Tomb of Kuang Yuping

Tomb of Kuang Yuping

The Tomb of Kuang Yuping is a cultural relic protection unit of Dongyuan County.

The Tomb of Kuang Yuping is located in Heping Village, Dongpu Town, Dongyuan County. The tomb was originally built in the 11th year of the Jiading era during the Southern Song Dynasty (1218), and was renovated in the 2nd year of the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty (1798). In 1983, his descendants recovered the tomb stele. The top part of the stele is damaged, and the remaining portion is 0.9 meters in height and 0.69 meters in width, with 15 surviving lines of inscription, all written in upright regular script. The tomb was once damaged but was restored to its original state in 1990. The entire tomb is divided into three levels: the front tomb hall extends 4.7 meters in depth and is 7.3 meters wide; the second-level tomb hall is 3 meters deep and 5.4 meters wide; a pair of stone qilin and a pair of stone lions are placed on either side. The burial chamber is 4.7 meters long and 5 meters wide. The top of the burial chamber is formed by eight granite stones arranged in the shape of a lotus. The entire tomb surface is paved with granite slabs, with no materials such as lime or cement used inside. On both sides of the tomb stele is an inscribed couplet: “Virtues of Elder Kuang Endure Through the Ages” and “Noble Deeds of Peace Shine for Ten Thousand Years.” The plaque reads “Ancestral Tomb of the Kuang Family.” According to the stele inscription, Kuang Yuping had three sons: the eldest son’s descendants have lived for generations in Heyuan, Longchuan, and Zijin counties; the second son’s descendants in Xinhui, Xinning, Xiangshan, and Gaoyao counties; and the third son’s descendants in Nanhai, Panyu, Dongguan, and Conghua counties.

Kuang Yuping (1128–1218), originally surnamed Fang, with the given name Chun and the courtesy name Nianshisan, was from Lujiang County, Nanjing. He passed the imperial examination in his youth and once served as the Grand Master of the Capital and the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. Because his daughter became an imperial consort, he was granted the Kuang surname and the title of Marquis of Xuancheng. Later demoted to Nanxiong and then relocated to Shangcheng in Heyuan, he was one of the key court officials advocating resistance against the Jin and Mongol invasions at the time.

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