Chinanews client, Beijing, August 21 (Yuan Xiuyue) A plate of nuts, a few pomegranates, a plate of Cantonese sausages, and a can of Arctic ocean soda...

　　This is the seventh day of She Youzhi’s departure. Daughter Jiao Ying put on the table some of her favorite foods during her lifetime. Standing in the center of the table is a photo of She Youzhi with a hearty smile.

　　On August 12, She Youzhi, the 17th-generation tomb-keeper of Yuan Chonghuan's tomb, died in Beijing at the age of 81 due to illness. From the death of Yuan Chonghuan in 1630 to today, the She family has guarded Yuan Chonghuan's tomb for 390 years. She Youzhi's daughter Jiao Ying will take over her mother's class and continue to guard.

Jiao Ying offered incense for her mother. Photo by Yuan Xiuyue

The tragedy of Yuan Chonghuan

　　Many people heard the name Yuan Chonghuan for the first time from Jin Yong's novel "The Sword of Jade Blood". The novel tells the story of Yuan Chonghuan’s orphan, Yuan Chengzhi, avenging his father. Some people call Yuan Chonghuan the invisible male protagonist of "The Sword of Blood Jin Yong himself also admired Yuan Chonghuan, and once wrote "The Commentary on Yuan Chonghuan" for him.

　　However, Jin Yong's first commentary on historical figures has suffered a lot of controversy. Some people do not agree with Jin Yong's interpretation of Yuan Chonghuan and the Ming Dynasty.

　　So, what kind of person is Yuan Chonghuan and where does his controversy come from?

　　Yuan Chonghuan was a famous anti-Qing general at the end of the Ming Dynasty. He defeated Nurhachi and made him end his hatred. After Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, Yuan Chonghuan was highly appreciated. He was the official to the military department and the deputy capital of the right. He governed Liaodong, Hebei, Tianjin, and Shandong. Pro-given his Shang Fang sword.

She Youzhi and her granddaughter are at the tomb of Yuan Chonghuan. Photo by Yuan Xiuyue

　　However, in 1629, after Yuan Chonghuan repelled the army again, Jin went to jail, and was executed the following year, his family was exiled, and his family property was confiscated.

　　Later generations believed that Emperor Chongzhen was hit by Huang Taiji's countermeasures and killed Yuan Chonghuan. It was also speculated that Yuan Chonghuan's unjust murder was related to the struggle between Wei Zhongxian's legacy party and Donglin party members in the late Ming Dynasty. Others believe that Yuan Chonghuan's tragedy stems from the changes in Jisi and the weakness of Emperor Chongzhen's character.

　　However, Yuan Chonghuan’s controversy mostly focused on his arrogant killing of general Mao Wenlong. There is a view that the death of Mao Wenlong relieved Hou Jin from his worries, and Jin Bing drove away from it.

　　The historical truth is geometric, and it has long been submerged in the long river of time. But apart from the argument, many people agree that Yuan Chonghuan's death is a tragedy.

The inscription She Youzhi was given to her hometown in Guangdong. Photo by Yuan Xiuyue

The Story of She Family Guarding the Tomb: From She Yishi to She Youzhi

　　In August 1630, Yuan Chonghuan was sentenced to death at the age of 46. According to legend, after Yuan Chonghuan was killed, no one dared to collect his body. Yuan Chonghuan’s subordinate, She Yishi, risked the risk of "robbing his head at night" and buried him in his yard. At the tomb of Yuan Chonghuan. At the same time, leave the ancestral instruction: You cannot go back to your hometown in Guangdong; you are not allowed to be an official, you must study; you must guard the tomb of Yuan Chonghuan for generations.

　　This Shi Yishi was the ancestor of She Youzhi. This story is recorded in the Qing Dynasty notebook "Yanjing Miscellaneous Notes". Feng Yushan's inscription on Yizhuang in Lingnan says: "The loyalty may not change at that time, the green blood should stay here." The tomb of Yuan Chonghuan is located in the east of the Reclining Buddha Temple within Guangqumen, Beijing. The former Guangdong Yiyuan, also known as Shejiaguan, is now No. 52 Xiejie, Donghua City. Until 2002, the She family lived here, guarding the tomb of General Yuan.

