Huangxie Tomb in Hougang

　　     In Huangxie Village, about 8 kilometers southeast of Hougang Town, there is a tomb mound standing 12 meters high, with a maximum diameter of 80 meters and a circumference of 200 meters, known as Huangxie Tomb. The village is also named after it. The Jingmen Prefecture Annals records: “The tomb of Lord Chunshen is located 140 li southeast of the prefecture, named Huangxie Tomb. On clear days, wisps of smoke rise from the western hills like clouds, and behind it lies an altar for the offerings of the Chu people.”

　　     The tomb’s occupant, Huang Xie (?–238 BCE), was born on the shores of Shayang in Changjiang. He was a renowned minister of the late Warring States period Chu State, serving as the prime minister (Lingyin) under King Kaolie of Chu, also known as Lord Chunshen. Together with his contemporaries—Mengchang Jun of Qi, Xinling Jun of Wei, and Pingyuan Jun of Zhao—he was celebrated as one of the Four Lords of the Warring States.

　　     In his youth, Huang Xie traveled extensively to study. Known for his broad knowledge and eloquence, he earned the appreciation of King Qingxiang of Chu and was appointed as the Left Assistant—an advisor and key diplomat. King Qingxiang sent him to Qin to persuade King Zhaoxiang of Qin to halt his campaign against Chu and form an alliance with Chu. Later, Huang Xie and the Chu crown prince Wei went to Qin as hostages. Years later, when King Qingxiang fell gravely ill and the prince prepared to return to Chu, the Qin king refused. To help the prince escape, Huang Xie disguised him as a female attendant of a Chu envoy and sneaked him through the Hangu Pass back to Chu. After many hardships, Huang Xie himself eventually returned to Chu.

　　     Three months after Huang Xie’s return, King Qingxiang passed away, and the crown prince Wei ascended the throne as King Kaolie of Chu. He appointed Huang Xie as Lingyin (prime minister), ennobled him as Lord Chunshen, and granted him twelve counties in northern Huai. Fifteen years later, Huang Xie offered to return the Huai North fief. Shanghai was later named after Lord Chunshen. In 247 BCE, King Kaolie of Chu granted the former territory of the Wu Kingdom along the eastern Yangtze River, including the old capital (present-day Suzhou) and the Puhang area, to Lord Chunshen. Faced with the frequently flooded and war-torn lands of Jiangdong, which suffered disasters nearly every year, Lord Chunshen was determined to control the flooding and bring benefits to the people. Soon after, he led the people in dredging rivers, clearing silt, and building dikes and dams. After three years of effort, he successfully managed the Dongjiang, Loujiang, and Wusong rivers. To honor this immortal achievement, the people of Shanghai named the meeting point of the “Three Rivers” as “Shen,” called the Dongjiang “Huangpu,” and the Wusong River “Xiapu.” Since then, the people of Shanghai have referred to this mother river as the Huangpu River. Today, elderly residents of Shanghai still call the Huangpu River “Huangxie Pu.”

　　     As prime minister under King Kaolie for over 20 years, Huang Xie allied with Han, Wei, and Yan to attack Qin, personally led troops to rescue Zhao and lift the Siege of Handan. In the later Warring States period, he commanded forces that eliminated the state of Lu. These efforts helped Chu gradually recover from its weakness following the Qin general Bai Qi’s capture of Ying and grow into a major power, second only to Qin in political, economic, and military strength. He was a meritorious statesman of Chu.

　　     After ascending the throne, King Kaolie had no sons. Although Huang Xie presented many fertile young women to the king, none bore a child, which deeply worried Huang Xie. Among Huang Xie’s 3,000 retainers was a man from Zhao named Li Yuan, who attached himself to Huang Xie. Li Yuan was a calculating individual. Unwilling to remain under others’ patronage and seeking wealth and glory, he planned to offer his attractive younger sister Li Yan to King Kaolie. But hearing the king could not have children, he feared future fall from favor. So, he cunningly first presented Li Yan to Huang Xie. She quickly gained Huang Xie’s favor and became pregnant. Li Yuan then persuaded Huang Xie: “The King greatly esteems and trusts you, but having no heir, upon his passing, his brothers will surely inherit the throne. The new king will appoint his own people, and your current fortune may not last. Moreover, having ruled for long, you must have offended some of the royal brothers, risking future disaster. Now, my sister has just become pregnant and has served you for only a short time—no one knows. If you present her to the King in your name, he will surely favor her. If she bears a son, he will be your heir and the ruler of the state; thus, you will hold ultimate power.” Moved by this, Huang Xie agreed to the scheme and arranged for Li Yan to be presented to King Kaolie.

　　     Soon after entering the palace, Li Yan gave birth to a boy. The king was overjoyed and immediately named him the crown prince, appointed Li Yan as queen, and gave Li Yuan a post within the palace. Once favored, Li Yuan grew arrogant but feared Huang Xie might reveal the truth, so he secretly hired assassins to eliminate Huang Xie and silence the secret. One of Huang Xie’s retainers, Zhu Ying, saw through the plot. In 238 BCE, as King Kaolie lay dying, Zhu Ying urged Huang Xie to kill Li Yuan or face disaster. But Huang Xie dismissed the warning, believing Li Yuan to be a weak scholar incapable of violence and feeling indebted to him. Zhu Ying, realizing his advice would be ignored and fearing for his own life, fled.

　　     Seventeen days later, King Kaolie died. Huang Xie and Li Yan’s son ascended the throne as King You of Chu. On the very day of the king’s death, Li Yuan had assassins lying in wait inside the palace gates. When Huang Xie entered to mourn, they stabbed him to death at the gate, beheaded him, and threw his head outside. They also killed all members of Huang Xie’s family. Scholars now believe that, according to ancient Chu customs, the dead should be buried in their homeland. The Jingmen Prefecture Annals mention that 140 li southeast of the prefecture, in Hanlin Port, stood the former residence of Lord Chunshen. It is possible that, to honor his great deeds, the Chu people overcame many difficulties to transport his remains from Shou to his hometown in Hougang for burial.

　　     The Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu once wrote a poem in tribute to Lord Chunshen:

　　     A hero’s grace repays a lord’s great deed; Who now mourns Lord Chunshen’s wronged soul? His three thousand guests all wore pearls on their feet— But who among them struck down Li Yuan?

　　     According to the inscription on the memorial stele, after the tomb was built, a four-room mourning hall was constructed atop the mound. By the Tang and Song dynasties, it had been expanded into an eight-room, courtyard-style temple, with monks stationed to guard it. It was renovated in the 38th year of the Qianlong reign and again in the 11th year of the Daoguang reign. A flight of stone steps leads up the southern face of the tomb mound, covered by a rooftop, and the top is overgrown with bamboo. Due to the constant flow of worshippers, a small market gradually formed at the foot of the tomb. Between 1940 and 1941, retreating Japanese invaders destroyed the temple’s front halls, rear chambers, ancient bells, paintings, Buddha statues, and shrines. In the winter of 1947, during anti-bandit operations around Changhu Lake, a group of several dozen reactionary militants holed up in the ruined temple atop the mound, using the terrain to obstruct our forces and resist stubbornly. Though recaptured several times, the site would be reoccupied once troops withdrew. Ultimately, the decision was made to burn it down. In February 1994, with official approval, three large and three small buildings were constructed at the base of the mound, staffed with guards, and over 700 evergreen trees were planted on the mound.

　　     In October 2004, Huangxie Tomb was designated as a provincial-level cultural heritage site by the provincial government.

　　     Huangxie Tomb in Hougang