At the south side of Xiling Bridge is the grave of Qiu Jin flanked
by flowers, pines and cypresses against hills. There rest the soul
of Qiu Jin, a martyr who died in 1907 for overthrowing the Qing Dynasty.
With great ambition and dedication to China's modernization, Qiu called
herself a female warrior of Jian Lake and fought bravely. Visitors
and passers-by solute her when they pass the tomb.
Qiu Jin was born in Shanyin (today's Shaoxing) of Zhejiang in 1875.
She had studied in Japan. During her stay in Japan, she joined the
Recovery
League and the
Chinese Revolutionary League.Qiu Jin was in charge of Shaoxing Datong
School in 1907. She used the school as a base to get associated with
revolutionaries and plot uprisings against the Qing Dynasty.
In July 1907, the uprising she had masterminded was aborted and thwarted
due to the secret made known to the government. She was arrested and
executed on 15th July.
Qiu Jin had come to Hangzhou for revolutionary work many times. Many
of her poems describe the beautiful West Lake.
On December 10, 1912, Dr. Sun Yet-san held a memorial ceremony at
Qiu Jin's grave personally. He wrote an elegiac couplet: "We
should praise the Chinese Revolutionary League, and deeply cherish
this great female warrior of Jian Lake."
In 70 years, Qiu Jin's remains had been buried 10 times since the
first burial until 1981 when her grave was rebuilt at the south side
of Xiling Bridge. On the top of her tomb stood the statue of Qiu Jin
made of white marble. There she leans on a sharp sword, looking valiant
and heroic.
Administrative Office:
Yue Temple Office of Hangzhou
Landscape and Cultural Relics Bureau
Add:
No.1, Hougushan Road, Outside
of West Lake, Hangzhou, China
Tel:
0086-571-87996663
Fax:
0086-571-87999947
Post Code:
310007
Transport:
Bus No. 7 or No. 27
Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area
Registration Numbe:2023025396号-1 Zhejiang Public Network Security:33010602012497