He Lugugu Chastity and Filial Piety Archway

He Lugugu Chastity and Filial Piety Archway

The He Lugugu Chastity and Filial Piety Archway is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangxi Province.

At the entrance of Changling Natural Village, Anquan Village, Hetang Township, Lianhua County, Jiangxi Province, stands an archway built in the 7th year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty (1827). This archway was erected to honor the chastity and filial piety of He Lugugu. According to clan members: He Lugugu was betrothed at the age of fourteen to Li Wenji from Chaling, but before the marriage, Li Wenji passed away. Nevertheless, Lugugu vowed never to remarry. At the time, her mother had died, her father did not remarry, and she single-handedly raised her two younger brothers and cared for their elderly father. Everyone praised her for her chastity and filial devotion.

The archway faces east and is constructed from bluestone in five tiers, with four pillars and three gates. It stands 7.8 meters tall and is 5.2 meters wide. The pillars are square with chamfered corners, and on the lower parts of the pillars are matching drum stones on both sides. The roof is of the hip-and-gable style, with stone slabs carved to resemble tiled roofing, and the eaves are adorned with decorative roof tiles. The central ridge features two upward-curving carved carp facing each other, totaling three tiers and six fish, symbolizing "carp leaping through the Dragon Gate." At the center of the archway roof is an openwork carving, with upturned flying eaves at the four corners, giving it a majestic presence.

On the front of the fourth tier, the central plaque bears the characters “Imperial Edict” (圣旨), while the back center displays “Imperial Favor” (恩荣). The front of the third tier is inscribed: “In the 5th year of the Daoguang reign of the Great Qing, it was submitted by the Three Educational Institutes for approval as a Chastity and Filial case; in the 7th year of Daoguang, imperial decree authorized state funding for the construction of the archway.” It further reads: “This is the Chastity and Filial Piety Archway of Lugugu, daughter of He Huaiyu, an elder of the 13th Township of Lianhua Hall.” The reverse side also bears the inscription “Chastity and Filial Piety.” The second tier has a pair of stone pillars on each side, all engraved with couplets in regular script, positive and negative. The middle two pillars read: “Her virtuous example inspires the neighborhood; her evergreen integrity defies frost and ice.” The reverse reads: “Her chaste heart is firm as gold and stone; her filial piety sets a shining example.” The side pillars on the front read: “Remaining chaste and unwed, she upheld her virtue; nurturing without limits, her heart stayed true.” The reverse says: “Imperial grace shines forth from above; her noble virtue forever matches hidden goodness.”

This ancient archway is largely well-preserved. In 2006, it was approved as a key cultural relic protection site of Jiangxi Province.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units