冀国夫人叶氏太君墓, Ancient tomb in Ningbo, China.
The tomb of Lady Ye, great-grandmother of Southern Song chancellor Shi Hao, lies on the southern slope of Changleli Mountain in Xiashui Village, Dongqian Lake Town. The site comprises the Niaoming Bridge, a short remnant of the spirit path with a 2.85-metre stone bamboo shoot, twenty stone steps, and a 3-metre round burial mound enclosed by a stone wall. A small pool stands near the steps, and the Wuliangshou Nunnery, first built in the Southern Song, survives as a rear hall and side rooms.
Ye Yuying, wife of Shi Jian and great-grandmother of Southern Song chancellor Shi Hao, died at 86 and was buried on the southern slope of Changleli Mountain in Xiasui Village. After Shi Hao became chancellor he added a spirit road with stone figures and founded the Wuliangshou Nunnery for the Shi ancestors. Descendant Sun Chunting restored tomb and nunnery under the Qing Jiaqing emperor; Yuyao Shi descendants repaired the tomb and built Niaoming Bridge in 1935. The stone figures and archway were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and in 1993 descendants moved about ten carved stones here.
The burial ground is named for the noblewoman Ye and served as a place where relatives and visitors gathered to honor her memory. Its location in the landscape reflects how important such sites were to their communities.
The tomb lies on the southern slope of Changleli Mountain behind Xiashui Village, facing the Xiashui Creek valley; the stone path is partly ruined, with only a 1.8 m by 1.2 m slab section left, and the 20 stone steps lead up to the mound. The site is under 24-hour electronic surveillance, and the protected zone runs 64 m north and south from the tombstone. The Wuliangshou Temple stands in two sections, with only a side room and a three-bay rear hall surviving.
Shi Jian was cremated, so no body lies beside Ye Yuying; a portrait of him was placed in a chamber east of her tomb, which is why locals call the site the Lady Ye tomb. The 2.85-metre stone bamboo shoot on the spirit path still shows its sheath texture.
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