Chen Family Ancestral Home in Taoli and the Five Worthies Square

Chen Family Ancestral Home in Taoli and the Five Worthies Square

The Chen Family Ancestral Home in Taoli and the Five Worthies Square is a cultural tourism attraction.

Five Worthies Square: Located at the old north gate of Xiushui County, covering an area of 14,802 square meters, it lies between Yanjiang Road, Zhanqian Road, and the Anju Project Passage. It serves as the northern entrance to Xiushui and is the first impression visitors get when entering the county. When people arrive after hours of travel through winding roads from the direction of Jiujiang and Nanchang, they are greeted by this expansive square. This square is named the Five Worthies Square. After repeated discussions and soliciting advice from relevant individuals, the county’s joint party and government meeting decided to name the square the Five Worthies Square, proudly showcasing the “Five Worthies of Yining.” At the center of the square stand five granite memorial pillars in the shape of ancient archways, each carved with the portrait and a brief introduction of one of the Five Worthies of Yining. These pillars aim to inspire future generations with the deeds of these local luminaries, promote Xiushui, echo the growing academic interest in Yining Studies, and boost the development of tourism in the region.

Chen Family Ancestral Home: Taoli in Xiushui is the birthplace of two renowned figures from the late Qing Dynasty — Chen Baozhen and his son Chen Sanli. Chen Baozhen (1831–1900) served as the governor of Hunan and led the influential Hunan Reform Movement during the late Qing period. He was a bold and accomplished regional official. His son, Chen Sanli (1853–1937), was one of the “Four Reform Gentlemen,” a representative poet of the Tongguang poetic school in the late Qing, and a patriotic modern poet. Chen Sanli’s eldest son, Chen Hengke (1876–1923), was a renowned modern painter, equally famous as Qi Baishi, and also skilled in seal carving, calligraphy, and poetry. Chen Sanli’s third son, Chen Yinke (1890–1969), was a distinguished modern historian, master scholar, and educator, widely respected for his vast knowledge and high standing in the academic community. (Four generations of the Chen family — spanning three generations and four individuals — are listed in both the Cihai dictionary and The Dictionary of Famous Chinese Figures.) Chen Hengke’s second son, Chen Fenghuai (1900–1993), was a celebrated botanic garden expert and plant taxonomist. The emergence of these five outstanding figures from four generations of the Chen family is a unique miracle in China, referred to by later generations in Xiushui as the “Five Worthies of the Chen Family.”

Taoli still preserves two adjacent Qing Dynasty-era ancestral homes of Chen Baozhen and Chen Sanli, which are designated as county-level cultural heritage sites. One of them, named “Fengzhu Hall,” derives its name from the saying, “A phoenix will only roost on a phoenix tree and eat only bamboo seeds; the phoenix is known for its benevolence, and the bamboo for the virtue of a nobleman.” The Chen family residence consists of two connected brick-and-wood structures. The right side is an older house built during the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, featuring a single-entry, double-courtyard layout with a width of 17.4 meters, depth of 17.4 meters, and height of 6.3 meters. The wing rooms on either side of the central courtyard serve as living and official reception rooms, while the rooms on the upper and lower halls are bedrooms and studies. Chen Baozhen once lived in the upper hall, and Chen Sanli was born there. The left side is a newer house built during the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty, measuring 12.7 meters in width, 15.6 meters in depth, and 6.3 meters in height. Taoli enjoys a beautiful natural environment with green mountains, bamboo groves, birdsong, fragrant flowers, flowing streams, fresh air, and a pleasant climate — all free from industrial pollution. The village has a high number of long-lived residents. The area where the Chen family ancestral home is located, Zhuduan, spans 7.2 square kilometers, and its residents are all descendants of Hakka people. The villagers still speak the Hakka dialect and maintain traditional Hakka customs.

Chen Baozhen (1831–July 22, 1900), given name Guanshan, courtesy name Xiangzhen, art name Youming, and self-styled as the “Four-Awakened Elder” in his later years, was a native of Yining (now Xiushui), Jiangxi Province. In 1852, he passed the imperial provincial examination and began his official career. His literary talent, strategic insight, and administrative abilities earned him the high regard of Zeng Guofan, the Viceroy of Liangjiang. He successively served as Judicial Commissioner of Zhejiang and Hubei, Provincial Administration Commissioner of Zhili, and Vice Minister of War, earning the title of one of the “Two Tigers of Jiangxi” alongside Xu Xianping. In 1895, while serving as Governor of Hunan, he worked with Judicial Commissioner Huang Zunxian, Education Commissioner Jiang Biao, and others to implement reforms, establishing the Current Affairs School and founding companies for mining, shipping, telegraphy, and manufacturing... More details about Chen Baozhen ++

Chen Sanli (October 23, 1853 – September 14, 1937), courtesy name Bo Yan, art name San Yuan, was a native of Yining (now Xiushui), Jiangxi, and an important representative figure of the Tongguang poetic school in modern times.

Born into an eminent family, Chen Sanli was the eldest son of the late Qing reformist official Chen Baozhen, the father of the master sinologist and historian Chen Yinke, and the renowned painter Chen Hengke. Coming from an aristocratic background, he was known as one of the “Three Gentlemen of Huxiang” along with Tan Yankai and Tan Sitong in his youth, and one of the “Four Reform Gentlemen” alongside Tan Sitong, Xu Renzhu, and Tao Jucun. Chen Sanli is hailed as China’s last traditional poet. He... More details about Chen Sanli ++

Chen Yinke, a native of Yining (now Xiushui County), Jiangxi, was born on July 3, 1890, in Changsha, Hunan, and died on October 7, 1969, in Guangzhou. He was one of the most renowned historians, classical literature scholars, and linguists in modern China.

Chen Yinke (pronounced chén yín que — although the character 恪 is pronounced “kè” in Mandarin, Mr. Chen Yinke, being of Hakka descent, was nicknamed “Ke’er” [恪儿], hence the name is correctly pronounced as “que”) was the son of the famous poet Chen Sanli and the grandson of Chen Baozhen, the enlightened Governor of Hunan who supported reform. Chen Yinke... More details about Chen Yinke ++

A Chinese painter. His courtesy name was Shishi, and his art names were Huai Tang and Xiudao Ren. A native of Yining (now Xiushui), Jiangxi, he was the son of Chen Sanli. He studied in Japan and later returned to China to engage in art education. Skilled in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and especially seal carving — having received guidance from Wu Changshuo — his brushwork was simple yet rich in meaning. His landscape paintings incorporated techniques from Shen Zhou and Shi Tao, often depicting garden scenes. His freehand fruit and flower paintings were influenced by Chen Daofu and Xu Wei, combined with life studies. He occasionally painted genre figures. He shared a deep friendship and artistic influence with Qi Baishi. His works include History of Chinese Painting, Research on Chinese Literati Painting (a combination of translated works and his own treatises), and Seal Impressions from the Blue-Green Studio... More details about Chen Hengke ++

Chen Fenghuai, one of the founders of Chinese botanic gardens. He graduated from Southeast University in 1926 and studied at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in the UK from 1934 to 1936 to help establish the Lushan Botanical Garden. He later served in various roles including at the Lushan Botanical Garden, Nanjing Zhongshan Botanical Garden, Wuhan Botanical Garden, and in his later years became Director of the South China Botanical Garden at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Guangzhou), then Honorary Director of the South China Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He maintained a close and joyful relationship with his younger uncle Chen Yinke, providing great comfort to the latter during his lonely years.

Chen Fenghuai, born on May 16, 1900, in Jiangsu... More details about Chen Fenghuai ++