Xiangfei Tomb Travel Guide

Xiangfei still enjoys a very high level of popularity in China, especially as mentioned in Jin Yong’s martial arts novels, and Xiangfei in “My Fair Princess” is well-known. So, is there a Xiangfei Tomb in Xinjiang? Let me share with you a one-day tour guide to Xiangfei Tomb.

Xiangfei Tomb is located in Hao’han Village, 5 kilometers east of Kashgar City. It is a key cultural relic protection unit of the autonomous region. It is a typical ancient Islamic architectural complex, also a tomb of Islamic saints, covering an area of 2 hectares. The tomb was built around 1640.

It is said that the tomb contains five generations of 72 people from the same family. It is named after Apakhoja, a famous Islamic master of the “Yi Chan Sect” in Kashgar during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

Apakhoja was the second generation in the tomb. He once seized the hereditary power of the Yarkand Dynasty and became the leader of the “Yi Chan Sect” in the 17th century. His reputation far exceeded that of his father, the missionary master.
It is said that the tomb contains five generations of 72 people from the same family (in fact, only 58 tombs of various sizes can be seen). The first generation was the famous Islamic missionary Yusuf Hoja.

After his death, his eldest son, Apakhoja, inherited his father’s missionary work and became a famous master of the “Yi Chan Sect” of Islam in Kashgar during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He also once seized power in the Yarkand Dynasty.

He died in 1693 and was also buried here. Because his reputation surpassed that of his father, people later called this tomb “Apakhoja Tomb”.

Legend has it that among the descendants of Hoja buried here, there was a woman named Iparhan who was the beloved concubine of Emperor Qianlong. Because she had a constant scent of jujube flowers, people called her “Xiangfei”.

After Xiangfei’s death, her sister-in-law Sudexiang escorted her body back to Kashgar and buried it in Apakhoja’s tomb, so people also called this tomb “Xiangfei Tomb”.

However, according to research, Xiangfei was not buried here. Her exact burial place is in the Yufei Garden Mausoleum in the Qing Eastern Tombs in Zunhua, Hebei Province.

The entire cemetery of Apakhoja Tomb is a group of exquisitely constructed and magnificent ancient buildings, 29 meters high. A huge brick-built round pillar is built in each corner, semi-embedded in the wall. Each pillar is topped with an exquisite cylindrical “Bangkelou” tower, and there is an iron pillar on the top of each tower. It consists of five parts: a gatehouse, a large and small mosque, a scripture hall, and a main tomb chamber. The main tomb is a rectangular, vaulted, tall building, 26 meters high, 35 meters long, and 13 meters deep. It holds aloft a crescent moon. The top of the main tomb chamber is round, with a circular arch with a diameter of 17 meters, without any beams or columns.

The outer walls and the top layers of the main tomb are all covered with green glazed tiles, with patterned yellow or blue porcelain tiles, making it look particularly grand and solemn. The tomb hall is tall and spacious, and the platform is lined with mounds. The mounds are made of white-bottomed blue-flowered glazed tiles, which are crystal clear and simple.

The large mosque is located in the western half of the cemetery, named “Aiyitijiaoyi”, which is used for worship by believers during festivals. The small mosque and the gatehouse are the outermost group of buildings, with exquisite painted and brick-carved patterns. There is a pool of clear water outside the temple, with towering trees, quiet and pleasant.

On the dome-shaped dome, there is a delicate and exquisite tower. On top of the tower, there is a gilded crescent moon, shining brightly, solemn and dignified. In the tall and spacious hall of the tomb, there are half-human-high platforms, with 58 mounds of various sizes for the five generations of 72 people in Xiangfei’s family.

Xiangfei’s mound is located in the northeast corner of the platform, and her name is written in Uyghur and Chinese characters in front of the mound. The mounds are all wrapped in blue glass tiles, and then covered with various patterned fabrics, both to show respect for the dead and to protect the mounds. To the left of the tomb are two exquisite Islamic mosques, one large and one small.

Behind the tomb, there is also a large area of graves, which is a spectacular sight.

