Tomb of Yang Zhen

Yang Zhen (59 AD - 124 AD), styled Boqi, was from Huayin, Hongnong (now Huayin, Shaanxi Province) during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was born into a family of officials. His eight-generation ancestor Yang Xi and his great-grandfather Yang Chang were both marquises and prime ministers. His father, Yang Bao, was well-versed in the Ouyang Shangshu and was a master of his generation. He was studious since childhood, learned the Ouyang Shangshu, read widely, and was praised as the 'Confucius of Guanxi'. He served as the Inspector of Jingzhou, the Governor of Zhuo County, the Minister of Works, and the Grand Commandant. The wet nurse of Emperor An and the eunuch Fan Feng were extravagant and arrogant. He repeatedly remonstrated with them, but Fan Feng slandered him and he was dismissed from office and committed suicide. Yang Zhen was particularly intelligent and studious since he was a young boy. At that time, the study of the Classics in the present text was the orthodox position in officialdom and was very popular. In order to understand the profound meaning of the study of the Classics in the present text, he studied under Huan Yu and delved deeply into the Ouyang Shangshu. Huan Yu was one of the nine ministers of the court, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, in charge of ancestral temple rituals and the selection and examination of doctors. He had taught the Confucian classics to Emperor Zhang of Han and Emperor He of Han, and was a master of the classics with both prominent status and high academic prestige. Under Huan Yu's instruction, he was well-versed in the classics and read widely, delving deeply into all kinds of knowledge.