Siling Mound (Tomb of Cao Zhi)

Siling Mound is the burial site of Cao Zhi, Prince of Chen enfeoffed by the State of Wei during the Three Kingdoms Period.

Comprehensive Records of Henan Province records: "The tomb of Cao Zhi lies three li south of Chen Prefecture; he was conferred the title Prince Si of Wei." Unified Records of the Great Qing Dynasty states: "The tomb of Cao Zhi of the Wei Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms stands three li south of Huaining County."

Four burial mounds line up from north to south in a row, with respective heights of 12 m, 4 m, 7 m and 15 m, and respective earth mound areas of 1,656 sq.m., 400 sq.m., 900 sq.m., and 3,000 sq.m. The tallest mound at the southernmost end is Siling Mound.

Cao Zhi, courtesy name Zijian, was the third son of Cao Cao, born in Qiao County (modern Bozhou, Anhui Province). He was a celebrated poet of the Three Kingdoms era. He attained extraordinary literary achievements, especially in poetry, and won high acclaim from numerous historical literati. Xie Lingyun, a distinguished poet of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, remarked: "All literary talent under heaven amounts to one shi of grain, and Cao Zijian alone possesses eight dou of it."

Endowed with remarkable intelligence from childhood, Cao Zhi could compose prose and poetry at the age of ten. At nineteen, his Ode to the Bronze Sparrow Terrace brought him instant fame. Favored deeply by Cao Cao, he was once considered a candidate for crown prince. Yet his unrestrained conduct, lack of self-discipline, conceit and arrogance eroded Cao Cao’s trust in him over time.

After Cao Cao’s passing, his elder brother Cao Pi and nephew Cao Rui bore intense jealousy toward him and persecuted him relentlessly. Unable to find evidence to condemn Cao Zhi to death, Cao Pi summoned him to court one day and ordered him to compose a poem within seven steps, on pain of execution. Without hesitation, Cao Zhi recited:

Hearing the verse, Cao Pi burst into tears. Though he spared Cao Zhi’s life, he enfeoffed him as a marquess and prince in remote fiefdoms far from the capital to keep him at arm’s length. Even in exile, Cao Pi suspected Cao Zhi of colluding with factions, relocating him frequently three times in eleven years, successively naming him Prince of Yongqiu, Prince of Dong’e, and Prince of Chen. Cao Zhi submitted numerous memorials pleading for official appointment, yet his requests were never granted. Though titled a prince, he lived virtually as a prisoner, perpetually melancholy, and passed away from depression in Chen at only forty-one years old.

Four coffins were buried separately upon his death, a precaution taken lest Cao Pi desecrate his corpse, hence the four mounds. Posthumously titled "Si" (Reflective, Sorrowful), he became known as Prince Si of Chen, and his tomb Siling Mound.

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, scholars and poets visiting Huaiyang always came here to pay homage, composing poems and odes in memory of him. Many fine verses were preserved in Huaiyang County Chronicle. Dai Xin, a Ming poet, wrote Mist Over Siling Tomb:

Cao Zhi left behind a wealth of elegant, timeless writings. Around eighty of his poems survive, alongside over forty relatively intact odes and essays. His original thirty-volume collected works have mostly been lost to time, yet his masterpiece Ode to the Luo River Goddess remains widely renowned to this day. During his residence in Chen, he penned two panegyrics: Ode to Emperor Fuxi and Ode to Divine Farmer Shennong.

Endowed with wood virtue, bearing the Wind clan name, He forged the Eight Trigrams, establishing heaven’s frame. Dragon omens lent names to official ranks, Modeling heaven and earth, drawing cosmic banks. He founded sacrificial rites and domestic kitchens, Wove nets for fishing, devised hunting expeditions. Lutes and zithers mirrored the rhythm of creation, Communing with divine spirits in profound meditation.

Descendant of Shaodian, with fire virtue nurturing wood, He fashioned ploughshares and taught folk to sow grain for good. He crafted refined lutes to harmonize customs and mood.