Binzhou Fan Gong Ancestral Hall

Binzhou Fan Gong Ancestral Hall

The Binzhou Fan Gong Ancestral Hall is a national AA-level tourist attraction and a cultural relic protection unit of Binzhou City.

The Fan Gong Ancestral Hall is the memorial temple of Fan Zhongyan, a renowned literary figure and statesman of the Northern Song Dynasty. It is located in Henan Village, south of Changshan Town and by the Xiaofu River, adjacent to the river with ancient trees towering above and the architecture exuding a fresh and elegant charm. According to the *Changshan County Annals*, the hall was first built in the second year of the JiPing era of the Song Dynasty (1065), initiated and overseen by Han Ze, the then-county magistrate and a local resident, and has a history of over 900 years. Over the dynasties, it has been damaged and repaired repeatedly, with the last major renovation taking place in the 30th year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty (1851), which is also over 140 years ago. The ancestral hall faces south and is divided into a front and rear courtyard. The front courtyard houses the main hall, while the rear courtyard contains the memorial hall.

The main hall features a hip-and-gable roof construction with gray bricks, blue tiles, bracket sets, and upturned eaves. Inside the hall stands a seated statue of Fan Gong. On the east and west sides in front of the main hall, there is one ginkgo tree each, reaching a height of 10 zhang (approximately 33 meters). There are also three ancient locust trees in the courtyard, among which one has a hollow trunk with a new locust tree growing inside it, lush with branches and leaves—a rare sight referred to as “a mother embracing her child.” The memorial hall boasts carved beams and painted rafters, surrounded by dense groves and slender bamboos, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere. Beneath the hall hang two plaques, inscribed with “Changbai Academy” and “Hermitage of Simple Tastes.” Having withstood the test of time over 900 years, the Fan Gong Ancestral Hall has been designated as a county-level key cultural relic protection unit.

In 1984, the Fan Gong Ancestral Hall was announced as part of the second batch of key cultural relic protection units in Zouping County (Document No. Zou Zheng Fa [1984] 10), and in 2004, it was listed as part of the first batch of key cultural relic protection units in Binzhou City (Document No. Bin Zheng Fa [2004] 3).

Changshan Town: Located in the eastern part of Zouping County, Changshan Town covers an area of 106 square kilometers, governs 10 administrative regions and 110 administrative villages, and has a population of 73,000. It is the long-renowned hometown of Fan Gong, a uniquely distinctive Chinese wind power city, and a renowned Chinese yam-producing region both at home and abroad. It is also one of the first central towns announced by the provincial government. The town has been successively awarded titles such as National Pilot Town for Small Town Construction, National Star Township for Well-off Construction, and Advanced Village/Town in the National Campaign for Creating Civilized Villages and Towns. It has also been recognized as a Shandong Provincial Base for Energy-Saving and Environmental Protection Industries, a Provincial Health Town, a Provincial Civilized Town, one of Shandong Province’s Top Ten Towns for Developing Low-Carbon Economy, and a leading town in the development of private economy at both provincial and municipal levels... More details about Changshan Town++