Former Site of Peng Shilang Ancestral Hall

Former Site of Peng Shilang Ancestral Hall

The former site of Peng Shilang Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

A small, winding river flows quietly and peacefully, accompanying this ancient ancestral hall in Minghechang through over 500 years of history. The virtuous governance and dedication to the people demonstrated by Peng Shilang, an official during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty, have not faded with the passage of time. Even today, when visitors come to pay their respects at the old hall and touch its weathered walls, they can still feel the grand achievements of Peng Shilang in reforming the salt administration.

In ancient times, Minghe was a salt-producing area. By the mid-Ming Dynasty, it had become “the wealthiest salt-producing region in the southeast.” However, behind this apparent prosperity, the salt workers of Minghe led miserable lives, often without enough clothing to wear or food to eat. Eventually, a salt workers’ revolt broke out. The imperial court immediately dispatched Peng Shao, Vice Minister of Justice and concurrently Deputy Censor-in-Chief, to Minghe Field to “suppress the rebellion” and “reform the salt administration.”

Peng Shao, courtesy name Fengyi, was a native of Putian, Fujian, and became a Jinshi (advanced scholar) in the Dingchou year (1457) of the Tianshun reign during the Ming Dynasty. Upon receiving the imperial order, he traveled lightly to Minghe. But what he saw was a scene of misery: “Half the salt fields lie idle, yet households still bear the burden of assessments; many households are on the verge of extinction, yet extra taxes continue to be imposed; workers’ wages are withheld, leaving them utterly destitute.” Faced with such a dire situation, he noted, “The authorities show no compassion, while local officials harass the people with excessive levies!” He then submitted a memorial to the court, pointing out that the so-called “salt workers’ rebellion” was actually caused by “officials neglecting the people, driving them to desperation.” He reformed the salt administration, eliminated malpractices, expelled salt monopolists, replaced corrupt officials, and allowed the children of salt workers to receive education. As a result, salt production was revived, and the workers revered him as their benefactor.

In the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign (1553), at the request of the salt workers, the “Peng Huian Ancestral Hall” was built in Minghe Field, and a stone stele was erected at the entrance to commemorate Peng Shao’s achievements. Inside the newly built hall, not only was a statue erected in his honor, but the walls of the main hall were also adorned with the “Eight Salt-Boiling Poems,” personally illustrated by Peng Shao, adding a strong touch of daily life to the solemn ancestral hall.