Memorial Temple of Jia Sixie

Memorial Temple of Jia Sixie

The Memorial Temple of Jia Sixie is a cultural tourism attraction.

Jia Sixie (477–538 AD), a native of Lierzhuang area southwest of Shouguang City, once served as Imperial Attendant, Ministry Langzhong, Qingzhou Biejia (Deputy Governor), and Gaoyang Prefect. Throughout his life, he dedicated himself to scholarship and was able to “possess broad knowledge despite serving in a single region.” He believed that agriculture was the foundation of people’s food and clothing, as well as the basis for national stability, advocating that “food is the foremost priority of governance,” “the key lies in stabilizing the people, enriching them, and then educating them,” and that “hard work can overcome poverty, and diligence can prevent disaster.” He regarded commercial circulation as an “immortal method that benefits both the state and the people,” and also promoted frugality. These insights still shine with the light of simple materialist thought. During his tenure as “Five-Term Shangshu Kaogong Lang” and as a regional prefect, he “collected practical experience, included folk sayings, consulted the experienced, and tested through action” to write the world-renowned *Qimin Yaoshu* (*Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People*). It is the oldest and most complete existing agricultural science compendium in the world, a shining jewel in the history of world agronomy and biology. *Qimin Yaoshu* book cover

*Qimin Yaoshu* consists of 10 volumes, 92 chapters, and 110,000 characters, citing 157 works by predecessors or contemporaries, spanning classics, histories, philosophers, and literary collections, including over 30 farming proverbs and 749 examples. The book discusses methods such as seed selection, seed soaking, fertilization, and crop rotation, cultivation experiences for grains, vegetables, fruit trees, and timber, breeding techniques for livestock, poultry, fish, and silkworms, as well as processing and brewing techniques for agricultural by-products. It systematically summarizes the rich agricultural production experience of the working people in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River before the 6th century. Darwin mentioned in *On the Origin of Species*: “I have seen an ancient Chinese encyclopedia that clearly records the principle of selection,” referring to this very *Qimin Yaoshu*. The Shouguang Municipal Government has since compiled and published *The Chronicles of Jia Sixie* and a vernacular version of *Qimin Yaoshu*. There are now over 20 translations of *Qimin Yaoshu* available worldwide, along with numerous research works on the book.

The Memorial Temple of Jia Sixie was built in 1991. It is a traditional-style building constructed with brick and wood, featuring a main hall and two side rooms, with a total floor area of 198 square meters. The front hall houses a jade sculpture of Jia Sixie, with a simulated version of *Qimin Yaoshu* displayed on the right, and exhibits on his life and achievements in the east and west side rooms.

Jia Sixie (dates of birth and death unknown), from present-day Qingzhou, Shandong Province, was an outstanding agricultural scientist during the Northern Wei Dynasty. He served as Prefect of Gaoyang (present-day northwest of Linzi, Shandong) and traveled to regions such as Shanxi, Henan, and Hebei to study local agricultural practices. Later, he returned to his hometown and personally engaged in farming and animal husbandry. Through diligent study of agricultural knowledge, frequent consultations with experienced farmers, and hands-on involvement in production, he developed profound expertise in agricultural science. Between approximately 533 and 544 AD over the course of more than ten years, Jia Sixie compiled the wealth of agricultural scientific knowledge he had accumulated over the years...  More details about Jia Sixie ++