Memorial Temple of Lord Fan Zhongyan and Tianping Mountain Villa

Memorial Temple of Lord Fan Zhongyan and Tianping Mountain Villa

The Memorial Temple of Lord Fan Zhongyan and Tianping Mountain Villa is a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Memorial Temple of Lord Fan Zhongyan, also known as the Fan Ancestral Hall, was designated as a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1982 and as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1995. It was built to commemorate Fan Zhongyan (989–1052), a renowned statesman, military strategist, and literary figure of the Northern Song Dynasty. During the Shaoxing era, the temple and nearby structures on Tianping Mountain—originally Fan Zhongyan’s ancestral shrine and later expanded by his descendants—were renovated and renamed with an imperial plaque reading “Loyal and Righteous” hung above the temple gate. Over the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the temple suffered damage from wars but was repeatedly restored. In the early years of the Republic of China, minor repairs were made, and the name was changed from “Imperially Bestowed Memorial Temple of Lord Fan Zhongyan” to “Fan Zhongyan Ancestral Hall.” A comprehensive renovation was carried out starting in 1982 and completed the following year. In 1989, to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of Fan Zhongyan’s birth, a three-bay, three-story stone memorial archway with four pillars was erected in front of the hall, inscribed with his famous saying: “Be the first to worry about the world’s troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures.”

Gaoyi Garden is located at the southern foot of Tianping Mountain. During the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, Fan Yunlin, the 17th-generation descendant of Fan Zhongyan, a scholar-official, calligrapher, and painter, resigned from his official post in Fujian and returned to his hometown. To honor his ancestors, he built structures against the mountain, including pavilions, terraces, and towers that shone brilliantly at the time. Springs were channeled into ponds, connected by long corridors and stone bridges, creating a view reminiscent of the legendary Penglai Islands. Attractions included the Orioles’ Listening Pavilion, ? (text unclear), ? (text unclear), ? (text unclear), the Scripture Platform, Peach Blossom Stream, Winding Bridge, Fish Joy Park, Swallow Arrival Pavilion, Ganoderma Room, and Little Orchid Pavilion. The garden was built along the contours of the mountain and water, as reflected in its couplet: “Green waters dash down before the gate; green hills leap forth from within the walls.” It was then called “Tianping Mountain Villa,” commonly referred to as “Fan Garden” by locals. Poems such as “Reflections on Fan Garden” and “Passing Fan Garden” document this history. For instance, the late Ming and early Qing poet Xu Song wrote: “Still recall the days when the councillor lived in the garden, where mirage pavilions and rainbow bridges rivaled the dwellings of immortals.” Zhang Dai, a contemporary of Fan Yunlin who personally visited “Fan Garden,” described it in Tao’an’s Dream Recollections: “Outside the garden lies a long embankment with winding peach and willow bridges over the lake. The bridge leads directly to the garden. The gate is deliberately built low and small; once inside, long corridors and hidden walls lead straight to the mountain foot. The painted towers, curtain-wrapped pavilions, secret rooms, and winding chambers are all cleverly concealed, not meant to be seen. To the left of the mountain is Peach Blossom Spring, with steep cliffs and swirling rapids, where peach petals drift out. To the right is Solitary Hill, planted with a thousand plum trees. A crossing leads to Little Orchid Pavilion, where lush woods, tall bamboos, and curved streams for wine cups are all present. The bamboo trunks are as thick as beams, clean and graceful, polished smooth like fan ribs—a feature absent in the Orchid Pavilion.”

Descendants of the Fan family undertook multiple restorations. During the Kangxi era, Fan Biying, in recognition of Fan Yunlin’s efforts to revive the family’s legacy, built the “Councillor Shrine” at Tianping Mountain Villa. In the seventh year of the Qianlong reign (1742), Fan Yao, the 27th-generation descendant of Fan Zhongyan, and others reconstructed the site. At that time, halls, corridors, and rooms were successively rebuilt, restoring all the scenic spots to their former glory, and the villa was renamed “Former Cottage of the Imperial Mountain.” When Emperor Qianlong toured the south, he admired Fan Zhongyan’s lofty righteousness, drawing inspiration from Du Fu’s line “Renouncing rank to uphold high virtue, visiting gardens to recall ancient worthies,” and inscribed the name “Gaoyi Garden” (Garden of Lofty Virtue), which became its official title. During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi eras of the Qing Dynasty, the Taiping Rebellion forces captured southern Jiangsu, and the buildings of Gaoyi Garden were damaged in the war. After the Qing army regained control, Fan descendants rebuilt the site. During the Republican era, Fan Houbu spent two years restoring Gaoyi Garden and the Councillor Shrine, giving them a completely renewed appearance.

In 1954, the Garden Management Office took over Tianping Mountain. In May of the same year, Gaoyi Garden was renovated and opened to visitors in August. In 1955, the main hall of Gaoyi Garden was rebuilt due to termite damage. In 1965, Tianping Mountain Villa briefly operated as a state-run hotel. During the Cultural Revolution, Gaoyi Garden was closed, cliff inscriptions were chiseled away, stone tablets were destroyed, and buildings fell into disrepair. After 1976, Gaoyi Garden underwent minor renovations and reopened. In 1981, the ancient buildings of Gaoyi Garden were restored. The Letian Tower was completely rebuilt with reinforced concrete beams. The Enlun Pavilion and Jiejia Pavilion were reconstructed. The pond water system at the foot of the mountain was regulated, and a ban on quarrying was reiterated. On October 1, 1983, Gaoyi Garden resumed ticket sales and reopened to visitors. The site now consists of five courtyards in sequence: the First Gate, Ceremonial Gate, Imperial Calligraphy Tower, Carefree Pavilion, and Main Hall, with a total depth of approximately 70 meters. Surrounding the Ten Scenic Ponds, which gather mountain springs in front of the villa, are auxiliary structures such as the “Gaoyi Garden” memorial archway, Jiejia Pavilion, and Imperial Stele Pavilion. The total area covers 5.3 hectares. Pavilions, towers, green mountains, clear waters, ancient maples, and peculiar rocks complement one another beautifully.

In April 1995, the Memorial Temple of Lord Fan Zhongyan and Tianping Mountain Villa were announced as part of the fourth batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units