Former Residence Site of Yu Shinan

Former Residence Site of Yu Shinan

The Former Residence Site of Yu Shinan is a cultural relic protection unit of Cixi City.

According to the Cixi County Annals, Yu Shinan, a renowned statesman, calligrapher, and literary figure of the early Tang Dynasty, was a native of Minghe in Cixi. His former residence was located at Dingshui Temple, north of Jiejia Natural Village in Minghe, approximately 350 meters from the tomb of Yuan Shao, Duke of Yue. It faced Lidu Lake to the east, leaned against Qinglong Mountain to the west, and neighbored Baihu Mountain to the north, covering an area of about 3,000 square meters.

During the Zhenguan era, Yu Shinan served as an official in Chang’an and was later posthumously honored with a burial beside the Zhaoling Mausoleum. His descendants all relocated to Chang’an, and his former residence was converted into a temple, initially named Qingquan Temple. The temple once housed Yu Shinan’s portrait, a Tang Dynasty manuscript of the Buddhist Canon copied by people of that time, and a stele inscribed by Yan Zhenqing. Over the years, the temple fell into disrepair and was renovated during the Ji ci era of the Song Dynasty with funding from Yuan Shao. Legend has it that there was a spring in front of the temple with swirling waters, which calmed after Yuan Shao’s wife threw her gold hairpin into it. The temple was then renamed Dingshui Temple. In the spring of 1357 during the Yuan Dynasty, Master Laifu, a distinguished disciple of Master Chu Yue from the southern Chu region, presided over the reconstruction. At that time, eminent officials and scholars gathered here, and the temple flourished briefly. During the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty (1522–1566), it was burned down by Japanese pirates but was later rebuilt. It was demolished during the Cultural Revolution. In 1982, during the second cultural relics survey, extensive documentation confirmed that Dingshui Temple was indeed the site of Yu Shinan’s former residence. In August 1986, the Cixi County People’s Government designated Yu Shinan’s former residence as a third batch cultural relic protection unit.

At the picturesque end of Lidu Lake in Jiejia Village, surrounded by bamboo groves and the sound of flowing springs, lies the former residence of Yu Shinan, a prominent statesman of the early Tang Dynasty.

Walking into Jiejia Village, shaded by ancient camphor trees, you’ll encounter a beast sculpture crouching beside a square pond. With a large head, short thick neck, and an upright posture, it gazes forward with wide eyes and bared teeth, resembling a lion. The carving is delicate, full of vitality, and strikingly lifelike. This is an ancient mythical beast used to ward off evil. Such figures were common in tombs during the Six Dynasties period, and since Yu Shinan’s father was a high-ranking official of the Chen Dynasty, it’s possible this was once a family heirloom.

At the western end of the village, at the foot of Qinglong and Baihu Mountains, stretches a sea of green bamboo. Following the signs, cross a babbling brook and walk along a forest trail until you reach a spot where swaying branches cast dappled shadows. There stand two plaques, one inscribed “Former Residence of Yu Shinan,” the other “Former Residence of Tang’s Imperial Secretary Yu.”

The homeland of a celebrated statesman, calligrapher, and poet has had its historical traces worn away by time, leaving only the stone monuments erected by later generations. “Mountain springs murmur through rocky streams, earth’s symphony resounds with winds in the cliffs; after rain, peaks glisten in unbroken green, mist clears to unveil open wilds.” Today, we can only imagine his former home through Yu Shinan’s poetry. Amidst the tranquil green hills and sunny fields, near Lidu Lake, lies a quiet pool encircled by bamboo mats and shaded by slanting trees — the site of Yu Shinan’s former residence. Historical records state that after Yu Shinan served in Chang’an, he converted his home into a temple. The temple originally had a well known as the “Still Water Spring,” hence the name Dingshui Temple, a famous temple in Cixi. It once housed a statue of Yu Shinan and a stele inscribed by Yan Zhenqing. It was destroyed by fire during a Japanese pirate raid in the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, and demolished during the Cultural Revolution of the last century.

Yu Shinan lived from the second year of Emperor Wu of the Southern Chen Dynasty (558 AD) to the twelfth year of Emperor Taizong’s Zhenguan era in the Tang Dynasty (638 AD), passing away at the age of 81. He was a native of Yuyao in Yuezhou (now Minghe Field, Guanhaiwei Town, Cixi). His courtesy name was Boshī. He held official positions during both the Chen and Sui dynasties. By the time he entered the Tang Dynasty, he was already advanced in years, and Emperor Taizong appointed him as a “staff officer.” In the seventh year of Zhenguan, he was granted the title of Marquis of Yongxing County, and the following year was elevated to Count of Yongxing County, hence he was also referred to as Yu Yongxing. In his youth, Yu Shinan studied calligraphy under the tutelage of Monk Zhiyong, the seventh-generation descendant of Wang Xizhi and a renowned calligrapher, receiving direct instruction and mastering the brush techniques of the “Two Wangs” (Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi) and Zhiyong. Yu Shinan was a man of quiet demeanor and few desires, with a strong and resolute character... More details on Yu Shinan++

Guanhaiwei Town: Located in the eastern part of Cixi City, Guanhaiwei Town covers an area of 150.20 square kilometers and has a total population of 200,000, including 50,000 migrants. Guanhaiwei is the eastern wing of Cixi City’s “one body, two wings” urban development strategy, and is recognized as a central town at both the municipal and provincial levels in Ningbo, as well as a pilot town for comprehensive reform in small towns across the province.

Guanhaiwei Town boasts favorable conditions for economic development, with significant progress in its economy and various social endeavors. In 2001, the town’s GDP reached 2.064 billion yuan, per capita GDP was 13,760 yuan, and fiscal revenue was 114 million yuan. Guanhaiwei... More details on Guanhaiwei Town++