Memorial Hall of Chen Yinggong

Memorial Hall of Chen Yinggong

Memorial Hall of Chen Yinggong

At the foot of Zihuang Mountain in Hanjiang District stands a magnificent temple, in front of which there is a stone statue of Chen Yinggong. This is the Memorial Hall of Chen Yinggong, the Salt God.

Chen Yinggong, courtesy name Yizhong, was a native of Dongshan (Zihuang Mountain) in Hanjiang. He was born in the first year of the Kaiyun era (944) during the reign of Emperor Chu of the Later Jin Dynasty and died in the seventh year of the Taiping Xingguo era (982) of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty.

In the second year of the Taiping Xingguo era (977), Chen Yinggong persuaded Chen Hongjin, the Marquis of Zhangquan, who had conspired with Qian Chu, the King of Wuyue, to rebel against the Song Dynasty, to surrender his territory to the Song. This action saved the people of Fujian from the ravages of war and helped the Song Dynasty complete its unification. That year, Chen Yinggong was appointed as the General Who Pacified Fujian. In the seventh year of the Taiping Xingguo era (982), he was ordered to suppress a rebellion in Xiayang, Xianyou, where bandits had gathered in the mountain streams. Unfortunately, he died in the line of duty.

In ancient times, salt in Putian was produced by boiling seawater with firewood. While writing, Chen Yinggong once used seawater to grind ink and accidentally noticed white crystals in his inkstone, which tasted no different from salt. He then began constructing salt pans, filling them with seawater and using sunlight to evaporate the water and produce salt. This method saved firewood and eliminated the need for boiling, proving very convenient. It was later widely adopted along the coast of Putian and continued to be used through the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, remaining in practice to this day. The imperial court at the time recognized Chen Yinggong’s salt-evaporation method and honored him as an ancient scientist who pioneered the technique. Chen Yinggong’s contributions benefited the people and left a lasting legacy, earning him the reverence of later generations. During the Northern Song Dynasty, he was granted noble titles and honors by three emperors on four occasions: in the fifth year of the Baoyou era (1257) of Emperor Lizong, he was posthumously honored as Marquis of Fushan; in the second year of the Xianchun era (1266) of Emperor Duzong, as Marquis of Guangli; in the eighth year of the Xianchun era (1272) of Emperor Duzong, as Marquis of Jiaze; and in the first year of the Jingyan era (1276) of Emperor Duanzong, as Marquis of Zhongyou. A temple was later built in his honor on the summit of Zihuang Mountain, west of the salt warehouse at Dongshan, his hometown. The temple displayed a plaque inscribed with “Spirit-Manifesting Temple,” bestowed by Emperor Lizong, as well as couplets written by Wen Tianxiang, Yue Yun, Zhou Ying, and others. This temple was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.