Mi Gong Ancestral Hall

Mi Gong Ancestral Hall

Mi Gong Ancestral Hall is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Mi Gong Ancestral Hall, originally named Mi Family Nunnery, is located on Guizi City in ancient Fancheng, facing the Small North Gate of Xiangyang across the Han River. It was first built during the Yuan Dynasty, destroyed in warfare in the late Ming Dynasty, and the current structures were all reconstructed between the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns of the Qing Dynasty. It is a memorial hall dedicated to Mi Fu, an outstanding calligrapher and painter of the Northern Song Dynasty in China. Mi Fu, courtesy name Yuánzhāng, also known as Xiangyang Man Shi and Lumen Jushi, was commonly referred to as Mi Xiangyang. He was born in 1051 and died in 1107. Mi Fu excelled in poetry and prose, was skilled in calligraphy and painting, had a refined eye for art, and had a deep love for collecting. A man of many talents with broad knowledge, he achieved particularly remarkable success in calligraphy and painting. His calligraphy absorbed the brushwork style of Wang Xianzhi, drawing from diverse influences while not confined by convention, forming a unique “vigorous and bold” “brush-stroke” art style, earning him recognition as a master of his generation. Together with Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, and Cai Jing, he is known as one of the Four Great Calligraphers of the Northern Song Dynasty. In painting, he pioneered the “Mi Family Cloudy Mountains,” representing a pioneering development in the history of painting art.

The Mi Gong Ancestral Hall consists of three architectural complexes. The central axis features the main structures: pavilions, the worship hall, stele corridors, Baojin Studio, and Yangao Hall, covering a total area of over 12,000 square meters. The halls house a rich collection of authentic calligraphy works and stone inscriptions by Mi Fu and other artists from the Song Dynasty. The worship hall and Baojin Studio display a dazzling array of plaques and couplets. Inscriptions such as “Incomparably Unorthodox,” “Incomprehensibly Skillful Brushwork,” and “Alongside Meng Lumen, the Two Xiangyang Calligraphic Legends Endure Through the Ages; Together with Su, Huang, and Cai, the Four Giants Where Mi’s Bold Style Overshadows the Other Three” are high praises from later generations for Mi Fu’s calligraphy and personality.

On both sides of the central axis are the East and West Stone Gardens. The gardens feature pavilions, terraces, towers, and corridors arranged in a harmonious and varied layout, with fish-filled ponds. The corridor walls display over 100 stone inscriptions of calligraphy by Mi Fu, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Cai Xiang, and others, as well as more than 30 stone inscriptions of calligraphy left by contemporary renowned calligraphers for the Mi Gong Ancestral Hall. These calligraphic masterpieces form a vast artistic treasure trove, attracting large numbers of domestic and international visitors each year. They promote China’s ancient and outstanding traditional culture and play an important role in publicizing Xiangfan and building a civilized city.

Address: No. 2, Jiefang Road, Fancheng District, Xiangyang City

Type: Ancestral Hall

Recommended visiting time: About 1 hour

Phone: 0710-3469985

Opening hours: 08:00–17:30

Ticket information: 25 RMB per person. Children under 1.2 meters in height, seniors aged 70 and above, active-duty military personnel, and people with disabilities can enter free of charge upon presenting valid credentials. Seniors aged between 60 and 70, as well as elementary, middle, and high school students, can enjoy half-price admission with valid credentials.

Mi Fu, courtesy name Yuánzhāng, also known as Xiangyang Jushi, Haiyue Shanren, among others. He was of Han ethnicity, later relocated to Xiangyang in Hubei, and resided for a long time in Runzhou (present-day Zhenjiang, Jiangsu).

Mi Fu’s fifth-generation ancestor was Mi Xin, a meritorious official in the early Song Dynasty. His great-grandfather and earlier ancestors mostly held military offices. His father, named Zuǒ and courtesy name Guāngfǔ, served as a Military Guard General. His mother, Lady Yán, once served as the wet nurse to Empress Gāo, the wife of Emperor Yīngzōng of Song, Zhao Shu.

Mi Fu once served as a Proofreader, Calligraphy and Painting Doctor, and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He was skilled in poetry, excelled in calligraphy, and mastered various scripts including seal, clerical, regular, running, and cursive scripts. He was adept at copying ancient calligraphy, often achieving near-perfect resemblance.

Initially studied under a certain scholar at the time... More detailed information about Mi Fu++

Mi Gong Subdistrict: Mi Gong Subdistrict Office is located at No. 36, Jiefang Road, with a population of 73,136 and an area of 4.6 square kilometers. It governs 9 neighborhood committees: Jiefang West Road, Han Zhuang, Liye Road, Xingyue, Hanhong, Shizijie, Chaojinmen, Youyi Street, and Daqing West Road.

Mi Gong Subdistrict Office of Fancheng District, Xiangfan City, was established in May 1996. It is located at the head of the First Bridge in Fancheng, stretching from the railway along the First Bridge in the east to Changhong Road in the west, from Jianhua Road in the north to Hanjiang Avenue in the south, covering an area of 8 square kilometers. It administers neighborhoods including Youyi Street, Shizijie, Jiefang West Road, Daqing West Road, Chaohong, Chaojinmen... More detailed information about Mi Gong Subdistrict++

Further reading:

· First Batch of Hubei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Sixth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level