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tomb rests at Binya Village, Xiuying District, Haikou.
Born in Qiongshan, Hai Rui was an upright minister during
the mid-Ming Dynasty. Highly principled and outspoken,
he was called “Lord Bao of the South”. (Lord
Bao is the revered name of Bao Zheng, an official of the
Song Dynasty who was famous for his honesty in performing
official duties, justice in enforcing the law, and bravery
in defying influential officials.) The tomb was built
in 1589, the 17th year of Emperor Wanli’s reign
during the Ming Dynasty. In front of the main gate of
the cemetery stands a high memorial archway on which four
big red characters, “Righteousness in Eastern Guangdong
(Yuedong Zhengqi)”, were horizontally cut in intaglio.
The 100-plus-meter-long passage to the grave is exclusively
paved with white marble. Three more archways stand over
the passage, and on both sides of it are stone sculptures
of sheep, horses, lions, tortoises and human figures guarding
the grave. With a dome-like top, the grave is built on
a hexagon base in front of which stands a four-meter-high
stone tablet. The inscription of the tablet was written
by Xu Ziwei who supervised the tomb’s construction.
Exuberant pines, cypresses, bamboo and coconut trees shield
the cemetery all year around. And the exhibition room
helps deepen the tourists’ understanding of this
outstanding official in Chinese history.
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