Mausoleum of Han Yu

The Mausoleum of Han Yu is located 6km to the west of Mengzhou City, north of the Luochang Highway and at the south foot of Mountain Zijin.

Covering an area of over 6 hetares, the Mausoleum of Han Yu is a historical site under provincial protection as well as a tourist sight of Grade AAA in China. The Mausoleum is built in memory of a celebrity named Han Yu in the Tang Dynasty. Living during the period of 768 to 824 A.D., he was a native of Heyang (now called Mengzhou) in He'nan. Having made great achievements in his life, he is respected as a famous litterateur, statesman, thinker and poet, especially renowned as the top litterateur among the eight recognized superb ones in Tang and Song Periods. In literature, he argued for the free-styled prose but against the old parallel prose; in philosophy, he supported the ideas presented by the Confucians but rejected those Buddhist and Taoist teachings; in politics, he supported a centralized authority rather than military governors control; lastly, in education, he had also made great contributions.

The Mausoleum has a long history of 1,180 years. The main constructions in it include archway, paved path, white-marble statues of Han Yu and the rest seven superb poets in Song and Tang Periods, sacrificial altar, stone steps, Mausoleum, worshiping hall, stone inscriptions and so on. They all look magnificent and grand. Moreover, there are many green old cypresses in it, especially the two huge cypresses, standing high up to the sky. They were transferred to his hometown from Chang’an after his death according to his will. They have been growing lushly over so many years, facing always southwest to the Capital at that time—Chang'an. People say that this symbolizes his loyalty to the country and cares about his fellow officials and his country people.

His influence over the later generations is so great that many people pay much homage to him for his great achievements. In the recent one hundred years, his influence has spread to the USA, Japan, Korea and other countries in Southeast Asia. There are so many people interested in him that an international Han School organization has been founded to research into his achievements in all fields, arousing a popular tide in the research of Han Yu and his contemporaries. The China International Han School Research Association is just located at the Mausoleum, having attracted thousands of tourists over the recent years. In March, 2005, a global conference was held here, gathering over 300 descendents of Han Yu from different countries or regions, such as China, Hongkong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and so on. The conference not only helps to promote Han Yu culture but also make the sight more well-known to the world as a typical tourist resort characterized by Central China culture.

Publishes at : 07-12-12 12:23

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