A Brief History of the Famous City of Yangzhou - Puhatin Cemetery

by lhltckfrtg on 2012-02-22 16:33:45

The Puhading Cemetery, also known as Huigu Tang, is located on the east bank of the ancient canal south of Liberation Bridge. The cemetery is home to towering ancient trees and lush greenery, forming an architectural complex consisting of the Arab Puhading's tomb and a mosque. The main gate faces west. Above the riverside gate, there is an inscription that reads "The Tomb of Western Region Sage Puhading." Upon entering through the gatehouse and turning right, one reaches the mosque built in the mid-Qing Dynasty. After entering, one ascends along a path to the second gatehouse, where the gatehead is inscribed with "Tianfang Ju Huo". Inside lies a small courtyard with six small pavilions, all single-eaved hard mountain-style structures. Within the courtyard are northern and southern pavilions; the eastern wall of the northern pavilion features an embedded stone tablet titled "A Brief History of the Sage," with Arabic text above reading "The Enlightened One is Named Puhading." Passing through the northern pavilion leads directly to the tomb area, where the Puhading tomb pavilion is located slightly to the north. Puhading was the sixteenth-generation descendant of Islam's founder Muhammad. He came to Yangzhou to preach during the late Southern Song Dynasty and constructed the Xianhe Temple, passing away in 1275 (during the reign period of Deyou). He was buried here according to his last wishes. The tomb pavilion has a square plan with a circular dome inside and a four-cornered pyramid-shaped tiled roof outside. All four walls have arched doors, with the tomb placed at the center of the pavilion. A plaque hangs above, inscribed in Arabic with "There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of God." Rising from the ground is a five-tiered rectangular tomb tower made of bluestone, featuring shallow carvings of peonies on its surface and relief carvings of entwined branches and如意patterns on its facades. The entire tomb exhibits a style reminiscent of the Arab Qubba architecture. In addition to the Puhading tomb pavilion, the cemetery also houses four eight-sided Arab gravestones, each side engraved with text. One face bears Chinese characters, while the remaining seven sides feature Arabic and Persian scripts. The cemetery layout is strict and orderly, with flowers and trees flourishing amidst a tranquil and solemn environment. There stands an ancient ginkgo tree within the grounds. From afar, it appears split into two by lightning, but up close, it reveals old trunks sprouting new branches from the same root, presenting a highly unique form. It is said that this tree is over seven hundred years old, dating back to the same period as the Puhading Cemetery, making it an extremely precious relic.