Historic tomb site to be checked for farm chickens

Jiading district said Tuesday that they will check a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) tomb of two revolutionary martyrs, who died some 300 years ago, after residents complained that farm chickens from a nearby home have found their way to the protected site.

The district's cultural relic protection committee said, however, that officials do not expect to find any major problems with the unusual situation in the next couple of weeks.

"The tomb is well-protected and has not been damaged," Jin Rong, a senior officer from the committee, told the Global Times Tuesday. "The chickens have been walking around the tomb, but that's it."

Shanghai city inspectors, who make rounds at protected sites in the city, also found no problems with the tomb last year, she added.

A grave keeper who works at the site has blamed a lack of maintenance in the area for causing the situation, which has also left piles of chicken manure on the steps leading to the tomb.

The site that opens daily to visitors features the 2,100-square-meter tomb of the Huang brothers, who are remembered for protecting the settlement when the army attacked the village in 1654.