The Tomb of Luo Zhu at Meiling, Nanchang

I. Preface

The Tomb of Luo Zhu at Meiling (also "Ancestral Tomb of the Yuzhang Luo" and "Mausoleum of Lord Zhu") stands on Nine-Section Centipede Hill in Nanling Village, Zhaoxian Town, Xinjian District, Nanchang. It is the burial of Luo Zhu, Superintendent of Granaries and Finance in the early Western Han (later Administrator of Jiujiang Commandery). It is one of the most important ancestral graves of the Yuzhang Luo and a major pilgrimage site for Luo descendants in Jiangxi seeking their roots. This report systematically arranges topography, lineage, historical record, feng shui form method, and the history of repairs, following the methodology "where the tradition is not clearly contradicted, let it stand; where it is, reject it" — presenting both corroborating sources and limited critical dissent.

II. Location and Present Condition

The tomb lies within Nanling Village, Zhaoxian Town, Xinjian District (formerly Xinjian County), Nanchang, at about 500 m on the southern Meiling ridge, mid-slope on Nine-Section Centipede Hill (also "Nine-Section Dragon Lord Hill" or "Flying Centipede Dragon"). Locals call it "the Luo family grave."

Modern field data: the tomb is continuous with the mountain. To its front-left stands Elephant Hill (anciently "Azure Dragon on the left"); to the front-right, Lion Hill ("White Tiger on the right"). A stream in a zigzag course murmurs around the foot of Centipede Hill and never runs dry in any season. Nine-Section Centipede Hill has nine sections; nine is the great number.

In 2002 Luo descendants funded the rebuilding of a large tomb on the original site and re-erected a new stele before it, inscribed "Mausoleum of Lord Zhu, Founding Ancestor of the Yuzhang Luo." For tens of li around the graveyard, the fields, trees, and hills are all Luo sacrificial land; only a single grave was lent to the Xu clan.

III. Names and Lineage

3.1 Names

According to Luo genealogies in various places, Luo Zhu, style name Huaihan, sobriquet Lingzhi (also "Lord Zhu"), was born in the seventh year of King Zheng of Qin (245 BCE; another account gives 231 BCE) at the end of the Warring States, and died in the second year of the Later Yuan era of Han Emperor Jing (142 BCE), aged ninety-one.

Luo Zhu was originally a man of Changsha Commandery in the state of Chu during the Warring States (Mianjiang, eastern Liuyang, Hunan today; also written Minjiang or Chunjiang). His father Luo Junyong had served as magistrate of Wuling under Qin. After Junyong died in office, his younger brother Junzhang inherited the post of magistrate of Wuling and changed his name to Junzan. Junzan brought his nephew Luo Zhu (the orphan of his elder brother Junyong) along into official service.

Luo Zhu "was precocious as a child and loved learning as he grew; through mastery of the classics and solid conduct he won the favor of Han Emperor Gaozu," and was appointed Superintendent of Granaries and Finance (one of the Nine Ministers, in sole charge of grain and goods). Under Han Emperor Jing the title was changed to Grand Agricultural Commandant; under Han Emperor Wu it first became Grand Minister of Agriculture. Luo genealogies of later ages therefore often call him "Grand Agricultural Commandant" or "Grand Minister of Agriculture."

3.2 Lineage and Official Career

While serving the Han, Luo Zhu "kept taxes mild and fair, and state supplies ample" — an impressive record. In the third year of Emperor Hui (192 BCE) Luo Zhu was appointed Administrator of Jiujiang Commandery and ordered to build the city of Nanchang, assisted by his brothers-in-law Shi Gu and Zhang Jiao (also written Zhang Wen). The work took about five years and was completed in the sixth year of Han Emperor Hui (188 BCE). Nanchang city "measured roughly ten li around and opened six gates," founding the history of Nanchang as a city.

