Tomb of Li Yugui (Li Family Tomb)

Tomb of Li Yugui (Li Family Tomb)

The Tomb of Li Yugui (Li Family Tomb) is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Tomb of Li Yugui (Sixth Batch of National Heritage Sites)

Era: Qing Dynasty

Address: 1.5 km east of Hunyuan County in Yong’an Town

Li Yugui (1778–1840), courtesy name Puyuan, was a native of Hunyuan, Shanxi. He was an accomplished river management expert during the Qing Dynasty. He held various official positions including county magistrate, prefect, provincial governor, judicial commissioner, and financial commissioner.

In May 1835, the 15th year of the Daoguang reign, Li Yugui was appointed as the River Conservancy Commissioner for Hedong, overseeing the management of the Yellow River and the Grand Canal within Henan and Shandong. At the time he took office, the region frequently suffered from floods. After conducting field inspections and numerous trials, Li Yugui developed the “brick dam method.” Once these brick dams were constructed, even in severe storms, the dikes remained intact. During his tenure, the river never breached its banks and caused flooding disasters. On February 18, 1840, the 20th year of the Daoguang reign, Li Yugui passed away in office due to overwork and was posthumously honored with the title “Gongqin” (Respectful and Diligent). Following his death, Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty ordered the construction of a sizable mausoleum in his hometown, commonly referred to by locals as “Li Family Tomb.”

The main gate of the Li Family Tomb is a centrally located brick archway, inscribed at the top with “City of the Li Clan.” Two white marble stelae stand slightly forward on either side of the gate. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by an exquisitely crafted white marble memorial archway. In front of the archway, there is one white marble tomb tablet on each side. Along both sides of the tomb path, five symmetrical groups of ten stone statues are lined up—featuring sheep, tigers, horses, military officials, and civil officials—all tall, solemn, and majestic. The tomb itself is located at the northernmost end, with a 4.8-meter-high earthen mound and a 0.75-meter-high platform. Inside the burial chamber is an epitaph written by the national hero Lin Zexu for Mr. Li, offering high praise for Li Yugui’s achievements.

The tomb of Li Yugui, who served as the River Conservancy Commissioner of Hedong during the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty. In recognition of his achievements in river management, the Daoguang Emperor posthumously conferred upon him the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent and ordered the construction of this tomb. It is now a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Li Yugui became famous for managing the Yellow River, and Lin Zexu wrote his epitaph.

Location

Outside the eastern gate of Hunyuan County, Shanxi

Li Yugui, also known as Youmei and Puyuan, was a native of Hunyuan Prefecture. During the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, he achieved the status of a selected scholar and was appointed as a county magistrate in Henan. He later served as prefect of Guangzhou Direct-Controlled Prefecture, prefect of Runing, judicial commissioner of Hubei, and financial commissioner of Henan. In the 15th year of the Daoguang reign, he was promoted to the position of River Conservancy Commissioner for Hedong.

During his tenure in Henan, the local Yellow River frequently flooded, severely threatening the lives and property of the people. To address this, he conducted on-site investigations and concluded that the root cause of the flooding was the accumulation of water in interconnected gullies, which eventually broke through the dikes.

Li Yugui once made multiple special trips to inspect the river by boat... More details about Li Yugui++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units