Qingyang Mao Ancestral Residence

Qingyang Mao Ancestral Residence

The Qingyang Mao Clan Integrity Culture Education Base in Jiangshan City is located in Shimen Town, 25 kilometers from downtown Jiangshan. It sits at the northern foot of Jianglang Mountain, a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, and is home to 347 households of the Mao clan living together as an extended family. Since the eighth-generation ancestor of the Jiangnan Mao clan, Mao Yuanqiong, relocated here, it has a history of 1,500 years, giving rise to prominent Jiangnan Mao clans such as those in Jishui, Jiangxi; Shaoshan, Hunan; and Fenghua, Zhejiang. It has cultivated the cultural essence of the Qingyang Mao clan: “passing on virtue through farming and scholarship, achieving nobility without wealth.” After rigorous research, Qingyang Village has been confirmed as the birthplace of the Jiangnan Mao clan and the ancestral home of Mao Zedong. It is the most prestigious, influential, and widely branched lineage within the Jiangnan Mao clan. In March 2003, the *Genealogy of the Qingyang Mao Clan* was designated by the National Archives Administration as one of the first 48 precious archival document heritages among China’s key national cultural relics protection units.

For thousands of years, the Qingyang Mao clan has upheld the millennia-old family teachings of “achieving fame through literature and maintaining integrity through purity.” Their family rules, precepts, and principles include: “Do not indulge in arrogance or extravagance, do not drink excessively, gamble, or seek profit unreasonably; ‘Do not inherit deceit from your ancestors, but leave a good example for your descendants.’” And so on. Historically, the Qingyang Mao clan produced an extraordinary 8 imperial secretaries and 83 successful imperial examination candidates (jinshi), yet not a single one violated the law or became a corrupt official. Throughout the entire Qingyang Village, there are no luxurious mansions, reflecting the Mao ancestors’ commitment to integrity, uprightness, and the tradition of farming and scholarship. Visitors often say: “It’s not difficult for the Qingyang Mao clan to produce one jinshi or one imperial secretary, but it is truly remarkable to have produced 8 imperial secretaries and 83 jinshi. It’s not hard to have one honest official, but it is truly commendable to maintain integrity across generations, producing honest officials time and time again.”

The ancient architectural complex of Qingyang Mao Culture Village is simple and unadorned. The Qingyang Ancestral Residence covers a construction area of 330 square meters, featuring a brick, tile, and wood structure with three courtyards and three entrances. Its white walls, gray tiles, and horse-head walls are distinctive. The plaque of the Qingyang Ancestral Residence was inscribed by the renowned scholar Hu Shi in 1933. The Qingyang Mao clan built 13 ancestral halls throughout Jiangshan’s urban and rural areas. The Qingyang Mao Clan Ancestral Hall was originally built during the Ming Dynasty, underwent repairs in the Qing Dynasty, and was rebuilt in the 30th year of the Qianlong reign (1770). It has a wooden and brick-tile structure, with three courtyards and two atriums, covering a land area of 2,235 square meters and a construction area of 1,766 square meters. The ancient Qingyang village also features sites such as the Qingyang Academy, Baiyun Manor, and Xianju Temple (where Wang Anshi once studied). The ancient architecture of Qingyang interprets the village’s profound historical legacy and rich cultural heritage. In June 2006, it was listed as part of the third batch of historical and cultural ancient villages in Zhejiang Province.

“Among the Four Gentlemen Under Heaven, Pure Rest is First; Across Two Dynasties, Three Imperial Secretaries Have Unparalleled Achievements.” The three imperial secretaries referred to here are Mao Huang, Mao You, and Mao Kai—three of the eight imperial secretaries from the Qingyang Mao clan. Among them, the most notable is Mao Kai, who served as the Minister of Rites, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Justice during the Ming Dynasty. Mao Kai, courtesy name Dahu, art name Jiechuan, was the 27th-generation descendant of the Qingyang Mao clan. He began his official career in the 15th year of the Jiajing reign (1536) and held 24 official positions over a span of more than 40 years. Throughout his life, he was known for his integrity, self-discipline, and uprightness, earning him the title “Minister Mao.” It is said that when his family wanted to build a residence and got into a dispute with a neighbor over property boundaries, they wrote to Mao Kai, who was then serving as Minister of Justice in the capital. Mao Kai replied: “To send a letter a thousand miles just to argue over a wall, why not yield three feet? The Great Wall still stands today—did anyone see Emperor Qin Shi Huang?” He used this to advise his family not to forcibly buy land from others for their house, and if something was missing, just let it be missing a corner. Touched by this, the neighbor voluntarily offered to give up the toilet they had occupied, but Mao Kai’s family, fearing his disapproval, did not dare to accept it. As a result, the grand residence ended up right next to a toilet. For over four hundred years, people have lamented the situation while also being moved by the noble character of Minister Mao.

Shimen Town: Shimen Town is located 19 kilometers southeast of downtown Jiangshan, bordering Changtai to the east, connecting to Qinghu and the city center to the north, and adjacent to Xiakou to the south. The planned exit of the Huang-Qu-Nan Expressway is situated in Shimen, giving it a highly advantageous geographic location. The town boasts the scenic Jianglang Mountain, whose towering Three Slices of Stone, reaching straight into the clouds, are famous throughout the province and beyond, forming a national scenic area. The beautiful legends and captivating scenery attract both domestic and international tourists. The town covers a total land area of 95.1 square kilometers, including 28,152.1 mu of arable land, of which 26,324.4 mu are paddy fields… More detailed information about Shimen Town++