Zhou Fu’s tomb
My great great grandpa passed away in Tianjin on September 21, 1921, at age of 83, survived by three sons and two daughters. His descendants accompanied him home to Dongzhi for burial, near his wife.
He chose this site for his resting place on Yunwukeng 云雾坑 Clouds Pit mountain in Guangang County 官港镇, with the help of a Feng Shui master. Reportedly, Mr. Feng Shui recommended this site after surviving the near and afar.
After parking, we followed the path – shendao 神道/mudao 墓道*, flanked by the broken stone memorial steles and gargoyles 神兽 and 翁仲, climbing to the top of the hill.
The overcast sky threatened rain drop at any given moment, indeed it did drop a few. But the tranquility superseded all other natural elements and put me in a serene state of mind.
Mr. Chen led the way. He’s very much in his element … thank you Mr. Chen!
The time stamp:
The area is declared a historical site by City of Chizhou on March 10th, 2012.
It’s a whirlwind trip that left me no time to think but to react. Now back home, recalling the scenes and hearing the penchant of renovation (from all sides), I couldn’t help but to wonder, what kind of improvements are they planning? Will a clean up and on going up keeping be enough? Certainly many top 1% have their tomb built extravagantly to reflect their previous status. But this tomb is very much like the man who resides there: simple and humble, yet very elegant， blends with the surroundings marvelously. I certainly felt the harmony, saw the tranquility and heard the serenity. Isn’t this the reason he had chosen this mountain top?
在这个旋风速度的寻根之旅中, 没有给我留下时间去思考, 只有被动的反应. 现在回到家里, 有时间了, 也听到四面八方要装修的号召, 我不禁想知道, 他们在策划什么样的改进? 清理和维持现状足够吗? 当然, 许多顶尖的1％会一掷千金盖自己的陵墓, 以反映其先前的状态. 但是站在先祖的墓前, 我感到和谐, 看到了安详, 听到的宁静. 该墓和居住那里的人一样: 简单而谦虚, 但很优雅. 天衣无缝的与环境融为一体. 难道这不是我的祖先当初选择这个山顶的原因? … 修订家谱是好事. 但是当趋势都是云端, 节约纸少伐木, 家谱并不需要纸印的. 扎克伯格富甲一方, 但是他和太太想到的是怎么样为他们的女儿制造一个更美好的明天.
- A few different words for the resting place of the dead: 陵 mausoleum, 墓 tomb、冢 mound、坟 grave.
- * 神道 (zh wiki)/墓道 (墓外甬道) – a path leads to a tomb
