Huang Wei Tomb Introduction
Huang Wei, style name Mengwei, alias Yisou, was a native of Wenshui Tou (now Houshuitou). He was born in the first year of the Hongzhi era of the Ming dynasty (1488) and served as an official in Quanzhou. He became a jinshi in the ninth year of the Zhengde era (1514) and initially served as a principal of the Ministry of Justice in Nanjing. He was known for his integrity, prudence, clarity, and compassion in managing prisons. He was later promoted to the magistrate of Nanhsiung, where he reduced corvée labor, promoted moral education, banned female entertainers, and eliminated illicit temples. Recommended by the officials, he was transferred to the magistracy of Songjiang, where he had several notable achievements. However, due to his straightforwardness and refusal to flatter the current authorities, he returned to his hometown to care for his parents and teach. Influenced by Huang Wei, local customs underwent significant changes, with a popular saying in Kinmen being "Literature is Xu Zhongdou, virtue is Huang Yisou," and he was also revered as a "man of complete virtue," listed as one of the Ten Sons of Wenling. In the sixteenth year of the Jiajing era (1537), a great famine occurred in Quanzhou, and the visiting official Li Yuanyang requested Huang Wei, Xu Fu, and Yu Dayou to assist in disaster relief. Huang Wei worked tirelessly and fell ill, eventually passing away on March 17 of the following year. His tomb was built in the seventeenth year of the Jiajing era (1538) and is located on the northern foothills of Mount Taiwu in the Doumen Redevelopment Area, situated between the villages of Houshuitou and Doumen. The tomb’s shape resembles a bird spreading its wings, earning the name "Feiya Luotian," with an imposing grandeur. In front of it lies a flat field, with Doumen Creek and Jinsa Creek gently flowing from both sides, converging near the front of the tomb, backed by Mount Taiwu, surrounded by the peaks of the Fujian coastline, and at that time was considered one of the four great auspicious burial sites in Kinmen. Most of the tomb mound is located at the back of the grave, but the rear of Huang Wei's tomb features a protective wall, with the mound divided into two layers. The bottom layer is carved from a single block of stone, while the central part protrudes in a square shape, covered by an upwardly curved stone block resembling a dome. This is known in Kinmen as the "official seal-style turtle tomb." On either side of the front of the mound, there is a slab-like stone railing with relief carvings, and the back of the tomb features the highest protective wall of the entire cemetery. Descending two steps from the heart of the grave leads to a tomb table, whose front is divided into three sections by relief-carved bamboo sections; the center features an immortal holding a fan, accompanied by gazing deer and cranes symbolizing blessings, wealth, and longevity, while the sides depict koi leaping over the dragon gate and phoenix patterns. Extending outwards from both sides of the tomb table are two tomb hands, with the hall formed between the second hands serving as a worship space; on the inner side of the third tomb hand, there are stone benches for descendants to rest during rituals, a rare feature for this tomb. In front of the tomb are pairs of stone horses, stone tigers, and stone pillars, but the pillars are no longer present, likely due to decay. Not far to the northeast of the tomb, by the banks of Jinsa Creek, lies a fallen stone tablet, with the upper half of the inscription worn away, while the lower half is still clearly visible. The craftsmanship is exquisite, detailing Huang Wei's life and accomplishments, with the end of the inscription stating it was composed by Jin Gui Xiang, a student recommended by Huang Wei during his time as magistrate of Songjiang, who visited Kinmen multiple times. This tablet originally had a pavilion for protection, but unfortunately, it has been destroyed. The tablet along the burial path was originally located beside an ancient road in Doumen village, but after land replotting in the 76th year of the Republic of China (1987), it is no longer beside the road and has become obscured by shrubs. The inscription at the top reads "Ming Dynasty," and the text states, "In honor of the deceased gentleman Huang, former governor of Songjiang and his wife Chen, the burial path," following the architectural style of a fourth-rank official's tomb in the Ming dynasty. This tomb has unique features compared to other Ming tombs throughout the island.
