Tomb of Yan Jian

Tomb of Yan Jian

The Tomb of Yan Jian is a cultural relic protection unit of Dongyuan County.

The Tomb of Yan Jian is located halfway up Pingshan’ao Mountain in Xichang Town, Dongyuan County. The tomb is grand and well-preserved, rectangular in shape, with a vaulted brick chamber and a two-tiered platform. It measures 5.1 meters in length and 3.7 meters in width, constructed with strip-shaped bluestone slabs, and the top of the burial chamber is covered with a 2-meter-diameter bluestone slab. The tombstone is a 1.2-meter-high, 1.6-meter-wide, and 0.1-meter-thick bluestone slab, inscribed with text such as “On December 24, the third year of the Daoguang reign, this tomb of the late Yan Xingfu, posthumously honored as Duke of Glory by imperial decree, is preserved by his son Bo Tao.”

Fifty meters downhill from the tomb lies a small platform where a stone stele on a turtle pedestal with dragon-headed posts stands, measuring 4.75 meters in total height, with the stele itself being 2.24 meters high, 0.7 meters wide, and 0.1 meters thick. The top of the stele is inscribed with “Imperial Decree Bestowed,” and the main text lists Yan Jian’s official titles, including Duke of Glory, Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, Minister of War, Chief Censor of the Censorate, and Governor-General of Zhili... The central part features large regular-script characters: “Tomb of Yan, Honored with Flower-Decorated Hat Feather and Yellow Mandarian Robe, of the Qing Dynasty”; the inscription ends with: “Respectfully inscribed by Wang Zongcheng, Imperial Scholar, Grand Master of Ceremonies, Minister of War, and family friend.” Below the platform, there are five-tiered steps on both sides, each holding a pair of stone figures including officials, horses, lions, sheep, and memorial tablets.

Yan Jian, styled Xingfu and also known as Daishan, was a native of Lianping County. Born in the mid-Qianlong period and died during the Daoguang reign, he entered officialdom as a selected scholar and rose to the position of Governor-General of Zhili, concurrently holding the title of Minister of War and being conferred the honorific title of Duke of Glory. His father Yan Xishen, his son Yan Bo Tao, and his nephew Yan Yiyu all served as governors or provincial governors, thus the family is known as the “Four Governors of Three Generations of the Yan Family.”

In 1986, the Heyuan County People's Government designated it as a cultural relic protection unit.

Xichang Town: Located in the northwest of Dongyuan County and in the middle reaches of the Xinfengjiang Reservoir area, Xichang Town has a total population of 8,948 and 2,059 households, governed by 13 village committees and 1 neighborhood committee, including 9 resettled villages. The town features more mountains and water but less arable land, covering a total area of 420 square kilometers (approximately 630,000 mu), including 436,000 mu of mountainous land, 6,900 mu of cultivated land, and 128,000 mu of water area. It is projected that the total rural social output value of the town will reach 52.2846 million yuan this year, an increase of 53.6% compared to 1998, with an average annual growth rate of 11%; the local fiscal revenue is 1.326 million yuan... More detailed information about Xichang Town++