Eastern Liushu Tombs

Eastern Liushu Tombs

The Eastern Liushu Tombs are a cultural heritage site protected by Dai County.

The Eastern Liushu Tombs are located about 600 meters southeast of Dongliushu Village, Zaolin Town, Dai County. Commonly known as the Tomb of Yang Qilang, they are said to be the burial site of Yang Yanzheng, the seventh son of the Song Dynasty general Yang Ye. His deeds are frequently depicted in traditional operas and historical novels. The tomb complex spans 45 meters from east to west and 108 meters from north to south, covering an area of 4,860 square meters. Currently, there is one black stone-sealed mound on the site, with a base diameter of 6.3 meters and a height of 3.6 meters. In front of the tomb stands a stele inscribed with “The Divine Tomb of Yang Gong Yanzheng, the Martial and Brave General of the Song Dynasty,” dated to the 20th year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty (1815). The time of its erection is unknown. In 1984, the People's Government of Dai County designated it as a county-level cultural heritage protection site. (Content excerpted from *A Collection of Cultural Relics in Xinzhou*)

Legend has it that during the Yongxi era, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty took advantage of a leadership transition in the Liao Kingdom to launch a northern campaign to reclaim lost territories. At that time, the army was divided into three routes advancing northward through Yanmen Pass, with the third route led by Pan Mei. In the early stages of the war, all three armies achieved successive victories, especially the forces under Yang Ye, who were invincible, successively reclaiming Yunzhou, Yingzhou, and Shuozhou. However, by May, the other two routes encountered setbacks and suffered continuous defeats. At this point, Empress Xiao and Yelü Xian of the Liao Kingdom led an army of 100,000 to Yanmen Pass. The Yang family father and sons were eventually outnumbered and besieged at Chenjiagou. Yang Ye sent his seventh son, Yang Qilang, to ride back alone to Dai Prefecture to seek reinforcements from Pan Mei. Pan Mei refused to send troops. Seeing Qilang return alone on horseback, Pan Mei seized the opportunity to have his men tie Qilang to a prickly ash tree and shoot him to death with a hail of arrows. To destroy the evidence of his crime, Pan Mei cut off Qilang’s head and threw it into the Hutuo River. Miraculously, the head flowed upstream for forty li and drifted to Dongliushu Village, where the families of the Yang generals were stationed. The villagers found it, secretly buried it near the village, which became the tomb mound seen today.

Source: Xinzhou Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics

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