This tomb is actually Apakhoja Tomb. The origin of the name “Xiangfei Tomb” comes from folklore. Xiangfei’s real name is Mai Mu’er. Aizim. She had a strange scent on her body since childhood, and was called “Iparhan” (Fragrant Girl). She was chosen as a concubine by the Qing Emperor and was given the title “Xiangfei”. Because she could not adapt to the water and soil of Beijing, she died. Her coffin was carried back to her hometown by 124 people, taking three years to transport her body back to her hometown and bury her in Apakhoja’s tomb. There is still a camel sedan in the main tomb chamber, which is said to have been brought from Beijing when her body was transported back. This legend is widely circulated, expressing the good wishes of the people and Han people for unity and mutual love since ancient times. In fact, “Xiangfei” is a real person, who was a cousin of the Poloni brothers who launched the “Big and Small Hoja Rebellion”, and was the great grand-niece of Apakhoja.

However, some materials also show that this “Xiangfei” legend is all made up by literati. Among the more than 40 concubines of Emperor Qianlong, there was a Uyghur woman, who is the famous Xiangfei. Actually, whether Xiangfei had a fragrant body is impossible to verify. But it is a fact that Emperor Qianlong had only one Uyghur concubine, who was Rongfei. Among the more than 40 concubines of Emperor Qianlong, there was one Hui concubine, which is not strange, but more than 100 years after Rongfei’s death, it attracted the interest of a group of scholars and writers. They made a lot of fuss about Rongfei, even inventing a story of “Xiangfei”. From wild history and poetry to the stage, they described it vividly, reaching the point where it was difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

After taking pictures and listening to the explanation (the tour group has a tour guide explanation), I came out. In fact, it didn’t take much time, so I had a lot of time left. I followed the road out of the Xiangfei Tomb area, and came to the outskirts, which is Hao’han Village, located 5 kilometers east of Kashgar City.

There are rows of neat houses along the road, each with a closed door. I saw a door that was half open, and my curiosity made me walk over to see what was inside.

Of the four of us, only David was sitting still, Golden went to talk to the owner for a while, and came back to tell us that the two girls were invited by the owner to stir up the atmosphere, that is, to keep everyone dancing enthusiastically and to appreciate for those who don’t like dancing.

I suggested that they could invite the girls to dance. David and Golden wanted to but were embarrassed. I thought, what’s there to be embarrassed about dancing openly? I walked over to the girl’s table and talked to them, asking them by the way. The two girls were very friendly and said they had principles, only performing, not dancing with guests. Okay, I understand, it can only be like this. Seeing that I wasn’t pushing them, they happily praised me for dancing well. I came back and told the two of them, seeing that they were quite disappointed, I encouraged them to go up and dance, it’s not difficult. The two of them finally went up and danced, and their dance moves were quite amusing, but what does it matter? We are Han people, and we know that we are just learning, so it’s good to be happy!

This time I noticed a Han girl always by my side while dancing. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. Then she leaned into my ear and said, “You dance so well!” I said, “Thank you,” and then she continued, “My Uyghur friend said you dance very well and wants to dance with you.” She pointed to a corner of the dance floor as she spoke. I looked over, it was dark and I couldn’t see anything. A song just ended, and I returned to my seat, feeling puzzled, who is the little girl’s friend?!

When the next song started, a Uyghur man walked up to me and made a gesture to invite me to dance. I guess this is the girl’s friend. I am a slow-warming person, and I have always been a little resistant to strangers, let alone dancing with them right away. I turned my head to look at the three people who came with me, none of them were there. I sat there for a moment, hesitating, and he continued to stand there. Finally, I stood up. I really don’t like dancing with strangers, and I was quite stiff in my body and expressions during the dance. The music was a waltz. Oh, I leaned my body back quite a bit. As the music was about to end, the Uyghur man asked me, “Are you married?” I blurted out, “I am married” (I gave myself a thumbs-up for my quick wit! And I didn’t lie either).

I felt that the Uyghur man’s expression finally made me feel less nervous. When the music ended, I went back to my seat and found that everyone was gone. Afei came over and called me. It turned out they had all gone to the corner, to the same table as the Han girl who spoke to me. I walked over, but I didn’t see the Uyghur man.