Wang Tai Fu Memorial Temple

Wang Tai Fu Memorial Temple

The Wang Tai Fu Memorial Temple is located in the northwest corner of the ancient residential complex in Bailu Village, Bailu Township, Ganxian District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province, approximately 63 kilometers northeast of the county seat. Built in the fourth year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1824), it faces southeast and is built with brick and wood. It features a post-and-lintel structure, a two-courtyard single-hall layout, two stories, a square-shaped interior corridor, a flush-gable roof, tiled flooring, and a memorial archway-style gatehouse with three bays, four pillars (including hanging pillars), and three stories. It is adorned with grey-relief carvings of geometric patterns, animals, flowers, and auspicious motifs. The second courtyard extends into five bays, with a width of 24.9 meters and a depth of 24.68 meters, covering a total area of 615 square meters.

Wang Tai Fu (1749–1822) was the secondary wife of Zhong Yuchang, a scholar-official and administrative officer of the Board of Revenue, and the birth mother of Zhong Chongyan, who later became the Prefect of Jiaxing Prefecture in Zhejiang. Throughout her life, she was known for her virtue, supporting her husband and raising her children, aiding the poor, sponsoring education, and practicing generosity. In the 23rd year of the Daoguang reign (1846), “the mother was honored due to her son’s merit,” and the imperial court specially issued an edict, conferring upon Wang Tai Fu the honorary title of “Da Gongren” (Grand Honorable Lady) and posthumously granting her the title of “Tai Shuren” (Grand Virtuous Lady). This temple was built by Zhong Chongyan in accordance with his mother's wishes as a specialized facility for disaster relief and charity, and it was named after Wang Tai Fu—an extremely rare occurrence in China’s feudal society over thousands of years. The gatehouse of the building features exquisitely designed patterns and a majestic presence, making it a classic example of gatehouse art within the entire residential complex, as well as possessing unique characteristics that hold certain research value for local architecture. It was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit in 2003 and a provincial-level protection unit in 2006.

Bailu Village: Bailu Village is situated in the northern part of Bailu Township, Ganxian District, Jiangxi Province, approximately 63 kilometers from Ganzhou City. The village dates back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties when it first formed as a human settlement, and it has flourished ever since. Today, Bailu Village has nearly 600 households and a population of 2,500. The village is shaped like a crescent moon, covering an area of 0.2 square kilometers. Among its 60,000 square meters of ancient buildings, there are more than 140 well-preserved Hakka residences that are over 100 years old. The classic black-tiled and gray-brick complexes were mostly built during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The name “Bailu” (White Egret) carries a touch of poetry. According to the 1986 June edition of the “Ganzhou County Gazetteer of Place Names in Jiangxi Province”: In the sixth year of the Shaoxing reign... (Detailed information about Bailu Village++)