Temple of Marquis Shi

Temple of Marquis Shi

The Temple of Marquis Shi is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism site.

China’s first grand temple of the Shi clan, the “Temple of Marquis Shi,” is located in Daotou Town, on the eastern outskirts of Liyang, Jiangsu. Initially built in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, it is a sacrificial architectural complex erected in honor of Shi Chong, a renowned general of the Eastern Han and Marquis of Liyang. With a history of over 2,000 years, it has been destroyed multiple times by natural disasters—but the clan members repeatedly restored and expanded it. Records indicate that by the 25th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty, it was the 15th reconstruction, covering an area of 60 mu with over 100 halls, making it the largest ancestral temple in southern China. It suffered further damage during the War of Resistance from Japanese invaders, after which the Daotou Middle School was established on the site.

In 2005, the “Liyang Shi Clan Historical and Cultural Research Association” was established, and one of its key work plans was the restoration and reconstruction of the Temple of Marquis Shi. The descendants of Shi Chong, unwilling to let their ancestors’ cultural heritage vanish, pooled tens of millions of funds, chose a site west of the original location, and took the initiative to undertake the responsibility of rebuilding the Temple of Marquis Shi. Construction began in December 2007, with the first phase completed in 2008. Subsequent annual expansions have now given it initial scale, covering 50 mu with over 110 buildings, creating a resplendent Temple of Marquis Shi. With its majestic halls and beautiful surroundings, it has become a cultural landmark within Liyang.

The Shi clan has produced numerous generals, statesmen, and eminent figures throughout history. According to statistics from the Twenty-Four Histories and various historical sources: from the Eastern Han to the late Qing Dynasty, the Shi family produced 569 successful imperial examination candidates (jinshi), 10 imperial censors, 368 high-ranking officials of third rank or above, 26 generals and marshals, and 9 prime ministers. Shi Kefa, the 49th-generation descendant, was a famed anti-Qing resistance hero in Chinese history.

In modern Chinese history, the Shi clan also boasts a galaxy of illustrious figures. According to incomplete statistics, there are over 340 individuals among them who have served as National People’s Congress deputies or Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference members, national model workers, national sports champions, national first-class actors, nationally renowned scientists, entrepreneurs, as well as generals and provincial- or ministerial-level officials.

The family culture of the Shi clan has a long and enduring history. To this day, its genealogical records remain rigorously maintained, making it one of China’s most complete family lineage systems outside of the Confucius and Mencius clans.

The Temple of Marquis Shi also serves as China’s Family Genealogy Museum. It houses specialized collections on surname culture, genealogical records, and local chronicles from across the nation. To date, it has gathered family trees of over 10 other surnames such as Peng, Yao, Di, Zhou, and Wang, as well as 45 branch genealogies of the Shi clan.

The museum plans to invite representatives from Chinese clans in due course to convene conferences on the research, compilation, collection, and preservation of genealogical records, positioning the Temple of Marquis Shi as a global hub for Chinese diaspora genealogical culture. The establishment of the China Family Genealogy Museum provides a platform for promoting historical culture.

The Temple of Marquis Shi is the most comprehensively documented ancient site in Liyang’s historical records and the one with the richest cultural content. It is also a precious humanistic landscape, a valuable cultural heritage, and a classic example of garden architecture.

Daotou Town: Located in the northeastern suburbs of Liyang City, Daotou Town borders Changdang Lake to the north and the Wutai Canal to the south. Provincial highways 239 and 241, as well as the connecting routes of the Changli Expressway and the Nanjing-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway, run through the town. The Liyang (North) highway interchange is situated within the town, offering highly convenient transport by land, water, and air. The town covers a total area of 43.7 square kilometers, encompassing 7 administrative villages and 1 neighborhood committee, with a registered population of 26,500. The built-up area of the town spans 5.2 square kilometers.

Industry: There are currently more than 370 industrial enterprises in the town, including over 60 large-scale enterprises, 18 enterprises with annual output value exceeding 100 million yuan, and over 20 foreign-funded enterprises. The town has developed industries in food... ++Detailed information about Daotou Town++