Tomb of Li Chunfeng

　　Li Chunfeng was a native of Yong County, Qizhou (present-day Qishan, Shaanxi). Intelligent and studious from a young age, he later read extensively, especially excelling in astronomy, calendrics, mathematics, and yin-yang studies, and was known for his boldness and insight. In the early years of the Zhenguan era, he was appointed as an official scholar in the Astronomical Bureau (equivalent to today’s observatory), and in the eighth year, he was promoted to Director of the Astronomical Bureau (equivalent to today’s director of an observatory). He was a renowned mathematician, astronomer, and calendar expert in the Tang Dynasty.

　　Li Chunfeng was the first person in the world to classify winds into levels, and his name is universally praised. In ancient times, agricultural production was greatly constrained by weather conditions. To gain control, people needed to understand changes in the weather, which spurred the development of ancient meteorological science in China. With his solid foundation in astronomy and the convenience of his position, Li Chunfeng had many opportunities to observe and study meteorology. The Yisì Zhàn (The Diviner's Manual), the world's earliest surviving monograph on meteorology written by him, introduces two types of wind indicators in some detail. One is: "Erect a five-zhang-long pole on high, open plains, with eight liang of chicken feathers as a 'bower' (feather cover) attached to the top of the pole to observe the wind." The other is: "A disc can be made at the top of the pole, with a three-legged wooden crow on the disc; two legs connect upward, while the third leg is lifted (according to ancient mythology, the sun has a three-legged crow). Feathers are tied beneath it and rotate inward. When the wind comes, the crow turns, facing the wind, with flowers in its mouth; as the flowers spin, observations are made." These two wind indicators are very similar to the "..."

　　"(a simple wind indicator made by tying silk strips or bird feathers to a long pole)" and "the Bronze Phoenix Wind Indicator" (a copper wind instrument shaped like a phoenix) recorded in ancient texts. From the styles of the Bronze Phoenix in Bianliang (today’s Kaifeng) during the Northern Song Dynasty and the Boxi Phoenix used in river works during the Qing Dynasty, we can get a general idea of the appearance of the two wind indicators described by Li Chunfeng. Li Chunfeng’s contributions to meteorology are primarily reflected in his observation and research of the wind. In the early feudal society, wind observation became more detailed than before, developing from four cardinal directions to eight, hence the names of the Eight Winds: Bùtóng Fēng (Northwest), Guǎngmò Fēng (North), Tiáofēng (Northeast), Míngshù Fēng (East), Qīngmíng Fēng (Southeast), Bàofēng (South), Liángfēng (Southwest), and Chānghé Fēng (West). By the Tang Dynasty, with the development of maritime activities, ships often encountered strong winds at sea, making it even more urgent to understand wind conditions. Based on his observations, research, and the summarization of previous experiences, Li Chunfeng further defined the wind direction into 24. He also created an eight-level wind force standard based on the extent of damage caused by the wind to trees: "moving leaves, rustling branches, swaying twigs, falling leaves, breaking small branches, breaking large branches, breaking wood and flying sand and stones, uprooting large trees." A thousand years later, in 1805, the British Francis Beaufort, building upon the Yisì Zhàn, further supplemented and improved the system, raising the wind scale from 8 to 12 levels, totaling 13 grades. After several revisions, the wind force scale has increased to 18 levels since 1946.

　　Li Chunfeng’s scientific research spanned astronomy, mathematics, meteorology, and instrument-making, among others. He even authored an agricultural work titled Yǎn Qí Rén Yào Shù (Essentials of Agriculture from the Qi People). Truly, he was an outstanding natural scientist. His contributions to ancient natural sciences in our country, especially his pioneering compilation of annotations for the Ten Mathematical Classics, will forever be remembered.

