Zhang Zongyu's Tomb

Opening Hours: 8:00 - 17:00 Ticket Price: 2 yuan Location: Kongzhuangzi Village, No.3 Farm of Nandagang Management Zone

Best Time to Visit: Cangzhou is situated on the coast of Bohai Bay in southeastern Hebei Province. It features a typical warm temperate semi-humid continental monsoon climate with cold winters, hot summers and four distinct seasons. The annual average temperature is about 12℃, and autumn is the best time for sightseeing.

Complaint Hotline: 0317-2080122

Transportation Guide: Cangzhou boasts convenient transportation. The Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Kowloon railways run through the region, and National Highways 104, 106, 205 and 307 crisscross the area.

South of Kongzhuangzi Village of Nandagang Farm stands an earthen tomb, which is believed to be the resting place of Zhang Zongyu, leader of the Nian Army in the Qing Dynasty.

In January of the 6th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Zongyu led the Western Nian Army and fought bravely at Shilipo in the eastern suburbs of Xi'an. In August, his troops were trapped in a narrow zone between the Yellow River, the Grand Canal and the Tuhei River in Shandong by the troops led by Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang. After fierce battles, they failed to break through the encirclement. On August 16, their entire army was wiped out when the Qing troops diverted water to flood their position in Yulin Town, Jiyang.

Following the defeat of the Western Nian Army, Zhang Zongyu fled alone to Kongzhuangzi in Cang County, now Kongzhuangzi Village of Nandagang Farm. He wore thin clothes, with disheveled hair. He had a broad face and a tall, sturdy build. During the day, he wandered around the village begging for food, often sighing while standing by doorways. At night, he stayed in a small shed in the northeastern yard of a local villager named Sun Yuxiang. Speaking with a southern accent, he was referred to as "the southerner" by villagers.

Though advanced in years, Zhang Zongyu still harbored lofty aspirations, yet he could no longer realize his ambitions. Tormented by sorrow, he eventually fell ill and passed away. He was buried in the graveyard south of Kongzhuangzi Village, with his head facing southwest. Zhang Zongyu had one son, and his descendants still live in this village to this day.