Zhang Yingrui Family Cemetery

Zhang Yingrui Family Cemetery

The Zhang Yingrui Family Cemetery is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Zhang Yingrui Family Cemetery, also known as the Cemetery of the Zhang Family, Royal Tutors of the Mongol Hongjila Clan during the Yuan Dynasty, is located at the foot of a mountain 1.5 kilometers north of Guogongfu Village, Wutonghua Town, Ongniud Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It was discovered during the 1970 cultural relics survey and houses the remains of Zhang Yingrui, Duke of Ji from the Yuan Dynasty, along with ancestors and descendants spanning two generations.

Nestled in a secluded mountainous region, the cemetery is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and north sides, with more open hilly terrain to the south. There are two relatively deep gullies on the western side, and the northeastern part features undulating landforms with two to three gullies of varying depths. The overall terrain slopes from north to south, being wider from north to south and narrower from east to west. At the northern edge of the cemetery, remnants of the original boundary wall can be found on the slopes of Guogong Mountain and the western hilltop, as well as on the eastern slope. Based on these, the cemetery’s boundaries are determined to be 500 meters from east to west and 300 meters from north to south, covering an area of 150,000 square meters.

The existing “Stele of the Zhang Ancestral Tomb” and the “Residence of Tong’s Virtuous Deeds Stele,” as well as the “Tomb Stele of Madam Gang, Duchess of Ji,” currently in the cemetery, document the loyal service of the Zhang family to the Yuan Dynasty and the Mongol Hongjila Clan (whose base was in eastern Inner Mongolia) from the era of Kublai Khan, the founding emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, through to Emperor Toghon Temür. Much of this content supplements gaps in the official History of Yuan. The calligraphy on the steles was done by the famous Yuan Dynasty calligrapher, the Western Regions native Kangli Nai, and represents his longest surviving work in regular script. Additionally, the reverse side of the Zhang Ancestral Tomb Stele features over 3,000 characters of engraved Mongolian text, serving as a translation of the Chinese inscription on the front. This is the largest amount of Mongolian text found on any Yuan Dynasty stele and is considered a rare treasure among bilingual (Chinese-Mongolian) steles.

Along the cemetery’s spirit way, stone statues are arranged in a north-south line: two civil officials, two military officers, two stone tigers, two stone qilin (mythical creatures), and four stone sheep. The carvings feature smooth lines and delicate ornamentation, reflecting the high level of sculptural artistry during the Yuan Dynasty.

In May 2006, the Zhang Yingrui Family Cemetery was approved by the State Council for inclusion in the sixth group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Group of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units