Tomb of Gui Tianxiang

　　Located on the northeast slope of Phoenix Mountain in Fenghuang Office, facing northeast, the tomb was roughly built in the late Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty and was originally an earthen grave. In the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931), Liao Luxun and others from Shuicheng, admiring him as a renowned calligrapher of the region, raised funds to rebuild the earthen grave into a stone one and erected a commemorative stele. The tomb is 2.4 meters high, 3.2 meters in diameter, and 5 meters long from head to tail, taking a circular shape with a tail extension — locally referred to as a “millstone tomb.” The surroundings of the tomb are inlaid with hard limestone, showcasing fine craftsmanship. The stele stands 1.65 meters tall, 0.72 meters wide, and 0.18 meters thick. The center of the stele is inscribed with “Tomb of Mr. Gui Tianxiang,” with an epitaph located in the upper right corner. The entire inscription is in regular script. On December 28, 1987, it was designated as a county-level cultural relics protection unit.

　　 Gui Tianxiang, courtesy name Yunong, was a native of Shuicheng and an influential calligrapher in Guizhou Province during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns. His birth and death dates are unknown, but his ancestral home was Chengdu. Proficient in regular, cursive, clerical, and seal scripts, he excelled particularly in running and cursive scripts. His calligraphy is noted for its powerful strokes, uniquely elegant structure, majestic yet refined style, and striking vitality. During the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods, many plaques in temples across Shuicheng, as well as couplets, central scrolls, horizontal banners, and teaching manuscripts collected by private individuals, were created by him, earning him the reputation of having “calligraphy that surpassed all five regions.” In the 1950s, the Nanjing Museum specially sent personnel to Shuicheng to acquire his works.