When Empress Lü intervened in government, Luo Zhu "could not be accommodated for holding to the straight way." Dissatisfied with her sidelining of Emperor Hui and her heavy reliance on the Lü clan, he pleaded illness, resigned, and lived in seclusion at Hongya on the summit of the Western Hills of Yuzhang (present-day Wanli District, Nanchang). There he built a hut, lectured on the Way, taught the people to read, transmitted agricultural techniques, gathered herbs on the mountain, and treated illnesses for the people. He was known as "Master Hongya."

Luo Zhu had six sons — Juhou, Xuanli, Zicheng, Zhizheng, Zhide, and Chengtong — all born of Lady Fu. Their descendants multiplied in Yuzhang and gradually became a distinguished local clan. From then on Yuzhang (modern Nanchang) became the most famous commandary designation of the Luo, and "Yuzhang Hall" the clan's best-known hall name.

3.3 Key Nodes in Lineage Transmission

Generation one, Luo Xia (Wuque Ling): founding migrant ancestor, Luo Zhu's father
Generation two, Luo Jing (style name Zike, sobriquet Xuzhou; Quanmian Ke): Luo Zhu's son
Later the line spread outward through key nodes such as Luo Tang (generation thirteen, founding ancestor of Bolin, 221–312)

Luo Zhu's sixth son settled around the grave to observe mourning. Luo Zhu's wife Lady Zhang was buried before the Wanshou Palace on the Western Hills (the grave stands in Maoyuan, Huanggu Lane, Xishan Town, Xinjian District, Nanchang today); his secondary wife Lady Fu was buried at Wugui Ling (the grave stands about two li before Caofang Branch Village, East Wanshou Community, Xishan Town, Xinjian District today).

IV. Historical Records and Documentary Corroboration

4.1 Dynastic Histories

The Shiji, "Table of Marquises Who Were Meritorious Officials of Emperor Gaozu," does not directly record Luo Zhu's building of the city, but the Shiji, "Biography of Guan Ying," states that "Guan Ying pacified Yuzhang." Luo Zhu has no independent biography in the dynastic histories; his deeds are recorded mainly in gazetteers and genealogies.

4.2 Gazetteers

The Yongzheng-era Jiangxi Tongzhi, "Biographies," fascicle 67, records:

"Luo Zhu, under Emperor Gaozu, followed Guan Ying in pacifying Yuzhang, and had merit and virtue before the people. He died in office, and his descendants made their home there."

Li Yi's Record of the Yuzhang Terrace (Southern Song, eleventh year of Shaoxing, 1141) states:

"In the early Western Han, Guan Ying assisted Emperor Gaozu in pacifying Jiujiang and first built the commandery city. In the third year of Emperor Hui, the Grand Agricultural Commandant Luo, personal name Zhu, was commended to govern this land.... Together with his brother-in-law Shi Gu he completed the walls, bringing to fulfillment the achievement of Marquis Guan."

Wang Gangzhong's Record of the Grand Agricultural Shrine (Southern Song, second year of Jiading, 1209) likewise states:

"(Luo Zhu) under filial Emperor Hui could not be accommodated for holding to the straight way, and went out to govern Jiujiang. Guan Marquis's wall-building was unfinished; the lord, with his brother-in-law Shi Gu, continued the work.... They completed the city walls, and he personally planted yuzhang (camphor) trees in the courtyard — therefore people called it Yuzhang City."

4.3 Genealogies

The Yuzhang Luo Dacheng Zupu records: the lord was born on the fourteenth day of the fourth month, yin hour, in the second year bingchen of Qin Shi Huang (245 BCE); he died on the eighteenth day of the ninth month, chen hour, in the second year bingxu of Han Emperor Jing (155 BCE), aged ninety-one. He was buried on the summit of Great Ridge Mountain, Nine-Section Centipede Hill, Taiping Township, Western Hills.

A Song-dynasty portrait in the Bolin Pu shows Luo Zhu in a Song official's cap (not a Han cap), holding a court tablet — reflecting later ages' changing perception of his status.

