Temple to Filial Son Dong

Temple to Filial Son Dong

The Temple to Filial Son Dong is a cultural relic protection unit of Haishu District.

The Temple to Filial Son Dong is located southwest of Ningbo South Railway Station, with the ancestral Guanshan Tomb Cluster to its southeast. The temple faces south and features a central axis that includes the entrance hall, stage, front hall, and rear hall. On either side of the stage are east and west corridors, with the Central Army Hall situated to the east of the entrance hall. The north wall of the eastern corridor still contains an embedded “Stele Record of the Reconstruction of the Temple to Filial Son Dong.” “The rear hall was reconstructed in the 19th year of the Jiaqing reign, and the front hall was rebuilt in the 9th year of the Daoguang reign.” The temple houses two plaques from the 19th year of the Jiaqing reign and the 11th year of the Xianfeng reign. In front of the temple lies a spacious platform where a pair of stone lions once stood. The entire structure uses relatively large materials and features richly detailed wood and stone carvings. In 1998, due to the Xiaoshan–Ningbo Railway project, the temple was moved over a hundred meters southward and restored to its original architectural style.

The Temple to Filial Son Dong venerates Dong An, revered as the foremost filial son of the Yong region. According to the inscribed stele: Dong An was originally a native of Mao (a historical region), orphaned at a young age and grew up supporting his mother by gathering firewood. He was exceptionally filial and attentive, serving her with the utmost care. His mother had a strong preference for water from the Dayin Stream, so Dong An fetched it for her daily without fail, even during rainy springs. A troublemaker from the neighboring house once insulted his mother, and in retaliation, Dong An beheaded him and offered the head as a sacrifice to his mother. The imperial court pardoned his crime and even summoned him to serve as a palace official, but Dong An declined, choosing instead to live in seclusion at Yongshui Village where the three rivers converge. His former residence is now known as Dumu Lane, east of the Drum Tower. He also transported his mother’s remains back from Jurong to the southern area of present-day Ningbo South Railway Station, built a thatched cottage to accompany her spirit, and attended to her with morning and evening devotionals as if she were still alive. When Dong An was on his deathbed, he instructed that he be buried next to his mother to comfort her spirit and was posthumously honored as a Filial Son.

The Temple to Filial Son Dong was first built in the third year of the Yan Guang era of the Eastern Han Dynasty (124), established by locals at Dong An’s former home after he was granted the title of Filial Son by imperial decree. In the Dingsi year of the Tang Dynasty’s Dali era (777), Prefect Cui Yin renovated the temple and personally composed its inscription. During the Jianlong years of the Song Dynasty (961–963), Magistrate Qian Yi moved the statue of Dong’s mother from the cottage into the city temple. In the second year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1437), Prefect Zheng Luo further renovated the site. By the Jiashen year of the Qing Dynasty’s Jiaqing reign (1814), as urban commerce flourished and crowds disrupted tranquility, it was collectively decided to relocate the temple to the cottage in Nanguo and rebuild it. In the seventh year of the Daoguang reign (1827), construction materials were gathered and the temple reconstructed with grand majesty, unrivaled in the region. In June 1999, due to the construction of the Xiaoshan–Ningbo Railway double-track line and the expansion of Ningbo South Railway Station, the temple was relocated and rebuilt near Yinjiang’an Road, north of the tomb of Quan Zuwang.

The newly built Temple to Filial Son Dong is nestled within a grove of trees, featuring red walls and dark tiles, standing majestically and spectacularly. With five bays and three connected sections, it boasts as many as five large gates—more imposing even than the Ningbo City God Temple and extremely rare in the Yong area. The central gate of the entrance hall is adorned with a black plaque with gold characters reading “Temple to Filial Son Dong,” inscribed by the renowned Ningbo calligrapher Mr. Cao Houde. Stone couplets flank the gate, reading: “Since the Eastern Han, for a thousand autumns; After Emperor Shun, one in a million.” Above the gate are painted images of Qin Shubao and Yu Chijing, each holding a screen fan and cradling a porcelain vase adorned with peonies and lotus flowers. A pair of stone lions stands by the gate, and on the front eaves of the corridor pillars are couplets composed by Mao Yihu and written by Zheng Yupu: “The filial son’s devotion is boundless, bestowing grace upon your kind; when the great way is upheld, our nation shall thrive.”

The earliest written records about Dong An appear in “Praise for Filial Son Dong” by Yu Fan of the Three Kingdoms’ Eastern Wu, cited in Yu Yu’s “Huizhou Records.” Though the original text is presumed to have been detailed, only an eight-line, 32-character eulogy survives today. Nevertheless, it captures both the filial son’s deeds and the public's esteem: “He served his mother with devoted attention and mourned her with heartfelt grief. Living alone in the wilds, birds and beasts were drawn to his presence. Filled with rage at the insult to his mother, he avenged her in broad daylight. Renowned across the land, his virtue shines brightly.” This passage outlines Dong An’s major acts: in life, he attentively served his mother with loving care; in death, he mourned deeply, living alone in the wilderness to guard her tomb, moving birds to gather and cry over her resting place; to avenge her honor, he killed in daylight. Thanks to Emperor He of Han “recognizing his extraordinary conduct,” “pardoning his killing and summoning him as a scholar-official,” the filial son became “renowned throughout the land, his glory shining through the ages.”

