Temple of Yan and Forest of Yan

Temple of Yan and Forest of Yan

The Temple of Yan and Forest of Yan is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Temple of Yan is also known as the Shrine of the Second Sage. It is located in Siga Village, Heshan Township, about 20 kilometers northwest of Ningyang County. The Temple of Yan was a site used to worship Yan Yuan, an ancestor of the Yan family, on the day of the second spring and autumn Zhongyuan festival.

The Temple of Yan faces south and covers an area of approximately 10 mu. The main hall features gray-tiled hanging gables, a wooden structure, with bracket sets under the front eaves. It has three bays, a depth of 7 meters, a width of 11.5 meters, covering an area of 80.5 square meters, and a total height of 8.2 meters. Although not large in scale, the hall still employs major beams, auxiliary beams, and follower beams, featuring the unique structural design where “the two secondary beams are not placed on the main beam.” This type of beam-frame structure is quite rare in China.

The Forest of Yan is located on the southern side of Gaoshan Mountain, west of Siga Village, Heshan Township. It serves as a concentrated burial ground for descendants of the Yan family after Yan Xian, Yan Jun, and Yan He—the 52nd-generation descendants of Yan Hui—moved to Siga. It has been in use for over 30 generations.

The Forest of Yan covers an area of over 100 mu. The woods contain robust and lush trees, including four types of rare species: Phoenix Cypress (also called Bird Spirit Cypress), Scholar Tree, Iron Tree, and Red Coin Elm. These four tree species were all originally precious cultivars found in imperial palace gardens. Because many descendants of the Yan family were learned individuals and considered descendants of the “Sage,” they received imperial favor for their Confucian scholarship through successive dynasties. However, the survival of these four tree types to this day is due to their unique characteristics: First, the Phoenix Cypress (Bird Spirit Cypress), whose cross-sections bear grain patterns resembling birds in flight, lifelike and vivid, making it a wonder of the Forest of Yan. Second, the Scholar Tree, which is used for carving. Even after a thousand years, it does not deform. Its value is calculated by weight. In the 1980s, a Singaporean businessman offered 300,000 yuan to purchase one, but the offer was politely declined. Third, the Iron Tree (as commonly referred to), which is extremely hard, surpassing other tree species, and is often used for palace and mansion gates due to its durability. Fourth, the Red Coin Elm, a type of elm tree. There are only about twenty such trees remaining in China, eight of which are in the Forest of Yan. The elm seeds (elm coins) of this tree are red. While common elms bear seeds in late spring to early summer, the Red Coin Elm bears them in late autumn to early winter, creating a remarkable spectacle.

Yan Hui (521–490 BC), also known as Yan Yuan, courtesy name Ziyuan. A native of the State of Lu during the late Spring and Autumn period, he was one of Confucius’s seventy disciples. He spent most of his life studying and living with Confucius, deeply understanding and practicing Confucian thought. Known for his humility, eagerness to learn, respect for teachers, and outstanding moral character, he was later regarded as the foremost among the “Seventy Disciples” of Confucius and revered as the “Second Sage” of Confucianism.

Yan Hui came from a scholarly and commoner family. His father, Yan Wuyao, was an early disciple of Confucius and one of the “Seventy Disciples.” From childhood, Yan Hui was exceptionally intelligent, diligent in his studies, and highly perceptive. He could... For more detailed information about Yan Hui++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units