Tomb of Liu Lianjie

　　    The Tomb of Liu Lianjie is located on Xintangshan in Matoushan Township, the city. Liu Lianjie, also known as Nansheng, was a native of Yangjiatan in the city. He once served as a county magistrate, was promoted to prefect, then advanced to provincial judge, later to provincial governor, and eventually rose to the position of Viceroy of Liangjiang (covering Jiangxi and Jiangsu). He was conferred the honorary title of Guanglu Grand Master, granted the first-rank official cap by imperial decree, posthumously honored as the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. He passed away in the 13th year of the Guangxu reign (1887) at the age of 53.

　　    The tomb is surrounded by a protective wall made of blue bricks. At the entrance stands a 7-meter-high memorial archway inscribed with the words “Imperial Edict” and adorned with carvings of flying dragons and dancing phoenixes. About 30 meters from the tomb is a brick shrine, which houses a large stone turtle and a stele mounted on the turtle. The stele bears the epitaph. A flight of stone steps leads from the shrine to the tomb mound, lined with tall cypress trees on both sides. Paired stone pillars, stone horses, stone sheep, stone tigers, and stone figures are symmetrically arranged along the path. These stone carvings are exquisitely crafted—some standing, some crouching, some kneeling, some lying down—in various lifelike poses. Each piece rests on a stone base and weighs several thousand pounds. Climbing the stone steps and passing the ceremonial stone and incense burner, one finally reaches the tomb chamber. The tomb chamber is built from large bluestones, blue bricks, and lime-soil mixture, and features a marble stele at the top. The surrounding stone walls are adorned with reliefs depicting scenes such as the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, the Seven Fairies Descending to Earth, and King Wen Visiting a Sage. These intricate stone carvings are all set within a shady green environment, creating an extremely serene and elegant atmosphere.