Why did the She family keep Yuan Chonghuan's tomb for 390 years?
According to public information, Yuan Chonghuan's tomb is located in a small courtyard in Xie Jie Street, Donghua City, Chongwen District, Beijing. A small room in the south of the yard is She Youzhi's office. It used to be the home of the She nationality for generations, and it is also a witness of the inheritance of the She nationality for nearly 400 years. Before Yuan Chonghuan's tomb was officially opened to the public in 2002, She Youzhi's family lived here for 63 years.
1630 on September 22nd, a generation of famous Yuan Chonghuan was wronged, and Emperor Chongzhen ordered his head to be hung outside the refractive door. That night, a righteous man named She risked his life to steal his head and bury it in her backyard in Shejiaguan Street, Guangqumen, Beijing, known as Guangdong Yiyuan Garden. Since then, he has become a grave keeper. During the Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty, Yuan Chonghuan's unjust case was rehabilitated. After in-depth investigation and unannounced visits, it was found that this person who was called "She" by later generations was the ancestor of She Youzhi.
She Youzhi's uncle is the grave keeper of Shejiadi16th generation. Since childhood, she has followed her uncle and listened to Yuan Chonghuan telling stories. In my uncle's chat with others, I learned about the family history handed down from generation to generation. She Youzhi said that the ancestors left three teachings to future generations before they died: they can be buried next to General Yuan after death and accompany him forever; General Yuan is a country without descendants, and the She family must protect General Cemetery from generation to generation and are not allowed to return to their hometown in Guangdong. She descendants are never allowed to be officials, but they must study, learn history and be polite. Since then, the descendants of the She family have lived in the tomb of the Yuan Temple in Beijing for generations, and one guard is 17 generations.
With the death of the last grave keeper of the She nationality, only the small tomb of the ancestors of the She nationality is left in Guangqumen, Beijing, which continues to guard Yuan Chonghuan's tomb and the loyalty spirit of the Chinese nation!