Tomb of Song Tingzhen and His Wife

Tomb of Song Tingzhen and His Wife

The Tomb of Song Tingzhen and His Wife is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangzhou Municipality.

The Tomb of Song Tingzhen and His Wife is located behind Sanhezhuang Village in Chini Town, Huadu District, at the local place known as Fei’e Luodi. Originally buried in the 17th year of the Daoguang reign (1837), the current tomb is a joint burial site where Song and his three wives were interred together by their descendants in the 30th year of the Guangxu reign. The tomb complex covers a large area, stretching 56 meters from the rear earth mound to the stone huabiao at the foot of the hill. The grave mound is divided into four levels, with the topmost being the rear earth mound, and the next three levels gradually widening downward. The rear earth mound is an earthen hillock with a stone stele inscribed with the words “Shen of Houtu” (God of Earth) in seal script. The second level features a stone slab in the center, inscribed with the full text of an imperial edict from the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign (1820), designed in the style of an unfolded three-page scroll and mounted on a base. The third level is the main burial enclosure, built in the shape of a folding chair with grey bricks, with a central bluestone tombstone. The inscription on the stele is in regular script, reading in the center: “Tomb of Song Tingzhen, Imperial Scholar and Magistrate of Fushun County, Sichuan, granted by the Qing Court, and his wives: Madam Li (primary), Madam Liu (secondary), and Madam Li (secondary).” On the right side is embedded a tomb epitaph stone (now relocated and preserved in the Hong Xiuquan Memorial Hall). The fourth and lowest level is an earthen platform, flanked by a pair of bluestone flagpole stands (the left one is damaged), inscribed with Song Tingzhen’s official titles and honors. Outside the earthen platform, there is also a pair of stone huabiao (one of which is missing). This tomb is relatively large in scale and unique in design, and is quite rare among existing Qing dynasty tombs in Guangdong.

Song Tingzhen, a native of Chini in Huaxian, and his son both successively passed the imperial examination and earned the title of jinshi (presented scholar). They were referred to by contemporaries as the “father-and-son jinshi.” Having served as an official for 20 years, he built the “Jinshi Mansion” in his hometown of Sanhezhuang, measuring 75.3 meters in width and 51.3 meters in depth. It was a group of clan-style buildings consisting of three courtyards and three halls, covering nearly 4,000 square meters. Today, only the middle section of the three courtyards remains well-preserved. The 13th year of the Republic of China (1924) edition of the Huaxian Annals contains a biography of him.

Chini Town: Known as an industrial hub, Chini Town is home to 260 enterprises in total, including 35 town-owned enterprises, over 20 foreign-funded enterprises (including 12 from Taiwan), 18 village-run enterprises, and 193 private and individually owned businesses, generating an annual output value of 3 billion yuan. The town provides employment to more than 7,000 people.

The industries are mainly distributed across building materials, shoe manufacturing, shoe-making equipment, garments, chemicals, ceramics, rubber, and services. Notable enterprises include:

　1. Chiying Cement Plant, a town-owned enterprise, produces 420,000 tons of high-grade cement annually. "Chiying Brand" cement has been… More details about Chini Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Heritage Protection Units