Tomb of Huang Wei

Huang Wei, courtesy name Mengwei, with the sobriquets Yisou and Yisuo, was a native of Wenshuitou (present-day Houshuitou), born in 1488 during the Ming dynasty. After serving as a clerk in Quanzhou Prefecture, he earned the jinshi degree in 1514 and was first appointed a secretary in the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, where his handling of legal cases was known for integrity, prudence, clarity, and leniency. He rose to become prefect of Nanxiong, where he reduced corvée labor, promoted ritual education, banned itinerant courtesans, and removed improper shrines. On the recommendation of those in power he was transferred to govern Songjiang Prefecture, achieving repeated administrative successes. Because his forthright memorials refused to flatter the powerful, he eventually returned home to care for his parents and teach.