Parsi Cemetery

Parsi Cemetery

The Parsi Cemetery is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangzhou City.

The Parsi Cemetery is located on a small hill on Changzhou Island in Huangpu, Guangzhou, commonly known as "Baitou Ban" (now called Parsi Hill). It is the burial ground for followers of Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest religions.

Parsi Hill stands at an elevation of 38.9 meters, and the cemetery faces Zhuhai. There are more than ten adult graves (eight of which remain, most of them damaged), two children's graves, arranged from west to east. Each grave is spaced 2–3 meters apart, and their sizes vary. According to the tombstones, the earliest burial was in the 27th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1847), and the latest in the 2nd year of the Xianfeng reign (1852). The above-ground parts of the graves are all constructed from single blocks of granite in the form of Arabic-style stone sarcophagi, which are generally similar in design. The inscriptions are carved on the top slab of the sarcophagus, although one tombstone is erected upright in front of the sarcophagus. The inscriptions mostly record the deceased’s name, place of origin, age, religion, and date of death. However, one unique epitaph is inscribed in both English and Gujarati (GUJARAT), indicating that the deceased was a merchant engaged in international trade. The translated text reads:

Maneckjee, Pestonjee, Rustomjee, Parsi, engaged in international trade, passed away in Guangzhou on February 5, 1850, corresponding to May 12, 1219 in the Zoroastrian calendar, and rests here at the age of 45.

The children’s graves are located beside the adult graves. Their above-ground portions are the same as those of the adult graves but smaller in size. Three surviving small English gravestones record the deceased as a young girl, an infant, and the burial date.

Zoroastrianism, formerly translated as "Fire Worship," "Persian Religion," or "Parsee Religion," is an ancient religion of Persia founded by Zoroaster, hence the name. This religion was introduced to China during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Fire Temples were built in Luoyang and Chang’an, and the followers were mostly foreigners. In the Song Dynasty, Fire Temples could still be found in Bianliang and Zhenjiang, and fire-worship customs were also observed among the people. The time of its introduction to Guangzhou remains to be verified. Guangzhou is the earliest city in China to engage in foreign trade. After the Opium War, it became one of the five treaty ports. Foreign envoys and merchants flocked in. The Parsi Cemetery, situated near the Huangpu Port and Customs, is clearly associated with trade activities in China.

The Parsi Cemetery covers an area of approximately 100 square meters. On both sides of its boundary stand two boundary stones labeled “West Boundary Stone” and “East Boundary Stone.” To the north, there are two “Parsi Cemetery Boundary” stone tablets and one “Panyu County Magistrate’s Boundary Demarcation” tablet, indicating that this cemetery was officially designated and allocated by the local Panyu government of the Qing Dynasty for the exclusive use of the Parsi community residing in Guangzhou.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Guangzhou City