Du Liang Kui

Du Liangkui, born into a traditional gentry family in Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province, and whose son Du Yuming recalled that the family possessed an “ancestral treasure sword,” reflecting a martial tradition. In his youth he worked away from home in education and revolutionary activities, and his prolonged absence obligated him to shoulder the management of the family estate. In the Guangxu era he earned the title of a Wenwu Juren; when he went to Beijing for the metropolitan examination, lacking funds, he sold the ancestral treasure sword, and during this period he clashed with Dutch people. Thereafter he taught at Xi’an Chang’an University (the precursor to Northwest University). During his tenure as a teacher he encountered and embraced new educational ideas. In 1905 he joined the Tongmenghui (Chinese United League), and he repeatedly returned to Mizhi to organize civilian militias, planning anti-Qing uprisings. During Yuan Shikai’s imperialist era, he actively participated in Shaanxi anti-Yuan activities, with revolutionary work continuing into the early Republic of China.

Regarding his family tombs, according to public sources from 2023, the Du family cemetery is located in Mizhi County; the main structure is the joint tomb of Du Liangkui and his wife, Gao Lanting. The cemetery layout follows a traditional central-axis symmetry, and features bluestone stele inscriptions recording his life and deeds.