Yan Siqi's Tomb

According to legend, Yan Siqi, whose courtesy name was Zhenquan, was from Haicheng, Fujian Province. In 1624, after his plot with Zheng Zhilong and others to overthrow Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate was exposed, he led thirteen ships of patriots to escape to Bengang, Taiwan. There, he pacified the indigenous people while protecting Han Chinese settlers. Soon after, residents from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou arrived in Taiwan. Just one year after arriving in Taiwan, in September 1625, he led a group into Zhuluoshan for hunting, where he unfortunately contracted typhoid fever and passed away. He was buried at Lot 307, Niuchoupu (now Nanxiang Village), Shuishang Township. Yan Siqi's tomb at Lot 307, Niuchoupu, Shuishang Township, is located in a remote mountainous area of Nanxiang Village and also within the military restricted zone of Neijiao Camp in Tainan County. Due to long-term neglect, it has become overgrown with weeds and desolate. Furthermore, due to years of disrepair and erosion from wind, sun, and rain, the tombstone's inscriptions have been weathered away by natural processes, leaving no discernible marks for identification or research. Only a legendary 'sword mark' remains, leading to continuous controversy over the years. Locally, there's even a legend that the real Yan Siqi's tomb is on the northwestern mountainside, sparking what's known as the 'double identity case' dispute. The residents of Shuishang Township have always considered the current site at Niuchoupu to be Yan Siqi's tomb. As early as 1975, the Chiayi County Government investigated and provisionally listed it as a third-class historical monument. However, after the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act was implemented in 1982, the Council for Cultural Affairs (now Ministry of Culture) and the Ministry of Interior invited experts and scholars for an assessment. Due to a lack of definitive evidence proving it to be Yan Siqi's tomb, its designation as a third-class historical monument was revoked on November 27 of the same year. In 2006, an incident of vandalism and tomb raiding occurred at 'Yan Siqi's Tomb'. The Chiayi County Cultural Affairs Bureau immediately designated it as a temporary historical monument according to Article 17 of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act. After on-site inspections and coordination with the military, full assistance was provided for the tomb's security and maintenance, ensuring no impact on military control and with approval from headquarters. Furthermore, experts and scholars who have researched Yan Siqi's historical sites and tomb will be invited, and local elders' narratives will be considered, to re-examine and verify all provided information regarding 'Yan Siqi's Tomb'. The goal is to further clarify historical evidence and preserve this important cultural asset.