Dongzi Ancestral Temple

Dongzi Ancestral Temple

Dongzi Ancestral Temple is a cultural relic protection unit of Yangzhou City.

Dongzi Ancestral Temple is located within Beiliu Lane Primary School in Yangzhou’s Ming and Qing ancient city. It is a memorial hall built by the people of Yangzhou to commemorate Dong Zhongshu, a great Confucian scholar of the Han Dynasty. The temple was first built during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty and was renovated in the seventh year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty. The existing main hall is one of the few Ming Dynasty structures remaining in the city, featuring typical Ming architectural style. It has a depth of nine rafters, a front covered porch, camphor wood beams, a grand structure, and holds high cultural relic value. Dongzi Ancestral Temple is now a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit.

Due to years of neglect and damage from natural disasters, Dongzi Ancestral Temple suffered severe deterioration. To protect this valuable cultural resource, its restoration was listed as part of the Cultural Relics City Construction Project. The municipal and district governments organized experts to repeatedly deliberate on the restoration plan. In the end, they adhered to the core principle of “not altering the original state of the relics, preserving the original form, features, and style of the building, uncovering the roof without dismantling the framework, and restoring the old as it was.” On October 10, 2008, the restoration of the main hall was completed on time, with guaranteed quality, safety, and no accidents. The restoration project received high attention from city and district leaders. Key officials from the Yangzhou Municipal Committee and District Committee visited the site to inspect progress and provided important guidance regarding both the restoration work and the future use of the temple. With direct care from the district government and support from the District Education Bureau, the campus renovation of Beiliu Lane was completed in September 2012. The school and ancestral temple were unified in appearance, now covering an area of 4,006 square meters, with a construction area of 2,654 square meters and 480 square meters of green landscaping, recreating the Ming and Qing-style scholarly ambiance of the “blue-brick, dark-tiled Dongzi Ancestral Temple.”

After the restoration of Dongzi Ancestral Temple, following multiple on-site inspections and expert symposiums, it was ultimately decided to establish the “Zhengyi Academy” on its premises. “Zhengyi,” meaning upholding righteousness and clarifying the Way, was a moral principle proposed by Dong Zhongshu when he served as the Chancellor of Jiangdu in Yangzhou during the Han Dynasty. It urged people not to forget morality in pursuit of profit or forsake virtue for personal gain. One must prioritize righteousness and the Way in all actions, never compromising ethics or virtue. The goal of reviving the “Zhengyi Academy” is to promote Chinese culture, deeply explore the cultural essence of Dong Zhongshu’s “upholding righteousness and clarifying the Way,” pass on traditional Confucian thought, and establish a model for classical Chinese education in Yangzhou.

Beiliu Lane Primary School is now a branch campus of Yangzhou’s Wenhe Primary School. The sound of students reading aloud often causes passersby to pause. Due to the school’s special nature, it currently only receives visitors by appointment. Over the past four years, it has hosted over 5,000 domestic and international educators, cultural figures, and tourists, becoming a true “cultural calling card” of the ancient city.

Dong Zhongshu (179–104 BC), from Guangchuan (present-day Dezhou), Western Han Dynasty, was a philosopher of the Han era. As a youth, he studied the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, once “not glancing at his garden for three years.” Later, influenced by the culture of Qi and Lu, he rose to prominence in the regions of Yan and Zhao. Through his philosophical writings, he not only formed a regional cultural circle in the ancient lands of Yan and Zhao with Mao Chang, founder of the Mao tradition of the Gongyang Commentary from Zhao, and Han Ying, founder of the Han tradition of the Gongyang Commentary from Yan, but he also emerged as the foremost scholar of his time. His literary and moral stature made him renowned throughout the land.

In 156 BC (the first year of Emperor Jing of Han’s reign), the 23-year-old Dong Zhongshu went to the capital... More details about Dong Zhongshu ++

Further Reading:

· The First to Third Batches of Municipal-Level Cultural Relic Protection Units in Yangzhou City