Four Sages Stele Forest Garden

　　The Tomb of the Four Sages is located west of Shangzhen Town in Danfeng County. Buses from Danfeng County to Shangzhen, Xi’an, or Shangzhou run almost every five minutes for 1 yuan. After arriving in Shangzhen, it only takes 3–5 minutes on foot to reach the Tomb of the Four Sages.

　　The Tomb of the Four Sages lies about three li west of the prefecture, beside Golden Rooster Plateau, situated in Deer Track Village. Its towering mounds are scattered like stars, vast and solemn. In front of the mausoleum stand several halls, housing four short steles engraved with portraits of the sages, their ancient visages vividly rendered. Distinguished visitors passing by often leave inscriptions here.

　　“Four white-haired elders, standing tall beside the southern hills… Their fame soared to the heavens.” These are the lines left by the great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai when he visited the Tomb of the Four Sages in Shangzhen, now Danfeng County. The Four Sages were four elderly men with white hair and beards: Dongyuan Gong (Tang Bing), Xiayellow Gong (Cui Guang), Deer Village Master (Zhou Shu), and Qili Ji (Wu Shi). All were scholars from the Qin Dynasty who fled to Shangshan to escape the burning of books and burying of scholars. Upon ascending Shangshan, they saw a land of verdant peaks, boundless wilderness, serene springs and rocks, and affectionate plants and trees—a true earthly paradise compared to the bustling and noisy capital of Xianyang. Here, they heard no clamor of weapons or war drums, saw no brutal massacres, encountered no power-hungry villains, felt no chilling deceit, and met no corrupt officials selling ranks. Thus, they resolved to “dwell in caves among cliffs” and “subsist on purple herbs,” choosing to live in seclusion in Shangshan. Before long after the Four Sages arrived in Shangshan to avoid the chaos of the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty unified the realm. When Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, sought to depose Crown Prince Liu Ying and replace him with Liu Ruyi, the Prince of Zhao, Empress Lü, Liu Ying’s mother, with the planning of Zhang Liang, invited the Four Sages out of retirement. “Together they entered the Han court and spoke a word to our lord,” thereby changing Liu Bang’s initial decision to depose the crown prince. In the end, Liu Ying ascended as Emperor Hui of Han. The four sages, whose merits were greater than the highest honors, could have enjoyed wealth and high office in their twilight years. Yet, they chose to retire from glory, return to Shangshan, and live out their days in the mountains. After their deaths, they were buried in Shangzhen—this is the origin of the Tomb of the Four Sages.

　　Their tombs currently stand 5 meters tall with diameters of 7 meters. The vast burial grounds are shaded by tall locust trees and deep bamboo groves, with pines reaching the sky. Stepping into this quiet, ancient atmosphere, one cannot help but feel deep reverence. Legend has it that Emperor Hui of Han once dispatched three thousand imperial guards, each carrying ten jin of soil from Chang’an, to build up the mounds of the Four Sages’ Tomb. It was also decreed that civil officials dismount from their sedan chairs and military officers from their horses. Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Zongyuan, and Wang Yucheng all composed steles for the “Four Sages.”

　　For thousands of years, poets, scholars, and high-ranking officials who visited Shangzhou all came here to pay their respects. Figures such as Cao Zhi of the Three Kingdoms, Li Bai, Liu Zongyuan, Du Mu, Bai Juyi, and Yuan Zhen of the Tang Dynasty; Wang Yucheng of the Song Dynasty; Li Mengyang of the Ming Dynasty; and Zheng Banqiao of the Qing Dynasty—all left immortal works here. Lines such as “Hiding to escape Qin’s chaos, rising to stabilize Han’s rule, unfurling like clouds to find freedom,” “Brilliant strategies earned great praise, but foresight in aftermath is also wise,” “The sacred herb is not for mortals to pluck, blessed by heaven and earth to live at ease,” and “A lifetime in a hundred years, yet Shangshan remains ever hidden”—if the Four Sages had spirits, they would surely be deeply moved by these exquisite verses. “A place is esteemed because of its people.” The Tomb of the Four Sages has now been listed as a provincial-level key cultural relic protection unit and is included in the National Scenic Spots Dictionary.

　　In recent years, after renovation, the tomb area has been enclosed with blue bricks, surrounded by walls, and fitted with a gatehouse, with dedicated personnel managing the site. The garden is planted with flowers, their blossoms dense and fragrant in reds and purples, attracting visitors from near and far who come to pay homage and reflect on history.