Benben Archway

Benben Archway

At the entrance of Xingfu Lane on the west side of the west gate of Yongping Town, the ancient county seat of Yanshan, there stands a four-cornered pavilion. The pavilion is called “Benben Archway,” inscribed by the great Southern Song Dynasty Confucian scholar Zhu Xi. On the western wall of the pavilion is embedded a stone tablet, 150 cm in height and 74 cm in width, engraved with an image of a Chinese cabbage and two lines of inscription — “As parents of the people, you must know the taste of this; as our children, you must not let them have this look.” This is an inscribed stone tablet erected by Dá Jìliáng, the magistrate of Yanshan during the Ming Dynasty.

Benben Archway is located in Shenjia Lane, Yongping.

Bao ben means to repay one’s parents; fang

refers to a memorial archway, a structure similar to a pavilion-style gate used in ancient times to honor individuals for their loyalty, filial piety, chastity, or righteousness. Benben Archway was built to commend the filial act of Shen Shiníng, a young man from Yongping in the Southern Song Dynasty.

In the sixth year of the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1137), the rebel general Pān Kuí led an attack on Yongping, looting property everywhere. One group of soldiers broke into the Shen residence. At that time, Shen’s father was over seventy years old and bedridden due to illness. The family was utterly poor, with nothing worth taking. Frustrated, the soldiers raised their steel blades and threatened Shen’s father: “Old man, hand over the money quickly, or don’t blame us for being ruthless!” At that moment, Shen Shiníng, who was attending to his father at the bedside, seeing his father’s life in danger, resolutely threw himself over his father and shouted loudly: “Don’t kill my father — I’m willing to die in his place!” The soldier raised his blade but saw that Shiníng was not yet twenty years old, so he ordered him to leave. Shiníng refused. When told again to leave, he still stood firm without moving. The soldier had no choice but to strike at Shiníng, delivering three slashes that left him bleeding profusely, soaking his clothes and bedding. However, Shiníng closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and showed no fear. The soldier was moved and hastily took off his own clothes to wrap Shiníng’s wounds before sheathing his blade and leaving.

Upon hearing of this, the poet Xin Qiji was deeply moved and readily composed a poem: “How noble is Shiníng’s filial act, / So generous, he values his life as light as a feather. / He was ready to journey to the yellow earth, / Cheerfully offering his neck to the frosty blade. / Such extreme filial piety moves heaven and earth, / The bright day darkens, rivers surge forth. / To survive three knife wounds is rare through the ages, / His single life surely protected by divine spirits…” Grand Tutor Zhào Shìréng also wrote a poem in praise: “Yanshan is a sacred mountain, known as a treasure trove of seven jewels. / Sometimes the land favors its treasures, bestowing exceptional people upon the age. / Learning may compete in literary arts, / But true virtue stems from the nature of kindness. / Great beauty has never ceased, / And now paves the path of loyalty and filial piety. / In times of chaos, bandits run rampant, / Their flames of violence hard to suppress. / They swept in, breaching gates from afar, / Crying out as they pressed forward. / Shen, originally from a family of physicians, incited the bandits’ rage. / His son rushed forth, tears soaking his clothes. / He wished to die in his father’s place, / His face showing no fear despite the threat. / The bandits said, ‘Your son is filial,’ / And used his clothes to cover the blood. / Thus both lives were spared, / Father and son reunited in joy. / Why not appeal to the enlightened ruler, / Let a blue banner be cast in gold?”

In the Chunxi era of the Song Dynasty, Magistrate Chén Yìngɡ erected the “Benben Archway” at the entrance of Shenjia Lane to praise Shen Shiníng’s virtuous filial conduct. Upon hearing of this, Zhu Xi was highly impressed and personally inscribed the name “Benben Archway.”