Dai Mingshi’s Tomb

　　Dai Mingshi’s Tomb is situated on a southern hillside in Qingshuitang Village, Kongcheng Town, with a tomb area of 120 square meters. In front of the tomb stands a three-tiered platform, and the stone-lined burial chamber is about 1.5 meters high. The mound is built with slab stones, and a stele stands in front inscribed with “Tomb of Dai Mingshi.” The tomb is surrounded by pine and cypress trees. It is a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in Anhui Province.

　　Dai Mingshi (1653–1713), styled Tianyou or alternatively Heifu, also known by his art name Nanshan and pseudonym You’an, was a native of Tongcheng. In the 48th year of the Kangxi reign (1709), he passed the imperial examination as a Jinshi, ranking second place (commonly referred to as Bangyan) in the palace examination, and was appointed as a Hanlin Academy editor. Dai Mingshi devoted himself to historical research and essay writing. He authored the Collection of Nanshan. He was an important founding figure of the Tongcheng School. In the 50th year of the Kangxi reign (1711), Dai Mingshi was imprisoned due to his work, the Collection of Nanshan. In February of the 52nd year (1713), he was executed at the age of 61. This case implicated hundreds of people and became one of the most infamous literary inquisitions of the Qing Dynasty—the Nanshan Collection Case.

　　Dai Mingshi (1653~1713)　　Dai Mingshi (1653–1713), styled Tianyou or Heifu, also known by his art name Yaoshen and pseudonym You’an, later known as Kaolao in his later years, and in his final years referred to himself as Mr. Nanshan. After his death, his name was avoided and he was respectfully called Mr. Song Qianxu. He was also called Mr. Xia’an. A native of Tongcheng, southern Jiangnan (present-day Tongcheng County, Anhui Province), he ranked second in the 1709 Jiachou Imperial Examination under the Zhao Xiongzhao list in the 48th year of the Kangxi reign. Dai Mingshi’s earliest ancestors migrated from Wuyuan to Tongcheng in the early years of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, and by the time of Dai Mingshi, twelve generations had passed. Dai Mingshi’s great-grandfather, Dai Zhen (styled Meng’an), was a late Ming scholar who, amid the transition from the Ming to the Qing Dynasty and burdened with the pain of dynastic change, shaved his head to become a monk, secluded himself in the Longmian Mountains, and devoted himself to writing books. His grandfather... Details+

　　Source: Tongcheng Cultural Relics and Museums