Zongshan Academy Memorial Archway and Stone Carvings

Zongshan Academy Memorial Archway and Stone Carvings

The Zongshan Academy Memorial Archway and Stone Carvings are designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

The Zongshan Academy Memorial Archway is located by the Zhongli Stream in Jinsi Town, Chao’an County. It was built in the 11th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1532) by Xue Kan, an official of the Ministry of Rites, in honor of his mentor Wang Yangming. This four-pillar, three-bay stone archway has a total width of 7 meters and a height of approximately 6 meters. The front of the archway is inscribed with “Zongshan Academy,” while the back bears the inscription “Looking Up in Admiration.”

The Zongshan Academy Archway is situated by the Zhongli Stream in Taxia Village, Jinsi Town. In the 11th year of the Jiajing reign (1524), Xue Kan, having passed the imperial examination as a Jinshi in the 12th year of the Zhengde reign (1517), returned home to care for his parents. During this time, he studied under Wang Yangming in Ganzhou and later shared his teachings with his elder brother Xue Jun, who then brought their sons and nephews to learn from Wang Yangming. From then on, Wang’s philosophy flourished in eastern Guangdong. In the 3rd year of the Jiajing reign (1524), Xue Kan requested leave due to his mother’s death. He later built a lecture hall at the foot of Mount Sangpu and erected this memorial archway and a shrine for his mentor Wang Yangming. While the shrine has long been destroyed, only the archway remains. The archway is about 6 meters high and 7 meters wide, featuring a three-bay, two-story structure entirely made of stone. Its beams and pillars are connected using mortise-and-tenon joints, making it sturdy, towering, and dignified in appearance. The front is inscribed with “Zongshan Academy,” and the back reads “Looking Up in Admiration.”

Xue Kan was a native of Xuelong in Anbu, Chao’an. He passed the imperial examination as a Jinshi in the 12th year of the Zhengde reign (1517) and served as an official of the Ministry of Rites. He was dismissed from office after submitting a memorial that angered the emperor regarding imperial succession. He then returned home and built a lecture hall at the foot of Mount Sangpu, where he also erected a shrine and this memorial archway for his mentor Wang Yangming. The shrine no longer exists, but the archway remains.

In 1987, the Chaozhou Municipal People’s Government designated it as a cultural relic protection unit.

Taxia Village: Taxia Village is a standalone natural village. With the exception of three households surnamed Yang, all other residents share the surname Lin. The founding ancestor of the Lin family, Lady Huang, migrated here from Zhangzhou Prefecture in Fujian Province in 1270 (during the late Song Dynasty) and gave birth to the first-generation ancestor, Xianyin Gong, in the same year. Upon their arrival, there was an ancient pagoda on Mount Sangpu to the south of the village. Since the mountain was called Pagoda Mountain, the village was named Taxia (meaning “below the pagoda”), a name that has been used ever since.

Taxia Village is located 1.5 kilometers southwest of Jinsi Town Center. To the northeast, it neighbors Xiandu Third Village, to the northwest it borders Xilin Village of Shaxi Town, and to the southwest it lies against Mount Sangpu. The village covers an area of 1.78 square kilometers, most of which consists of sandy loam fields suitable for planting aquatic crops... More details about Taxia Village++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units in Guangdong Province