By the 12th year of the Tang Dynasty’s Dali reign, when Mingzhou Prefect Cui Yin wrote the inscription for the reconstructed Temple to Filial Son Dong, he summarized Dong An’s story as follows:

“In the Later Han, there lived a man of utmost conduct, Dong An, styled Shuda, a native of Guzhang. He followed the Doctrine of the Mean and was of pure and unblemished character. Orphaned in youth, he single-handedly supported his parents, offering them simple fare yet bringing them joy, speaking gently and warmly. His mother enjoyed a long life, her face always serene. With harmony, he enriched his household, never choosing his dwelling for comfort. When they moved, a cold spring appeared in their yard. When he mourned, sacred crows gathered in the woods. His sincerity moved heaven, and his modest virtues were grand. His influence spanned millennia, reaching all corners. Was this not great filial piety? When the great way was clear, people did not limit kindness to kin. But when virtue declined, filial devotion emerged. Acts brought fame, emotions were refined by ritual. Ji Wu mourned in mourning garb; Zi Chun overdid ritual—these strayed from the Way under the guise of goodness, not true filial nature. Zi Yun avoided disobedience; Zeng Shen directly cared for his parent; the white mourning cap carried subtle advice; the tuned zither failed to play—these were filial acts from the Rites Classics. Wenju abandoned his child; Shiyou sent away his wife—actions not aligned with parental wishes, how could they serve as models? Though noteworthy, some seemed self-serving—not true teachings of filial piety. Confucius endowed him with innate virtue, the Way harmonized with him. Born east of the ocean, living among foreign isles, though distant from poetic rites, his nature remained true. Without a day’s worry for himself, he ultimately avenged heaven’s wrongs. Carrying earth to build a grave mound, he lay by the sword in silence, finally slaying his eastern neighbor and sacrificing in the wild—what we call innate wisdom, a heart fulfilled, hidden things revealed, forcibly called filial, surpassing ancient gentlemen by several degrees. Emperor He, hearing of his extraordinary conduct, pardoned his capital crime, summoned him as an official, but he declined, eventually passing at a ripe old age. Those appointed by time endure like pines and cypresses, evergreen in winter and summer. Those endowed by heaven, like this master, preserve true nature. His sixth-generation ancestor Zhongshu was a Grand Master of the Han. His descendant Chun governed as Prefect of Lujiang. The family was a distinguished clan in the region, hence the township was named after Dong, and the county of Cixi established. The customs of Mao River remain steeped in this legacy. In the eighth year of the Tang Dali era, I assumed office in this commandery, inquired into ancient virtue, admired the worthy. The old enclosure had become overgrown, the records nearly lost. Wandering the old town, I still felt the echo of his example. Thus, the master’s conduct can morally guide others. To restore his shrine and enshrine his memory for posterity—is this not a worthy endeavor? The inscription reads: ‘The blade may be trodden, but benevolence is rarely preserved; gold may be refined, but virtue leaves no room for doubt. When the Way declines in later ages, the worthy revive antiquity. Understanding ritual brings one close to the foreign; transforming customs begins in Lu. Who says, “I have no robe”? Cold and heat are kept at bay. Who says, “I have no fish”? A spring flows in the courtyard. The yellow bird’s mournful cry touches the heart; weeping has no set sound, blood stains the robe. The river flows mightily, eastward through Yue. The master’s virtuous name echoes on, never ceasing.’”

This inscription is clearly far more detailed than Yu Fan’s “Praise for Filial Son Dong.” Though interwoven with the author’s commentary, the core content remains consistent: wholehearted service to his mother, mourning for her, avenging her, and becoming a filial exemplar. The difference lies in greater specificity regarding “wholehearted service”—“orphaned in youth, he single-handedly supported his parents, offering them simple fare yet bringing them joy, speaking gently and warmly.” Because of this, “when they moved, a cold spring appeared in their yard.” Regarding mourning, “when he mourned, sacred crows gathered in the woods.” “He carried earth to make a grave mound, lay by the sword in silence,” “without leaving a single day of worry, he ultimately avenged heaven’s wrongs,” “finally slaying his eastern neighbor.” As for the outcome, “Emperor He, hearing of his extraordinary conduct, pardoned his capital crime, summoned him as an official, but he declined, eventually passing at a ripe old age.” Additionally, it introduces Dong An’s background and influence, as well as the reasons and timing behind the author writing the inscription.

Dong An, a native of Shitai Township, Guzhang County in the Eastern Han Dynasty (now Dayin Town, Yuyao City, Zhejiang Province), was the sixth-generation descendant of Dong Zhongshu, Chancellor of Jiangdu in the Han Dynasty. Orphaned at a young age and raised in poverty, he was exceptionally filial to his mother.

Orphaned at a young age and raised in poverty, Dong An made a living gathering firewood to support his mother. When his mother fell ill and longed for water from their hometown (because Dayin, near Yao River, was often affected by saltwater tides in ancient times, making the water bitter and undrinkable), he would trek over twenty li to the upper reaches of Dayin Stream at Yongchang Pool to carry water for her. It is said that he never switched the shoulder on which he carried the load, ensuring that the freshest water was always presented to his mother. ... More details about Dong An ++