Tomb of Lai Enjue

Tomb of Lai Enjue

The tomb of Lai Enjue is a cultural relic protection unit of Shenzhen.

The tomb of Lai Enjue was originally located on Jipadi in Dakeng Mountain, Dapeng Town, Longgang District, Shenzhen. In the third year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1877), it was relocated to Wangqiutang in Wangmu.

The structures above the tomb are built in a convex shape with granite. The entire tomb complex consists of five parts: the burial mound, the memorial hall, the altar, the tomb chamber, and the tomb path, covering an area of 1,432 square meters. The top of the tomb features a bas-relief of a dragon playing with a pearl, beneath which is a stone plaque inscribed with “Xunshan Yiai.” The tombstone is decorated with carved patterns and inlaid with a black slate epitaph measuring 0.55 meters in height and 0.39 meters in width. The inscription, carved in intaglio regular script, reads: “Relocated and reburied on the auspicious day of the latter ten days of the first lunar month in the spring of the year Dingchou, the third year of the Guangxu reign; the tomb of the late father, Lai Enjue, styled Enjue, posthumously named Wuzhaode, granted the honorary title of Zhenwei General by the Imperial Qing Court, Commander-in-Chief of the Guangdong Provincial Navy, honored with the posthumous title ‘Martial and Virtuous Lord,’ of the How government; together with the names of the descendants who erected this stele.” The tomb chamber is surrounded by stone drums, stone column bases, and stone lions. There is also a pair of stone lions and a pair of ornamental columns (huabiao) along the tomb path. The tomb is largely well-preserved.

Lai Enjue (circa ?–1848), styled Jianting, was a native of Pengcheng in Xin’an County. He came from a military background and achieved remarkable military accomplishments in battles against Western colonial invaders. He was conferred the title of “Baturu” (meaning “brave warrior”) by Emperor Daoguang and rose to the rank of Viceroy of the Guangdong Navy.

In 1984, the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government designated it as a cultural relic protection unit.