　　Li Chunfeng was born in 602 AD and died in 670 AD. Historical records state that he lived to be 69

　　years old. His remains were buried under the picturesque Tianzhu Mountain in his hometown. To commemorate this ancestor, the villagers built a tomb for him, four meters high and sixty-eight meters in circumference, with a shrine nearby. In 1972, the People’s Government of Qishan County erected a large stone tablet beside the tomb inscribed with the words "Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit." It is said that, according to the traditional custom of "returning to one's roots in death," Li Chunfeng most likely had his remains returned to his hometown. The Wenxian Tongkao (Comprehensive Examination of Literature) also mentions Li’s tomb, stating: "In Yong County of the Tang Dynasty, there is Tianzhu Mountain, and the tomb is located to the east of Tianzhu Mountain." Tianzhu Mountain is located about ten li north of present-day Qishan County. With a peak resembling a pillar, it is thus called Tianzhu. Li’s tomb is situated three or four li southeast of it, making it most likely that the tomb in Qishan County is the genuine one. Seeing the well-preserved condition of Li Chunfeng’s tomb, the author was deeply moved, and a feeling of reverence for the ancestor arose spontaneously.

　　From the "Tang Book · Biography of Li Chunfeng": "Li Chunfeng was a native of Yong in Qizhou, whose ancestors moved from Taiyuan." Later generations have thus mostly regarded him as being from today’s Fengxiang County. In fact, this is a one-sided view of "knowing the fact but not the reason." During the transition from the Sui to the Tang Dynasty, the administrative divisions of Qishan County underwent several changes, mainly with the county jurisdiction expanding westward. Checking the birth and death years of Li Chunfeng, they coincidentally fall within this period. Judging by the first half of his life, he belonged to Fengxiang County, or ancient Yong County, but by the latter half, he could be considered a resident of Qishan County. This point has been discussed before: Lu Bosheng’s Guangyu Ji (Broad Records of Geography) from the Ming Dynasty clearly states: "Li Chunfeng is from Qishan."

　　However, there are also debates nationwide regarding so-called tombs of Li Chunfeng: the Henan Prefecture Records claim it is in Xin’an County; the Jifu Tongzhi (Comprehensive Records of the Capital Region) claims it is in Zhuozhou, northeast, in Xiangyangli; the Zhouzhi County Records claim it is two li west of the county town, but the Xi’an Prefecture Records say: "Two li east of Zhouzhi is Chunfeng’s tomb"; the Qishan County Records state: "The tomb of Li Chunfeng, awarded the title of Tang Changle County Male, is five li northeast, with a shrine beside it." It is difficult to determine which is correct. However, past local gazetteers often made far-fetched connections, especially during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty when Bi Qiuwan, governor of Shaanxi, erected tablets for tombs in the Guanzhong region to "correct their names." As it turned out, many were erroneous, leading to later generations propagating these mistakes. The case of Li Chunfeng’s tomb is one such example. According to research in Qishan County’s historical materials, apart from the tombs in Xin’an County, Henan, and Zhuozhou County, Hebei, which cannot yet be confirmed, the tomb in Zhouzhi County was reportedly still present in the 1960s on Meiwuling near Shiqiao Village in the southern part of the county, standing opposite the Bayun Pagoda. Unfortunately, it was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. However, reliable sources report that the original tomb was square, two zhang high and three zhang wide, with no other auxiliary structures or decorations in the tomb area. Locals, in memory of him, have renamed Meiwuling as Chunfeng Ridge. Meanwhile, the villagers of Lijiadao, beside Li Chunfeng’s tomb in Qishan County, have passed down through generations the belief that Li Chunfeng is their ancestor. In 1962, a stone tablet from the ninth year of the Qianlong era (1744) was discovered in the village shrine, providing a detailed account of his life, along with a ancestral tablet from the fifth year of the Xianfeng era (1855) depicting a portrait of Li Chunfeng. There are also many local legends and anecdotes about Li Chunfeng and his mother, which is why every edition of the Qishan County Records has included Li Chunfeng as a local worthy and written a biography for him.