On this day, 424 years ago, July 2, 1601 (June 3, 1601 in the lunar calendar), Ge Xian revolted against the tax. On the side of Qingshan Bridge on Shankuang Street in Suzhou, not far from the Tiger Hill, a scenic spot in Wuzhong, there is a tomb of Ge Cheng, a virtuous person in the Ming Dynasty, which is deeply admired by the people of Suzhou, and another tomb of Wuyi Shi who died heroically for opposing the eunuch Wei Zhongxian. They are a symbol of the people of Suzhou who dare to resist violence, and they are also a great symbol of the fighting spirit of the people of Suzhou. Ge Xian is the honorific title that the people of Suzhou regard Ge Cheng, the leader of silk workers in the Ming Dynasty. In the twenty-ninth year of Wanli (1601), eunuch Sun Long was sent by Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty to go to Suzhou to increase taxes and collect excessive taxes. It was a year when floods were severe and silk was expensive, and many silk mills were forced to shut down. To this end, on the third day of June, more than 10,000 workers under the leadership of mechanic Ge Cheng held an anti-tax supervision riot. They beat tax barons Huang Jianjie and Xu Yichun to death, and burned down the houses of Xu Cheng and Tang Xin, two local ruffians who had acted as a traitor. Sun Long, the tax supervisor, heard the news and fled to Hangzhou. He also forced prefect Zhu Yuyuan to announce the cancellation of the newly added taxes, winning the fight against tax supervision. After the event, the government launched a wantonly counterattack and searched for the leader everywhere. In order to protect the masses, Ge Cheng stepped forward and voluntarily threw himself into prison. He was charged by the government with "advocating chaos" and sentenced to death. But his heroic deeds quickly spread throughout the Jianghuai region. Thousands of people in Suzhou flocked to the government to petition for Ge Cheng's release. They claimed that Ge had become Ge Xian, General Ge, and Taoist Ge. In order to try the injustice, they forced the authorities to amend the Ge Cheng case. From 1601 to 1613 AD, Ge Cheng spent thirteen years in prison before being released. Five Righteous Men in the Ming Dynasty: In the late Ming Dynasty, the eunuchs monopolized power, and people's resentment was raging. People from the Donglin Party in Jiangnan used lectures to comment on government affairs and opposed the power of the eunuchs and the plunder of mining supervisors and tax supervisors, which reflected the interests and demands of the scholars and civilians. Therefore,"famous sages far and near correspond with each other, and scholars all over the world will return home to the East Forest." In the sixth year of Tianqi (1626), Wei Zhongxian, the leader of the eunuchs, ordered Mao Yilu, the governor of Suzhou, to send the Royal Guards to arrest Zhou Shunchang, a member of the Donglin Party. When the edict was read out on March 15, thousands of scholars and people gathered to watch, all saying that Zhou was wronged. The flag officer threw torture instruments to the ground and threatened the people. Who dared to disobey? Zhou Shunchang came out of prison clothes to wait for the imperial edict to be announced. He tied himself down, and the people choked down in tears. There was a person named Yan Peiwei in the gathering, who was the first to complain about Zhou Shunchang's injustice and was willing to take his place. Yang Nianru and Shen Yang also stepped forward and spoke up for justice, not allowing flag officials to arrest Zhou. The crowd cried loudly. There was another person named Ma Jie who cursed Wei Zhongxian with a loud voice. The flag officer became angry and became angry. He drew his sword forward and attacked Shen Yang with his weapon regardless of the right or wrong. There was a man named Zhou Wenyuan next to him. He immediately raised his arms and seized the weapon, but was injured in the head. For a moment, the people were furious and broke the gate barriers and retaliated against the flag officials. The flags rushed away, and two of them were killed. Afterwards, Mao Yilu lied about the rebellion of the people of Suzhou, and Wei Zhongxian sent troops to suppress it. At that time, Yan Peiwei, Yang Nianru, Ma Jie, Shen Yang and Zhou Wenyuan stepped forward and died generously. The following year, the Wei Party was destroyed and the unjust case was cleared. The people of Suzhou destroyed Wei Zhongxian Sheng Temple and buried the remains of the five righteous men in the original temple site. The Wei Sheng Temple was changed to a temple in memory of the five people, and a monument was erected to commemorate it. The tombstone is inscribed "Tomb of Five People", and a stone workshop "Eternal Righteous Wind" stands behind the temple door. Zhang Pu, the leader of the Fu Society, wrote "The Tombstone of the Five People", and Wen Zhenmeng, a member of the Donglin Party, wrote the inscription "Five People Helping the Comment". Both of them detailed the beginning and end of the incident. There are also many poems of mourning and emotion between the temple walls. Ge Cheng actively participated in and supported the ten-thousand-man anti-violence struggle led by the Five Righteous Men. After the five people died, he moved to the tomb of the five people with reverence, built a hut to guard the tomb, and bowed to support the elderly. In the third year of Chongzhen (1630), Ge Cheng died of illness at the age of sixty-three and was buried next to the tombs of five people. Ge Cheng enjoyed high prestige among the people of Suzhou. People solemnly buried him and erected a stele to pass on. The stele of "Wu Gexian's Tomb" written by Wen Zhenmeng, a scholar in Donglin, still stands in front of the tomb. "The Tombstone of General Ge" written by scholar Chen Jiru records Ge Xian's deeds in detail and is particularly precious. Historical enlightenment: The eunuchs are in power, the loyal and loyal are blocked, the governance is confused, the officials are greedy and cruel, and the people are complaining. It is inevitable for the world to think of chaos. However, the people of Jiangnan have always been known for abiding by etiquette and respecting the law. If it were not for the officials who forced the people to revolt, how could Ge Xian and the Five Righteous Men have done? People are not afraid of death, so why should they fear it with death? The people must not have the slightest naive illusions about the cruel feudal autocratic regime. The only way out is to unite and fight. If they carry out bloody suppression, then they will survive without dignity. It is not because they liberate themselves and work together to bury that decadent dynasty that cannot forgive all evil as soon as possible. For reference materials, see: "General History of China","History of the Ming Dynasty","Notes on the Tombstones of the Five Persons","Annals of Suzhou Prefecture" and related tourism materials.