Tomb Site
Yu Qian’s tomb is located at the foot of Santai Mountain in Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province.
About Yu Qian
Yu Qian (1398-1457), courtesy name Tingyi, Haojie'an, was born in Qiantang (now Hangzhou). He once served as censor of supervision and governor of Henan and Shanxi. After the "Tumu Incident" in the 14th year of Zhengtong in the Ming Dynasty (1449), he was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War, supported Emperor Jing, fought against the southern invasion of Oira, and defended the capital. In the eighth year of Jingtai (1457), Yingzong was killed after his restoration, and returned to Santai Mountain in Hangzhou the following year (1458). In the second year of Chenghua (1466), an imperial edict was issued to reinstate the official. In the second year of Hongzhi (1489), an edict was issued to erect a temple on the side of the tomb, with the inscription "Jing Gong" on the forehead. The tomb was destroyed at the end of 1966 and rebuilt in 1982. The present Qian Temple was rebuilt in the eighth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1869), covering an area of ??4618.21 square meters. The tomb faces west and faces east, with a horseshoe shape in plan, 23 meters wide from north to south and 30 meters deep. In front of the tomb, there is a stele "Shaobao of the Ming Dynasty and Minister of the Ministry of War presented the posthumous title Zhongsu to the Taifu in the cemetery", which was re-written by the calligrapher Sha Menghai in 1982. The tomb passage is 100 meters long. The altar and incense burner in front of the tomb are all relics of the Ming Dynasty.
About Yu Qian
Yu Qian was a national hero in the Ming Dynasty. He, Yue Fei and Zhang Cangshui were also known as the "Three Heroes of West Lake". Yu Qian (1398-1457), named Tingyi, was born in Qiantang (now Hangzhou), Zhejiang Province in the Ming Dynasty. After Yingzong was captured during the "Tumu Incident" in the 14th year of Zhengtong (1449), he was promoted from Minister of War to Minister, supported Emperor Jing and opposed the southward migration. Mobilize heavy troops and repel the Oara army outside Beijing. The following year (the first year of Jingtai), he was forced to release Yingzong because there was no opportunity to take advantage of him. In the eighth year of Jingtai (1457), the Sino-Ying sect was restored during the "Seizing the Gate Rebellion". Yu Qian was killed for "treason" and was buried in Santai Mountain.
Detailed experience
Yu Qian was determined as a young man. When he was twelve years old, a monk was surprised by his appearance and said, "This is the prime minister who will save the world in the future." At that time, Yu Qian wrote the Mingzhi poem "Lime Yin". In the 19th year of Yongle (1421), he became a Jinshi. In the first year of Xuande (1426), Han King Zhu Gaoxu launched an army to rebel in Le'an Prefecture, and Yu Qian accompanied Emperor Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji on the expedition himself. He was awarded the title of Censor, and later became the Minister of War.
In the autumn of the 14th year of Zhengtong (1449), Wala also invaded the frontier on a large scale. The eunuch Wang Zhen suggested that the Yingzong conquer it personally. In August, Yingzong was captured by Wala in the Tumubao Incident, which shocked the capital. The emperor's younger brother Zhu Qiyu, the King of Yin, supervised the country. Yu Qian promoted him to the Minister of War and was fully responsible for planning the defense of the capital. At that time, some people in the imperial court advocated moving the capital south to avoid the enemy. Yu Qian stepped forward and refuted various capitulationist arguments. He proposed that "the country is more important than the emperor" and insisted on defending Beijing and continuing to resist the enemy. In September, King Tan ascended the throne and became the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In October, Ye first hijacked Yingzong and broke the Zijin Pass to threaten the capital. Yu Qian sent his generals to form nine gates to meet the enemy, and personally supervised the battle. He killed Ye Xian's younger brother Bo Luo and Ping Zhang Mao Na Hai, and won the battle to defend the capital.
In the first year of Jingtai (1450), he also asked for peace and agreed to return it to Yingzong. In August, the Ming Dynasty took Yingzong back, settled him in Nangong, and called him Emperor. At that time, Ye Zongliu and Deng Maoqi in Fujian and Zhejiang, and Huang Suyang in Guangdong rebelled respectively. There were also rebellions by ethnic minorities in Huguang, Guangxi, Guizhou and other places, and they were all put down by Yu Qian.
In the eighth year of Jingtai, general Shi Heng, eunuch Cao Jixiang and others took advantage of Emperor Jing's serious illness and sent troops to support the restoration of Yingzong. After Yingzong was restored to power, Shi Heng, Cao Jixiang and others falsely accused Yu Qian of making unethical remarks and wanted to establish a new crown prince, and instigated the officials to report. Xiao Weizhen, the censor of the capital, tried the case, convicted Yu Qian of treason, and sentenced him to death. Yingzong thought that Yu Qian had made great contributions to the country and could not bear to kill him. Xu Youzhen said: "If you don't kill Yu Qian, this move will be nameless." So he was executed for the crime of treason with "intention". His son Yu Mian was exiled to the army and sent to Longmen, Shanxi. His wife Zhang He sent troops to garrison Shanhaiguan. "History of the Ming Dynasty" records that "on the day of Qian's death, there was darkness all over the world, and injustice was committed all over the world." When his family was gone, there was no money left. Jin Yiwei found that Yu Qian's main room was locked tightly, and inside were the python clothes and swords given by the emperor. He couldn't help crying after seeing them. During the Chenghua period, his son Yu Mian was pardoned, and his father was rehabilitated by Shangshu. Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty personally tried the case. In the second year of Hongzhi (1489), he was given the posthumous title "Sumin" by Tejin Guanglu, Zhu Guo and Taifu. He was buried at the foot of Santai Mountain in West Lake, Hangzhou, and a shrine was given to his tomb called "Jinggong". During the Wanli period, Ming Shenzong changed his posthumous title to "Zhongsu".
There is "Yu Zhongsu Collection" left. Later generations honored Yu Qian as a national hero.