　　During the "Cultural Revolution", Yuan Chonghuan's ancestral tomb was severely damaged, and Yuanci gradually became a residential courtyard. The family of She Youzhi's cousin moved out, and the She family's grave guarding career was almost interrupted. At that time, She Youzhi took over the responsibility of guarding the tomb. After 1978, she ran around, calling for Yuan Temple to be repaired.

She Youzhi and her husband Jiao Lijiang

　　Jiao Ying and her younger brother were born in Yuanci. She still remembers how she was when she was a child. At that time, his father Jiao Lijiang was a primary school teacher. He felt that the environment of the compound was not suitable for children's education, and hoped to move to a better environment. But the mother didn't want to leave Yuanci, she kept pushing back and disagreeing, and the two had a divorce because of this.

　　It was not until later that more and more people paid attention to Yuan Chonghuan's tomb, and more and more people visited, and his father slowly understood Yuan Chonghuan's story and understood the hardship of the She family's tomb. Later, Jiao Lijiang also began to support his wife and also helped She Youzhi prepare various materials.

　　"My father was at work at that time, and he started to write materials when he came back from work. Sometimes he wrote until two or three in the middle of the night. When he finished writing, he called my mother up and read it to her. It was common for them to wake up in the middle of the night." Jiao Ying said At that time, my mother also had a job. In order to report problems, she often asked for leave.

She Youzhi and his wife and daughter Jiao Ying and granddaughter

The persistent daughter of She Youzhi Jiao Ying takes over to guard the grave

　　The homonym of "Youzhi" is "naive," Jiao Ying has been teasing. In fact, her mother's personality is very similar to her name as "childish for a lifetime". Every time she says this, her mother is happy, but she just doesn't like to listen.

　　"Don't look at her old age, she sometimes thinks about issues relatively simply, and her character is very straightforward and cheerful." Jiao Ying said that her mother's personality is stubborn. If she wants to do anything, the nine cows will not be able to come back. But if she hadn't been so stubborn, she wouldn't be able to guard the grave.

　　In fact, Jiao Ying did not support her mother's work for a while. Because at that time, she seemed to have no family members in her mother's heart, especially no children. "(The tomb) is more important than anything in her mind."

　　In 1992, relevant departments in Beijing repaired Yuan Chonghuan's tomb. In 2002, relevant departments again carried out major repairs to Yuan Chonghuan's ancestral tomb and changed it to a memorial hall, which was officially opened to the public.

　　For She Youzhi, this is a long-awaited moment. However, due to the serious damage to the house, all the 19 households in the tomb had to be moved out. Jiao Ying recalled that the day she moved out, the old lady cried out loudly, even more sad than when her son died.

Video screenshot: She Youzhi went to the tomb of Yuan Chonghuan two years ago

　　In 2003, Jiao Ying's younger brother Jiao Pingyuan was invited to work at Yuan Chonghuan Memorial Park at the invitation of his hometown, but he did not expect to die in a car accident on the way to ask for the consent of his girlfriend's parents. Finally, Jiao Ping's ashes were sent to the memorial garden to protect General Yuan Chonghuan forever.

　　"At that time, when I received the notice, I suddenly felt that the burden on my body was heavy." Jiao Ying said, since her parents can't change, she can only obey them as a daughter. The old couple have three common wishes: one is to go back and continue to guard the tomb, the other is to fully restore the Yuanci complex, and the third is to apply for intangible cultural heritage.

　　What really touched Jiao Ying was that when his father became seriously ill in 2016, he was still thinking about these three things. After the death of her father, Jiao Ying has been living with her mother. In her mother's last 5 months, she even struggled to speak, but still thought of these three things in her heart.

　　She Youzhi hopes that her daughter can take over and pass on the career of guarding the tomb. So when her mother left, Jiao Ying said to her many times: "You should let go. What you didn't do, I will do my best."

　　"I am not as persistent as my mother, nor will I leave the family business like her, but as I grow older, I feel that this thing my mother has done is great. She is passing on the traditions of the Chinese nation, so I should Pass on her spirit and influence more people." Jiao Ying said that she may not be as good as her mother, but at least she can make time to clean the cemetery, cut grass and water.

　　As for whether the child will continue to guard the grave, Jiao Ying said that he will respect the child's wishes. "Actually, from some aspects, my brother has been in Guangdong forever. If the child wants to, that is (best). Maybe I will communicate these things with her intentionally or unintentionally in daily life. I will not force it. She." (End)