Tomb of Zhan Ruoshui

Tomb of Zhan Ruoshui

The Tomb of Zhan Ruoshui is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

The tomb of Zhan Ruoshui from Zengcheng in the Ming Dynasty is located at the foot of Tiancan Mountain in Bitou, Yonghe Town, Zengcheng City. The entire tomb is constructed with lime-sand rammed earth slabs, presenting a grand and imposing structure. It descends along the mountain slope in four levels, with each platform descending 0.55 to 0.85 meters and expanding progressively. The total length from the burial mound at the first level down to the pool base at the fourth level is 21.3 meters. The burial mound is encircled by a semi-cylindrical wall made of 2.2-meter-high and 0.6-meter-thick rammed earth slabs, with an opening 5.5 meters wide. At the center is a four-pillar, three-bay stele pavilion, divided into upper and lower levels. The lower level is spacious, with the central bay housing a stele niche, 1.46 meters high and 0.76 meters wide. The upper level also features four pillars and three bays, slightly reduced on all sides, giving both levels a convex-shaped facade. The central bay of the upper level bears the seal script characters “谕葬” (Imperial Burial). The second level is the worship platform, with double-hook seal script inscriptions on the rammed earth walls on both sides: “山斗八座贞儒千载” (Scholar of Noble Character Revered for Millennia) and “九十五年全归不朽” (Ninety-Five Years Fully Returned, Immortalized). The worship platform is centrally located, built with rammed earth, measuring 5.15 meters in length, 2.55 meters in width, and 1.13 meters in height, with the coffin of the deceased buried deep beneath it. The third level has a front width of 14 meters, offering considerable space. The fourth level is the pool base, 6.4 meters deep, with the same width as the third level. The front and both sides of the pool base are enclosed by stone balusters and railings. At the back of the tomb, a semi-circular rammed earth and stone retaining wall with a diameter of 44 meters surrounds the structure. Approximately 50 meters in front of the tomb, there was originally a stone memorial archway, of which only two fallen stone pillars and some damaged stone bases remain. Further ahead, there is a pair of stone figures (civil and military officials) and a pair of stone horses. The tomb is large in scale, exquisitely crafted with rammed earth construction, and relatively well-preserved. In 1989, it was looted and damaged—the tomb stele was smashed (the current white marble stele was re-erected in 1991 by descendants), the coffin was broken, and the remains discarded. Only 18 painted small pottery figurines were recovered.

Zhan Ruoshui (1465–1560), styled Yuanming and also known as Ganquan, was a native of Xintang, Zengcheng. He authored works such as the Collected Works of Zhan Ganquan.

In 1984, the People's Government of Zengcheng County designated it as a cultural relic protection unit. On July 17, 2002, it was included in the fourth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units.

Zhan Ruoshui (1466–1560), originally named Lu, styled Yuanming, with the courtesy name Minze, changed his name to Yu to avoid ancestral naming taboos, and later settled on his current name. A native of Shabei Village, Ganquan District (now Xintang), Zengcheng, Guangdong, scholars referred to him as "Mr. Ganquan." He was a renowned thinker and educator of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhan Ruoshui was of dignified and composed character, neither acting nor speaking rashly. As a youth, due to family circumstances, he did not begin formal schooling until age 16. At 22, he was recommended as a candidate for the imperial examinations and studied in Guangzhou Prefecture. In the fifth year of the Hongzhi era (1492), he passed the provincial examination. In the eighteenth year of Hongzhi (1510), he passed the metropolitan examination and became a Jinshi (advanced scholar). He subsequently held official positions including... [Detailed Info on Zhan Ruoshui++]

Bitou Village: Bitou Village currently has a population of 1,100, covers a total area of 4.5 square kilometers, generates an annual village income of 400,000 yuan, and has a per capita rural income of 7,000 yuan.

In recent years, the village has earnestly pursued the development of a new socialist countryside, focusing on improving its appearance. With an investment of over 2 million yuan, it has successively built a 2,000-square-meter parking lot; paved the main village street with cement; constructed stone embankments around fish ponds, along with landscaping and lighting; installed a cement basketball court; renovated the “Zhong Family Ancestral Hall”; and has been designated by the city for the creation of an ecological civilization village... [Detailed Info on Bitou Village++]

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units