Tomb of Cai Zhaoyuan

　　The Tomb of Cai Zhaoyuan is situated at the foot of a small hill in Zhongjiashan Village Group, Xingfu Village, Yanglongsi Township, approximately 34 kilometers northeast of the county seat. The tomb is that of Cai Zhaoyuan, his wife Lady Feng, and their daughter Cai Ruzhen. The tomb faces southeast and is positioned to the northwest, standing 2.4 meters tall with a diameter of 5.9 meters. In front of the tomb are a memorial stele, enclosing walls, and a stone-paved courtyard, covering a total area of about 100 square meters. The main stele is archway-shaped, designed in a 3-stele, 4-pillar, 5-canopy style. The base of the stele is made of stone slabs, measuring 3.77 meters wide and 0.27 meters high. The stele itself is 1.67 meters tall and 0.57 meters wide, with the inscription in the center reading: “The eternal resting place of the late Mr. Cai Zhaoyuan, courtesy name Zigan, of the Wenlin Rank bestowed by the imperial court during the Qing Dynasty.” On the right side, it states: “Born on the tenth day of the ninth lunar month in the year Yisi of the Daoguang era at the hour of Si, native of Zhongshui Bao, Yanglongsi, under the county jurisdiction.” On the left side: “Passed away peacefully in his sleep on the fourth day of the first lunar month in the year Guichou of the Republic of China at the hour of Chou.” The two side stelae are each 1.17 meters tall and 0.51 meters wide. The left one reads in the center: “The tomb of Lady Feng, granted the honorific title of Shiyan during the Qing Dynasty,” and on the right: “Born in the year Jiachen, third lunar month, at the hour of Chen, native of Zhongdoupo.” On the left: “Passed away on a certain year, month, day, and hour at this ancestral hall,” but no specific date is given. Among the four stele pillars, the two central pillars are both 1.67 meters tall and 0.16 meters wide, inscribed with a matching pair of vertical couplets. The two side pillars are each 1.17 meters tall and 0.14 meters wide, also engraved with a couplet. On the outer sides of the side pillars, there is one lion-shaped pillar-holder on each side, each 1.46 meters tall and 0.45 meters at the widest point. At the top ends of the two side stelae, the right side is inscribed with “Also Chaste” and the left with “Also Virtuous,” each character being roughly 16 cm square. The top lintel of the main stele is inscribed with four characters, “Return to Simplicity,” in regular script, each character 15 cm square. The lintel lies horizontally, is 0.26 meters high and 1.27 meters wide, and features a bas-relief of a theatrical stage with figures in front. Above the lintel is the main structure, which has a hip-and-gable roof with upturned eaves, sitting atop a Sumeru pedestal. Above the roof is a fan-shaped top with an upper base width of 1.1 meters, a lower base width of 0.66 meters, and a height of 0.7 meters. The spacing between the upward turns of the roof is 0.98 meters, and the fan-shaped top is 4.27 meters above ground level. The two flanking auxiliary structures are two stories high, symmetrical on both sides, and share the same hip-and-gable roof design with upturned eaves. The ridges at both ends are adorned with chiwen (mythical beast heads). Below each roof is a Sumeru pedestal. The first floor has an upward turn spacing of 0.96 meters, with the chiwen positioned 2.5 meters above ground; the second floor has an upward turn spacing of 0.58 meters, and the chiwen 4.27 meters above ground.