The Republican-era scholar Luo Yuankun, after research, stated clearly that Luo Zhu "is in fact the founding ancestor of the Luo surname; all who are spread across the world are his descendants." The Luo descendants who today fill the world are mostly Luo Zhu's offspring. Although in the history of the surname the remote Luo ancestors may be traced to the Zhou state of Luo, Luo Zhu is the key figure who caused the Luo surname to branch and flourish in the south and form a great clan. Many Luo genealogies therefore honor Luo Zhu as the first-generation ancestor, and the saying "the Luo of the world have no second branch" has circulated accordingly.

4.4 Three Views on Who First Built Nanchang City

On the question of who first built Nanchang city, three views coexist in historiography:

Guan Ying first built it: the Shiji, "Biography of Guan Ying" — "he crossed the river, defeated the Wu commandery chief at Wu, took the Wu administrator, and thereupon pacified Wu, Yuzhang, and Kuaiji." Later ages often infer from this that Guan Ying first built Nanchang.
Chen Ying built it: the Southern Song Zhao Yushi's Bin Tui Lu questions the Guan Ying view, holding that the builder of Nanchang city should be Chen Ying, on the basis of the Shiji, "Table of Marquises," where Chen Ying "pacified Yuzhang and Zhejiang, and made his capital at Jian."
Luo Zhu built it: Luo genealogies and Li Yi's Record of the Yuzhang Terrace, Wang Gangzhong's Record of the Grand Agricultural Shrine, and gazetteers all support the view that "Guan Ying first began it; Luo Zhu completed it." Modern scholars such as Nanchang University professor Yu Zhaopeng have also written in support of Luo Zhu's building of Nanchang city.

By our methodology, the three views coexist; there is no conclusive evidence that the Guan Ying view alone is correct, nor contrary evidence that overturns the Luo Zhu view. We therefore provisionally accept the genealogical / gazetteer record that "Guan Ying first began it; Luo Zhu completed it."

4.5 Praise Verses Attributed to Guo Pu / Xu Xun

The Guo Pu praise verse (transmitted in feng shui literature such as the Seventy-Two Burial Methods):

"The immortal bridge, jade bones like a centipede; nine bends galloping toward nine peaks; the table bows to fair stars, a canopy in the front; the great harbor to the east — its qi flows in fusion."

It is also said: "Sun in the east, moon in the west — the lord faces the Golden Palace; drum in the east, banner in the west — ministers and retainers soon arrive; lion in the east, elephant in the west — a hundred generations of marquises and kings."

Xu Xun (Perfected Lord Xu) also has transmitted praise verses.

These two praise verses first appear in Luo genealogies and feng shui literature after the Song, some four centuries after Luo Zhu's time. They are later accretions / attributions and should be treated as such in academic criticism. As evidence of the transmission of feng shui culture, however, they may still be presented.

V. Feng Shui Form-Method Analysis

5.1 Incoming Dragon and Siting

The Luo Zhu tomb is sited wei mountain, chou facing, at an auspicious degree with a favorable fenjin. Water falls from left to right; it enters the hall from the qian direction, flows through the jia direction, and turns out through the gen direction. The trend connects with the main peak of the Western Hills; the mountain form is steep, with many undulations, an imposing qi, continuous and unbroken.

5.2 Sand and Water Configuration

Left sand (Azure Dragon): Elephant Hill, higher than Lion Hill — the dragon's force overpowers the tiger's might; anciently called "Azure Dragon on the left"
Right sand (White Tiger): Lion Hill, standing in symmetrical guard with Elephant Hill
Water method: the stream before the tomb winds around the foot of the hill in a zigzag course, never dry in any season, forming the feng shui configuration of "mountains embracing and water holding — there must be qi"
Table hill / facing hill: between Centipede Hill, Elephant Hill, and Lion Hill a table-slot space forms. Looking out through the slot, ranges rise in layers and nine peaks stand erect. Feng shui holds that "two mountains face the void; three mountains face the center." The Luo Zhu tomb stele is aimed exactly at the peak in the middle of the three.

