Tomb of Hai Rui

　　The Tomb of Hai Rui is a national key cultural relics protection unit. Located in Bin'ai Village in the western suburbs of Haikou City, Hainan Province, the Tomb of Hai Rui is a rectangular cemetery. It is surrounded by stone walls, and the grounds are lush with greenery all year round, offering a clean, tranquil, and solemn environment. The construction of the Hai Rui Tomb began in the 17th year of the Wanli reign during the Ming Dynasty (1589), commissioned and supervised by Emperor Wanli who sent Xu Ziwei to Hainan specifically for its building. Legend has it that when Hai Rui’s coffin arrived at the current site, the ropes used to carry it suddenly snapped. People believed this was a sign that Hai Rui himself had chosen the auspicious burial ground, so he was buried there on the spot.

　　Hai Rui (1514–1587), courtesy name Ruixian, also known as Guokai, and literary name Gangfeng, was born in Jinhua Village, Fucheng Town, Qiongshan City. After passing the local imperial examination and going to the capital, he was bestowed the title of Jinshi (presented scholar). He initially served as a teaching officer in Nanping, later promoted to the magistrate of Chun’an County and then Xingguo County. During his tenure, he implemented land surveys and equitable corvée labor, maintained personal integrity, and was described as someone who could live on simple cloth clothing and coarse grain. In the 45th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, he served as an assistant director in the Yunnan Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue. At that time, Emperor Jiajing favored alchemists and was obsessed with Taoist rituals, seeking elixirs for immortality. Court affairs were neglected, and no one dared to remonstrate—except Hai Rui, who risked his life to offer candid advice, shocking both the court and the public. As a result, he was dismissed from office and imprisoned. He was released after Emperor Jiajing’s death. In the 3rd year of the Longqing reign (1569), he was appointed as the regional inspector of Yingtian, where he oversaw the dredging of the Wusong River and the Bai Mao River, and vigorously promoted the “Single Whip Law,” which met opposition from figures like Zhang Juzheng, leading to his dismissal and return to his hometown. Throughout his life, Hai Rui was upright and unyielding. During his service, he redressed several wrongful cases and was honored as the “Hai Qingtian” (Hai the Just), also referred to as the “Second Bao Zheng” or the “Southern Bao Zheng.” At the age of 72, he took office as the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Censorate, where he continued to combat corruption. He soon passed away in his residence. After his death, the court held eight memorial ceremonies, posthumously awarded him the title of Minor Tutor to the Crown Prince, and conferred upon him the posthumous name Zhongjie (Loyal and Righteous). On the day of his funeral, the streets of Nanjing were packed as merchants closed shops, farmers stopped working, and crowds lined the roads to bid farewell, mourning him for miles.

　　Hai Rui lived an upright and unyielding life, and was an outstanding statesman and a renowned clean official in history. Upon his death, he left behind only 8 taels of salary silver and a few old robes, but earned the lasting reputations of the “Southern Bao Zheng” and “Hai the Just.” On the day his coffin departed for his hometown, the citizens of Nanjing shut down markets for days in mourning. When the coffin reached its current location in Bin’ai Village, Qiongshan County, Hainan Island, the ropes carrying it suddenly broke. People believed this was the deceased choosing his own burial site, so a tomb garden was built there.

　　The main gate of the cemetery features a greyish-blue stone memorial archway inscribed with four large red characters: “Yuedong Zhengqi” (Righteous Qi of Eastern Guangdong). A wide bluestone path leads directly from the archway to the tomb site. Along the pathway are stone statues of sheep, horses, lions, and figures—some standing, sitting, or lying—vividly crafted. A stone tortoise sits in the middle of the path leading to the tomb. The layout of the tomb resembles that of Yue Fei’s Tomb in Hangzhou, though on a slightly smaller scale. It includes a stone offering table, a stone platform, five railings, and a circular stone tomb mound. The tomb mound is 1.6 meters in diameter and 2.6 meters high. The stone stele in front of the tomb bears an inscription of 30 characters: “Tomb of Hai Gong, Right Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Censorate, Honored with the Posthumous Title of Minor Tutor to the Crown Prince, and Awarded the Posthumous Name Zhongjie, Bestowed by Imperial Decree of the Ming Emperor.” The stele is 4 meters tall, 0.8 meters wide, and 10 centimeters thick, and is the original from 400 years ago when the tomb was built.

　　Today, the Tomb of Hai Rui is an empty grave. In 1982, the local government renovated the tomb site. Every year on the 20th day of the second lunar month, the anniversary of Hai Rui’s death, locals come to pay their respects. Though Hai Rui was a feudal official, his lifelong integrity and uprightness have earned him the respect and remembrance of later generations.

　　Address: No. 39, Qiuhai Avenue, Xiuying District, Haikou City, Hainan Province

　　Transportation: Take Tourist Route A, or bus lines 2, 16, or 19 within Haikou City to reach the Tomb of Hai Rui