with the cemetery, architectural remains above the tomb, and the ancestral shrine, collectively form the Leishuiyan Tomb Complex. The excavation of this site was shortlisted for the final round of the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China in 2015” and was awarded the First Prize of the “Field Archaeology Award” for 2011–2015 as a sub-project of the “Bozhou Yang Clan Chieftain Relics of Zunyi City, Guizhou Province.” This article and subsequent ones aim to systematically present the excavation and historical story of Yang Hui’s Tomb.

Yang Hui’s Tomb, located on Leishuiyan in Baiguo Village, Tuanxi Town, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, was commonly known to locals as the “Imperial Tomb.” The tomb faces water and backs onto mountains, enjoying an excellent geomantic position. It is the joint burial tomb of Yang Hui, the 25th hereditary chieftain of the Bozhou Yang clan, and his two wives, Lady Yu and Lady Tian. In fact, Yang Hui’s Tomb is frequently mentioned in historical texts. The “Investigation Report on Matters Concerning Bozhou” records that “in March of this year (the 22nd year of the Chenghua reign, 1486), Yuan visited and learned that Yang Ai was going to Leishui to pay respects,” and also states that “officials were dispatched to the place called Leishui, where they found only a statue of Yang Hui wearing court hat and robes, without any imperial dragon or phoenix designs.” The Yang Ai being referred to was paying respects at the tomb of his father, Yang Hui, thus confirming that Yang Hui’s Tomb was indeed at “Leishui.” Likewise, the “Investigation Report on Matters Concerning Bozhou” indicates that Leishui was one of the estates and manors long held by the Yang family, making it entirely reasonable for Yang Hui to be buried there. The “Xinzai Essays” note that “(Yang) Hui shares a tomb with his wives, Lady Tian and Lady Yu,” and the (Daoguang-era) “Zunyi Prefecture Records” also state that “Yang Hui’s Tomb is located on Leishuiyan in the southern corner of Zunyi City.” These prefecture records, compiled by the eminent Qing-era Guizhou scholars Zheng Zhen and Mo Youzhi, were praised by Liang Qichao as the “foremost prefectural records in the world” for their detailed content, so the attribution of the tomb should be quite reliable. Therefore, it seems certain that Yang Hui’s Tomb is indeed on Leishuiyan.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Guizhou Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units