5.3 Form-Name and Symbolism

Form-name: Nine-Section Centipede form (also "Flying Centipede Dragon," "Nine-Section Dragon Lord Hill")
Symbolism: nine is the great number; in feng shui, "when the sections are many, wealth and rank last long — one generation's glory for each section of dragon"
Understanding of "numinous land producing outstanding people": to the front-left of the tomb stands Lion Hill, to the front-right Elephant Hill, forming a "table-slot space." Looking out through this space, nine peaks stand erect; three mountains face the void, three mountains face the center — in feng shui form method this configuration is regarded as first-rate.

5.4 Cultural Significance of the Feng Shui

The feng shui configuration of the Luo Zhu tomb holds a central place in Luo cultural transmission. A local folk tradition holds: Luo Zhu was buried mid-slope on Nine-Section Centipede Hill. Originally the intention was to bury him on the summit; on the day of the burial a sudden heavy rain came, and the coffin was set on the mid-slope to shelter. When the rain stopped the coffin was found already buried by sand and stone falling from the summit; digging away the sand and stone, no coffin was found. It was taken as a "heavenly burial," and a stele was erected on the spot as the grave.

Although this legend cannot be strictly matched against historical fact, as a cultural narrative it reflects the sacred place the Luo Zhu tomb holds in the hearts of Luo descendants.

VI. History of Repairs

From the end of the Western Han to the present, the Luo Zhu tomb has undergone many repairs and rebuildings:

Western Han, second year of the Later Yuan era of Emperor Jing (142 BCE): in the year of Luo Zhu's death, Zhou Yafu submitted a memorial on Luo Zhu's merit in building the city; the court ordered a shrine built east of Hongya for sacrifice.
Eastern Han, Jianwu era of Emperor Guangwu (25–56 CE): Yangzhou Inspector Bao Yong erected a stone stele at the tomb.
Eastern Han, second year of Yongxing of Emperor Huan (154 CE): Grand Commandant Luo Ye (eighth-generation grandson, style name Licheng, sobriquet Jimao) erected a stele before the Luo Zhu tomb in honor of his ancestor.
Eastern Jin, Taikang era (280–289): the thirteenth-generation Luo Tang (Lord Bolin) repaired it again.
Tang dynasty: Shao Shen, Prefect of Chang'an, repaired it again.
Southern Song: Sheng De repaired the tomb again; Cheng Tingyan rewrote the tomb inscription.
Ming, jiachen year of Jiajing (1544): Luo Shengde, a direct grandson of the Bolin line of Nanchang, reverently erected a tomb stele.
1991: thirty people from Luo villages around Nanchang pooled 3,000 yuan to replace the tomb stele.
2002–2003: initiated by Luo Xianfang of Bolin Village, collective donations were gathered from Bolin, Xiaolan, Runxi, Xialuo, Luo Jiaji, Guantian Luojia, and other places, together with donations from out-of-province descendants, and the tomb was rebuilt.

The Luo ancestral grave has been looked after on behalf of the Yang surname; later, those of various branches who came to sacrifice all lodged with the Yang. All sacrificial fields are recorded in detail under the founding ancestor's position in the "wild-goose column" record, for transmission to later ages.

VII. Cultural Transmission and Influence

7.1 The Yuzhang Luo Ancestral Temple and the Zhongxiao Shrine

The Yuzhang Luo Ancestral Temple was first built under Han Emperor Jing (about 150 BCE). In the seventh year of Taiping Xingguo of the Northern Song (974) it was rebuilt after long decay. At the end of the Ming it was destroyed in warfare. From the nineteenth year of Jiaqing to the second year of Daoging of the Qing (1811–1822) it was relocated and rebuilt on a grand scale. In the sixth year of Tongzhi (1868) it was again repaired.

