Choushu Memorial Archways Cluster

Choushu Memorial Archways Cluster

The Choushu Memorial Archways Cluster is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Choushu Memorial Archways Cluster is located in Choushu Village, Fujie Township, She County. Four four-pillar, three-bay, three-story archways stand in a row at the entrance of Choushu Village. One was built during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty, while the other three were constructed in the Qing Dynasty. Among them, the “Bao Rong Archway” commemorates three members of the Huizhou merchant Wang Tingzhang’s family. Wang Tingzhang’s ancestors moved to Yangzhou, where they engaged in the salt trade and amassed great wealth, reportedly reaching tens of millions, earning them the nickname “Iron Gate Threshold.” In the early years of the Qing Qianlong era, the Wang family built the “Xiu Garden” in Choushu Village, where the Qing poet Yuan Mei and others once gathered for drinking parties.

From west to east, the four archways are: the Wu Family Chastity and Filial Piety Archway, built in the 15th year of Qianlong (1750), commemorating Wang Shuhe’s wife, Wang She, who was widowed at age 24 without children and raised her stepson for 38 years; the Bao Rong Three Generations Archway, built in the 27th year of Qianlong, with the inscription “Lian Ban Er Qing” on its back — Qianlong bestowed hereditary honors upon Wang Tingzhang, his father Wang Yunxin, and his grandfather Wang Jingxing, appointing them as officials of the Feng Chen Yuan Qing (in charge of imperial gardens), and titled Wang Tingzhang as Zhi Zheng Da Fu (also called Er Qing, equivalent to the vice-ministerial rank of Shilang), hence the name; the Fang Family Chastity and Filial Piety Archway, built in the 39th year of Qianlong, commemorating Wang Tingrui’s wife, Fang, who was widowed at age 18 and raised her young son while serving her parents-in-law until their passing; the Father and Son Da Fu Archway, built in the 1st year of Chongzhen (1628), commemorating the father and son duo of Wang Keming, titled Zhi Zheng Da Fu, and Wang Maogong, titled Zhong Xian Da Fu.

The residents of Choushu are predominantly surnamed Wang, belonging to the Xin’an Dengyuan lineage — their earliest ancestor being Yuèguó Gōng Wang Huá, and the 16th-generation ancestor Qiu moving to Choushu during the Jin Tianfu era, followed by the 18th-generation ancestor Renxin. By the Song Shaoxing era, the Wang family in Choushu had already branched into 14 lineages, continuously passed down through generations. The late Ming and early Qing period marked the golden age of prosperity for the Choushu Wangs. Salt merchants represented by the Wang Biao family (who moved to Yangzhou) grew wealthy and subsequently returned to their hometown to engage in large-scale construction, building temples, ancestral halls, gardens, and mansions. The dense concentration of villas led to the village being named Choushu (“Dense Villas”). In this Wang-dominated community, later settlers included families with surnames Feng, Wu, Zhan, Hu, Lü, Cheng, Zhong, Pei, Jiang, and Jia, all living together harmoniously, thriving and passing on through generations.

It was precisely due to the prosperity of the Wang family, represented by Wang Tingzhang (?–1760, styled Hé Wén, also known as Jìng Tíng, grandson of Wang Biao) — one of the Eight Chief Merchants of the Huai Salt Traders during the late Ming and early Qing period — that the clan widely constructed ancestral halls and temples in Choushu, such as the Ai Jing Tang, Zhong He Tang, Zhu Ying Tang, Zhu Shi Tang, and Mu Ben Tang, scattered across the landscape. Among these, the Ai Jing Tang is the most iconic. When Emperor Qianlong made his first southern tour, Wang Tingzhang, along with the Huai Salt Patrol Censor and other chief salt merchants, welcomed the emperor at the Shu Feng Imperial Docking Pavilion. That winter, he went to the capital to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s birthday and was rewarded with 30 sable skins. During the emperor’s second southern tour, he was hosted at the Jiangdu Temple Travel Palace along with other salt merchants and officials, and was granted an imperial calligraphy of the character “Fu” (福, meaning “blessing”). Furthermore, he was commended with the title “Feng Chen Yuan Qing” for “efficiently handling official duties, demonstrating exceptional public spirit, and deserving special recognition,” causing great joy among villagers. To commemorate this, the Ai Jing Tang was built — a three-courtyard, three-bay structure with a pair of grand black stone drum stands at its entrance from Yixian, and inside hung a plaque bearing the imperial “Fu” calligraphy as a symbol of honor (demolished in the 1970s). Aside from ancestral halls and the Lingjiao Temple, the Da She was another source of pride for the Choushu Wangs. About 1 km west from Dali lies the village’s water entrance, guarded by four towering pine trees, each requiring three people to encircle. A crescent-shaped pond lay in front of the Wang family’s Da She, symbolizing the gathering of wealth. Connected to the Da She (a shared ancestral worship site for the Wangs of both Choushu and Dali villages) was the Wen Hui Guan (literary society hall), covering approximately 2,000 m². The Da She faced south and sat majestically against a northern hillside, beyond which lay the Lingjiao Temple. The temple was built in imitation of Hangzhou’s Lingyin Temple, with its four Heavenly Kings and Eighteen Arhats (modeled in clay and gilded) being particularly majestic, surpassing even those in Lingyin Temple (destroyed in the 1970s). In addition, the Peach Blossom Stream (recorded in the Huizhou Annals, still extant) and the Wang Family Garden were yet another masterpiece of the Choushu Wangs. Wang Tingzhang’s father and grandfather, having managed the imperial gardens, were honored as Feng Chen Liang Qing. Well-versed in feng shui and garden design, Wang Yunxin and his son designed the Peach Blossom Stream — stretching about one li in a serpentine form, lined with Bauhinia blossoms. More remarkably, the stream made the water flow from east to west (an intriguing case study in feng shui). A pavilion called Jing Ting was built over the stream for travelers to rest, offering views of the Wen Chang Ge, Wang Family Garden, and the Choushu Archways Cluster. The Wen Chang Ge featured upturned eaves and carved beams, with eight copper bells hanging from its corners that chimed melodiously in the wind. The Wang Family Garden was modeled after West Lake in Hangzhou (the Tangmo Little West Lake was in turn modeled after the Wang Family Garden).

On October 7, 2019, the Choushu Memorial Archways Cluster was included in the eighth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Eighth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units