The Tomb of Hai Rui (Hai Rui Mu), carries some of Haikou's more interesting history with it. Hai Rou  was a 16th century official, popular and admired for his kind and compassionate attitudes. He was exiled to Hainan during his own lifetime and his story caused uproar in the 1960s after the publication of a play entitled "The Dismissal of Hai Rui" by the Chinese historian Wu Han. The play is an ironic look at the treatment of Peng Dehui, a Marshall, following his criticisms of Chairman Mao. The play was brutally suppressed upon publication and Wu Han arrested. These events are popularly cited as contributing to the start of the Cultural Revolution.
Although much of the original Ming dynasty construction was destroyed during the 1960s, it has since been renovated and the tomb is painted in bright and vibrant shades of red and yellow. |
