The Place Where Yi Yin Tilled the Land

The Place Where Yi Yin Tilled the Land

The Xinting Yi Yin Tilling Site is located west of Daliwang Village, Xinting Town, Shen County. Xinting was first built during the Han Dynasty. Though the original pavilion no longer stands, its foundation remains. In the 55th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1716), Cheng Guangzhu, the prefect of Dongchang, inscribed the words “The Place Where Yi Yin Tilled the Land at Xinting,” with the caption: “The Way of Yao and Shun was seen in the fields; sages reveal themselves through farming, like dragons among clouds or tigers in the wind.” He ordered Liu Xiao, the county magistrate, to carve the inscription on a stele, rebuild Xinting, and establish an Yi Yin Temple on the eastern side of the pavilion. Yi Yin lived between the Xia and Shang dynasties. He assisted Cheng Tang in defeating Jie, the first tyrannical and debauched ruler in Chinese history, thus overthrowing the Xia and establishing the Shang Dynasty. Later, he also served as advisor to Kings Bu Bing and Zhong Ren. He once exiled Tai Jia and “administered the government on his behalf” until Tai Jia repented. The great literary figure Su Shi praised him as an ancient gentleman who “conducted himself in such a way that the world was not astonished” and who “remained composed in the face of major events.” According to the “Mencius,” before serving as the minister of Shang, Yi Yin once tilled the land in the wilds of Youxin. Later, the area north of present-day Shen County was once referred to as “Yitian.”