In 2010, under the auspices of the Yuzhang Luo Zhu Culture Research Association, a project was approved in Nanchang County to build the "Yuzhang Luo Zhongxiao Shrine," covering 11 mu. The main building is 76.8 m long, 34.8 m wide, and 11.86 m high, with a floor area of 2,800 m². The completion ceremony was held on 26 October 2013.

7.2 Folk Sayings and Oral Transmission

Three old sayings still circulate in Nanchang County:

"The ten thousand Luo all come out of Bolin"
"First there was Bolin Luo, then there was Jiangxi Province"
"The Luo of the world have no second branch"

These folk sayings reflect Luo Zhu's influence in the Yuzhang region and the numerical scale of his descendants.

7.3 Generation-Verse Poems and Clan Identity

In the Song, the fortieth-generation descendant Luo Shengde, while serving as Vice Minister of Personnel, undertook to unify the generation-name ranking of the Luo across the world and composed a forty-character five-character ancient poem:

"Sheng applies truly to the lord; Cheng, Yan, Bo, Gong, and Shu. With virtue, Mao; with statute, Guang; Bing, Xing, Ke, Yun, Fu. When the cycle of Heng meets its time, worthy sons order the ancestral ranks. Wealth has its root in daily renewal; attaining the calling is constant emolument."

The Ming Confucian instructor Luo Wenpu composed a continuation generation-verse poem:

"Loyalty and filiality complete the great achievement; a fragrant name stirs Yuzhang. At court they glorify the first rank; for generations the caps and robes gather. The learning of principle extends the family voice;英才 national auspiciousness lasts long. Numinous descendants together continue the telling; celebration spreads and the qilin's fortune unfolds."

These generation-verse poems became important vehicles of Luo clan identity.

7.4 International Influence

The Naju Luo of Korea have been identified by research as descendants and a branch of the Luo of Luo Jiaji Village, Luo Jiaji, Nanchang, Jiangxi. On 22 October 2007 Nanchang and Naju, Korea, became sister cities, and bilateral exchange rose from the folk to the governmental level.

VIII. Nature and Summary

The nature of the Luo Zhu tomb is an official burial of the early Western Han, not a folk-legend immortal trace or Daoist site. The tomb-holder Luo Zhu was Superintendent of Granaries and Finance of the Western Han (later Administrator of Jiujiang Commandery) and has clear historical records (though no independent biography in the dynastic histories, he is recorded in many gazetteers, genealogies, and feng shui texts).

As one of the most important ancestral graves of the Yuzhang Luo, the cultural significance of the Luo Zhu tomb has surpassed the scope of a single burial and become an important vehicle of Luo clan identity and root-seeking pilgrimage. The feng shui form-method analysis shows that its siting indeed has a first-rate configuration, consistent with the methodology "where the tradition is not clearly contradicted, let it stand."

IX. Conclusions and Open Questions

9.1 Core Conclusions

Topography is clear: the Luo Zhu tomb stands on Nine-Section Centipede Hill in Nanling Village, Zhaoxian Town, Xinjian District; the geographic position is clear and supported by modern field data.
Literature is consistent: gazetteers (Yongzheng Jiangxi Tongzhi), genealogies (Yuzhang Luo Dacheng Zupu, Bolin Pu), and feng shui literature (the Guo Pu / Xu Xun praise verses transmitted in the Seventy-Two Burial Methods) corroborate one another from multiple sources, forming a relatively consistent historical narrative chain.
Form method is verifiable: the form-name "Nine-Section Centipede," the sand-and-water configuration of Elephant Hill on the left and Lion Hill on the right, and the zigzag water method all accord with feng shui form-method theory and with modern field observation.
Cultural significance is profound: the Luo Zhu tomb is not merely a single burial but a core vehicle of Luo clan identity; folk sayings such as "the ten thousand Luo all come out of Bolin" and "first there was Bolin Luo, then there was Jiangxi Province" reflect its far-reaching influence.
Limits of the response period: as a yin-dwelling ancestral grave, the "unfolding of blessing" of the Luo Zhu tomb should be limited by the dragon's power. One must not attribute the two-thousand-year flourishing of the Luo entirely to feng shui; it is better understood from the angles of cultural identity and clan cohesion.

