Four Sages Shrine

Four Sages Shrine

The Four Sages Shrine is a cultural tourism attraction.

Four Sages Shrine

The Four Sages Shrine is located within the Wanshou Temple in Sanyuan. It is the most renowned ancient structure in Zhongshan Village. Built in the second year of the Zhi Zheng era during the Yuan Dynasty, the shrine features a courtyard, a main hall, and side halls. It honors four great Confucian scholars of the Song Dynasty: Yang Shi, Luo Congyan, Li Tong, and Zhu Xi. With a history of 630 years, it is now a municipal cultural heritage site. The relationships among these four figures are as follows: Yang Shi was a student of Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi. The famous story “Standing in the Snow at the Gate of Cheng” refers to him. When Yang Shi completed his studies and was about to leave, Cheng Hao watched him go and remarked with emotion, “My teachings will now spread south.” Yang Shi eventually became the founder of Min School philosophy. Luo Congyan was from Shaxian County during the Song Dynasty and was a disciple of Yang Shi. Both Li Tong and Zhu Song (Zhu Xi’s father) were students of Luo Congyan. Li Tong was from Nanping.

Zhu Xi was a student of Li Tong. In other words: the Cheng brothers (Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi) → Yang Shi → Luo Congyan → Li Tong → Zhu Xi. As for Zhu Xi, he is widely known—historically referred to as the “Cheng-Zhu School of Neo-Confucianism.” Taiwanese scholar Qian Mu once commented on Zhu Xi: “In Chinese history, in ancient times there was Confucius, and in more recent antiquity, there was Zhu Xi. These two figures have shone the brightest and left the greatest influence in the history of Chinese academic thought and culture. Looking across the whole of history, it is unlikely that a third could compare.” Mainland China’s renowned scholar Cai Shangsi further expressed this in verse: “Confucius arose in Eastern Zhou, Zhu Xi emerged in Southern Song. Ancient Chinese culture stands like Mount Tai and Mount Wuyi!” Additionally, the village also hosts sites such as the Chu San Ancestral Hall, Wan’an Bridge, Mongol Tomb, Zhuang Family Ancestral Hall, and Yongxing Nunnery, all of which have been listed in the second batch of municipal cultural heritage sites by Sanming City. The ancient dwellings of Shiba Village are less than 30 kilometers from the city center, offering convenient transportation. This unique historical and cultural landscape is set to become another new highlight for urban tourism.