Jin-nan CHEN, leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, in the swordsman novel The Deer and the Cauldron is familiar to everyone. The stereotype of this character is a real person called Yong-hua CHEN of the Kingdom of Tunging who has made great contributions to Taiwan by aiding Jing ZHENG, Prince of Yanping, in Taiwan’s governance, like Liang ZHUGE to the Kingdom of Su in Sichuan.
After Chen passed away in 1680, he was buried with his wife on Mt. Datan in Fort Chishan, Tianxing Prefecture (Guoyi Borough, Liuying District today). After the Qing dynasty took over Taiwan, they were buried back in Fujian, leaving this tomb vacant. After decades of abandonment, wild grass grows everywhere. Yet, there are many folk stories circulating around. It is said that General Yong-hua Chen was a person extremely dedicated to his work and trained his troops here, suggesting that his image continues to influence locals nowadays. Eventually in 2000, the Department of Cultural Affairs of the former Taiwan County Government renovated Chen’s tomb and the nearby environment in collaboration with a merchant Lin, turning the place into what is seen today.