9.2 Limited Critical Dissent

Absence from the dynastic histories: the Shiji and Hanshu have no independent biography of Luo Zhu; only the Shiji, "Biography of Guan Ying," records "pacifying Yuzhang." This is not evidence that Luo Zhu did not exist — most minor and mid-ranking Han officials have no independent biography; absence from the dynastic histories does not mean the person did not exist.
Date of the Guo Pu / Xu Xun praise verses: the two praise verses are about four centuries removed from Luo Zhu's time and are later accretions / attributions; academic criticism should treat them as such. As evidence of feng shui cultural transmission, however, they may still be presented.
Three views on who first built Nanchang city: the Guan Ying, Chen Ying, and Luo Zhu views coexist; there is conclusive evidence overturning none of them. By the principle "where the tradition is not clearly contradicted, let it stand," the genealogical / gazetteer record that "Guan Ying first began it; Luo Zhu completed it" may be accepted.

9.3 Overall Judgment

The Luo Zhu tomb is well supported by historical materials; the contrary evidence is limited and does not constitute a fundamental denial. Provisionally accepting the tradition / genealogical record, its status as the ancestral tomb of the founding ancestor of the Yuzhang Luo deserves respect and protection.

XI. Four-Dimension Assessment: Ding, Cai, Gui, Shou

Basic Framework

Yin-dwelling influence can be assessed along Ding, Cai, Gui, and Shou. Ding, Cai, and Gui are key; Shou is auxiliary. The response period should not exceed five generations. Family eminence is the result of multiple factors; feng shui may be taken as corroborating evidence, not the sole cause.

Four-Dimension Assessment of the Luo Zhu Tomb

Dimension	Feng shui configuration	Response-period verification	Assessment
Ding	Nine-Section Centipede form — "when the sections are many, wealth and rank last long"; Elephant on the left and Lion on the right in guard; the table hills show nine peaks facing the void, forming a "mountains embracing and water holding" configuration	Luo Zhu's six sons multiplied; the Yuzhang Luo became a distinguished clan of Jiangnan; Luo descendants spread across the world; hence the saying "the Luo of the world have no second branch"	Great flourishing of descendants, consistent with the principle of "first the Ding unfolds"
Cai	The zigzag water method winds around the hill, never dry in any season; water governs wealth; the embrace has feeling	Luo Zhu served as Superintendent of Granaries and Finance, in charge of grain and goods; the later Luo saying "the ten thousand Luo all come out of Bolin" reflects the clan's economic strength	Abundant sources of wealth; the water-method configuration accords with the clan's economic standing
Gui	The table bows to fair stars; nine peaks stand erect; Lion on the left and Elephant on the right — "ministers and retainers soon arrive"; "lion in the east, elephant in the west — a hundred generations of marquises and kings"	Luo Zhu rose to Superintendent of Granaries and Finance (one of the Nine Ministers); later Luo produced talent generation after generation, with unbroken examination and official success; branches such as the Naju Luo of Korea also achieved distinction	Eminence clearly unfolds, consistent with the response of the form configuration
Shou	Nine-Section Centipede form — "one generation's glory for each section of dragon"	Luo Zhu himself lived to ninety-one, a great age	Longevity is good, but the tomb-holder's age rests chiefly on personal endowment

Core analysis: the two-thousand-year flourishing of the Yuzhang Luo is the joint result of multiple factors (clan culture, the examination system, Jiangxi's literary and educational tradition, and so on). The Nine-Section Centipede configuration may serve as feng shui corroboration; one should not hang all later achievement and wealth on the ancestral grave's feng shui. The "response period" of the Luo Zhu tomb should be limited to Luo Zhu's own eminence and the flourishing of the few generations of descendants nearest to him, and should not be stretched without limit.