Baiyun Village and the Tombs of Huang Zongxi, Wan Sitong, and Quan Zuwang

Baiyun Village and the Tombs of Huang Zongxi, Wan Sitong, and Quan Zuwang

Baiyun Village and the Tombs of Huang Zongxi, Wan Sitong, and Quan Zuwang are national key cultural relics protection units.

Baiyun Village is located on Guanjiang Bank, Baiyun Subdistrict, Haishu District, Ningbo City, and was first built during the Ming Dynasty. Originally the estate of Wan Tai, an official in the Ministry of Revenue during the late Ming Dynasty, it was later named "Baiyun Village" after his son, Wan Situan, who authored the book *Baiyun Collection* and was known as Mr. Baiyun. He was buried here after his death, hence the name.

In the seventh year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1668), Huang Zongxi, a renowned thinker from the late Ming and early Qing periods and a representative figure of the "Eastern Zhejiang School," was invited by Wan Tai to first stay at his residence on Guangji Street, then move to Yanqing Temple, and finally relocate to Baiyun Village in the ninth year of Kangxi (1670) to teach and establish the "Witness Academy." During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, Quan Zuwang, a private student of Huang Zongxi, distinguished the academy in Ningbo from Huang's "Witness Academy" in Shaoxing by adding the prefix "Yongshang" (Ningbo), calling it the "Yongshang Witness Academy." Huang Zongxi (1610–1695), courtesy name Taichong, art name Nanlei, was widely known as Master Lishu and was from Huangzhupu, Yuyao. He was erudite, rigorous in scholarship, and advocated for Confucian classics as the foundation and history as a complement, pioneering an academic style centered on practical learning that formed the historically significant Eastern Zhejiang School. He mentored numerous scholars, including Wan Sitong, the so-called "commoner historian," and the famed historian and litterateur Quan Zuwang.

By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the academy had fallen into disrepair. In 1934, Yang Juting (Yicheng) and others from Ningbo rediscovered the site of the academy and former residences and raised funds to restore them. Currently, Baiyun Village covers an area of about 4,000 square meters and consists of the Yongshang Witness Academy, the Wan family residence, and the Wan family tombs. There are four buildings totaling approximately 650 square meters, including two gabled structures with a human-shaped ridge, one facing west and the other north, two-storied each, a Ming-style gatehouse, and a plaque inscribed "Baiyun Village" by the contemporary calligrapher Sha Menghai. A couplet written by Quan Zuwang hangs above the main hall’s corridor: “Commanding the affairs of the world with flair, commanding the books of the ancients with ease.” The village houses exhibitions on “Zhejiang Academic Culture” and “The History of the Wan Family.” To the west of the academy lie the tombs of Wan Bangfu, Wan Situan, Wan Sichang, and Wanshibiao. In front of Wan Bangfu’s tomb path stands a Ming-era stone memorial archway inscribed “Tomb of Lord Wan, Duke of Yong,” with ornamental columns at the tomb and a pair of stone horses along the path, as well as the epitaph of Wan Situan written by Huang Zongxi.

Baiyun Village was not only the teaching site of Huang Zongxi and the birthplace of the Eastern Zhejiang School but also the former residence of major representatives of the school such as Wan Sitong and Wan Sidai.

Address: No. 34, Guanjiang Bank, Qianfeng Village, Haishu District, Ningbo City

Type: Historic residence / Cemetery

Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

Opening hours:

8:30-16:30

Wan Sitong (1638 or 1643–1702)

A historian of the Qing Dynasty. Courtesy name Jiyie, art name Shiyuan. From Yin County, Zhejiang (now Ningbo). In the 17th year of the Kangxi reign, he declined an invitation to become a Baxian scholar. His students posthumously honored him with the title Zhewen. Wan Sitong and his elder brother Wan Sidai were both disciples of Huang Zongxi, the youngest but most brilliant among their peers, and were considered top students. Wan Sitong excelled especially in history. Xu Yuanwen, the first chief editor of the *History of Ming*, wanted to recommend Wan Sitong to join the editorial board despite his civilian status, but Wan declined. Instead, Xu invited him to lead the project from his home. Later, Zhang Yushu, Chen Tingjing, and Wang Hongxu, all successive chief editors, also invited him to contribute. Wan Sitong resided in the capital, Jing… [More details about Wan Sitong]

Wan Sidai (1633–1683)

A Confucian scholar of the Qing Dynasty. Courtesy name Chongzong, alias He’fu, and due to a foot condition, he called himself Bobo (the lame old man). From Yin County, Zhejiang (now Ningbo). He was the sixth son of Wan Tai. Born amid turmoil, he did not pursue imperial examinations but instead made a living by teaching and dedicated himself to study. Once, he brought his young son Wan Jing to Hangzhou to run a school and devoted himself to classical studies. Wan Sidai began studying under Huang Zongxi in the sixth year of the Kangxi reign with over ten classmates and founded a scripture study group in Ningbo, which attracted many intellectuals for lively discussions and was highly regarded. He conducted in-depth research on various classics, believing that “one cannot understand a single classic without understanding all, nor grasp the commentaries without realizing their flaws…” [More details about Wan Sidai]

Huang Zongxi (1610.9.24–1695.8.12), Han ethnicity, from Yuyao County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province. Courtesy name Taichong, also known as Debing, art name Nanlei, scholars called him Master Lishu. A Confucian scholar, historian, philosopher, geographer, astronomer, and educator from the late Ming and early Qing periods. Eldest son of Huang Zunsu, one of the “Seven Virtuous Men of Donglin.” Known as one of the “Three Great Thinkers of the Late Ming and Early Qing,” together with Gu Yanwu and Wang Fuzhi; also called one of the “Three Huangs of Eastern Zhejiang” with his brothers Huang Zongyan and Huang Zonghui; and listed among the “Three Great Confucians of the Realm” with Shaanxi’s Li Yong and Hebei’s Sun Qifeng, earning the title “Father of China’s Enlightenment…” [More details about Huang Zongxi]

Baiyun Subdistrict: Located in the southwest corner of Haishu District, the central urban area of Ningbo, Baiyun Subdistrict is named after Baiyun Village, the birthplace of the Eastern Zhejiang School to its northwest. The administrative region has undergone multiple changes. In 1958, the Yongjiang People’s Commune was established, later renamed the Southwest Management Area of Yongjiang Commune. In May 1978, it was renamed Xijiao People’s Commune. In 1983, it became Xijiao Township. In August 1996, Baiyun Subdistrict was established within parts of Lianfeng, Qianfeng, Yaofeng, and Yongfeng villages (some natural villages) of the former Xijiao Township and Qiaolong Natural Village of Wangchunqiao Village. It borders Xia… [More details about Baiyun Subdistrict]

Further reading:

· Sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units