The family wanted to honor Yuan Shikai with an imperial tomb called Yuan Ling, but this was rejected, so they settled for the name Yuan Lin instead

Yuan Shikai, although from Xiangcheng, Henan, had to relocate his mother's burial place to Anyang due to ancestral tomb issues, and upon his own death, he was buried in Anyang by the Huan River north of the Yin Ruins, the place where he rose to prominence. Yuan was a significant figure in the history of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. He quelled the Korean uprising, trained new armies during the Westernization Movement, betrayed the Hundred Days' Reform, forced the abdication of the Qing emperor, served as the first president of the Republic of China, briefly claimed the throne for 83 days, and eventually abdicated and died of illness after national condemnation. Yuan was a legendary and highly controversial figure, neither a conservative nor a revolutionary, but rather a pragmatic politician of the old era. Following Yuan's wishes, his followers from the Beiyang Government buried him in Anyang. The family's attempt to grant him imperial honors with the title 'Yuan Ling' was denied, so they opted for 'Yuan Lin' instead, hoping he would be treated with the same respect as the sages in Kong Lin and Guan Lin, with 'Lin' sounding similar to 'Ling'. The mausoleum was designed by German engineers, following the pattern of Ming and Qing imperial tombs, with a body of classical Chinese architectural regulations and a facade of Western architectural style. The main structures from south to north include a screen wall, a rough stone bridge, a white stone bridge, an archway gate, watch pillars, stone statues, a stele pavilion, east and west guard rooms, the main courtyard gate, the grand dais, east and west side halls, Jingren Hall, and the tomb platform. The entire mausoleum complex has an 'imperial' grandeur yet differs from imperial tombs, with a Sino-Western design that stands as a unique example in the history of Chinese tomb architecture, possessing significant historical, artistic, and scientific value. Notable features of the mausoleum include a replica of the tomb of the 18th President of the United States, the largest brick screen wall in China, an imitation ancient archway made of concrete, a Western-style tomb platform with iron gates, and curiously, whether it be stone horses, tigers, lions, or civil and military officials, all have short legs, as if not to surpass the stature of the modest tomb owner!

Post by Michael~Hall-David | May 31, 2024