Department of Cultural Affairs

Tomb of Pan Gong-chou

Pan Gongchou was one of the first immigrants from the Zhangzhou district of China’s Fujian Province to settle in the Taipei basin during the Qing dynasty. Homesteading in Shilin, he also opened up Beitou, Tamsui, Shimen and Sanzhi for development. At the end of the Qing dynasty, the original town of Shilin was destroyed by fire during clashes between groups of immigrants from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. Therefore, under the leadership of the Pan family, the Zhangzhou settlers relocated to Xiashulin and laid out a new grid of streets with a temple to the goddess Mazu at its center, serving as the foundation for the current street plan of Shilin District. The tomb of Pan Gongchou was built on a mountain slope in the foothills of Shilin near the Tianmu area, in a location called Hongluxue, with excellent conditions according to the theories of Fengshui. A tombstone was erected in 1870, and remains well preserved to this day. The tomb is large, and its stone elephants and altar are still discernible. The tombstone’s inscription displays verse written by scholars and officials of Taipei at that time. Recently, the descendants of Pan Gongchou founded an association responsible for maintenance of the tomb.