Valley Shrine

Valley Shrine

The Valley Shrine is a cultural tourism attraction.

Valley Shrine

During the third year of the Chongning era (1104 AD) under Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the renowned writer, calligrapher, and poet Huang Tingjian was demoted and exiled to Yizhou under house arrest. On September 30 of the following year (1105 AD), Huang Tingjian passed away in the Nanlou Tower of Yizhou. Deeply admiring his noble character and vast knowledge, the people of Yizhou built a shrine in his memory after his death. For over 800 years, the Huangshan Shrine in Yizhou has been repeatedly built, destroyed, and rebuilt. From its initial construction in 1105 to its reconstruction in 1986, it has been renovated or rebuilt as many as 15 times.

In the year of Huang Tingjian’s passing, the people of Yizhou built a simple shrine in the Nanlou Tower to commemorate him. This marked the beginning of shrine construction in Yizhou dedicated to Huang Tingjian. However, the shrine was small, had no formal name, and only bore a plaque inscribed with the four characters “Yu Zhang Xian Sheng” (Master of Yuzhang), written by Zhang Anguo of Pinghu, which was hung above the shrine’s entrance.

In the fourth year of the Chunxi era (1177 AD) during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty, Han Bi, the prefect of Yizhou, built the Valley Shrine outside the city, consisting of six rooms. The shrine housed a wooden portrait of Master Huang Tingjian and also featured a pavilion called Qingfeng Pavilion, which contained calligraphy works handwritten by Huang Tingjian. A few decades later, the shrine fell into disrepair, and its exact location remains unknown today.

In the eighth year of the Jiading era (1215 AD) during the reign of Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty, Zhang Ziming from Jianshao, Sichuan, who was serving as an acting prefect of Yizhou while holding the position of professor, discussed with local figures the reconstruction of the Valley Shrine. They purchased the former residence of Li, where Huang Tingjian once lived, near Longxi outside the western gate of the city (present-day site of the Guangxi Bearing Factory), to rebuild the shrine. Zhang Ziming personally donated 100,000 coins from his salary surplus, the prefecture contributed 200,000 coins, and they also secured 240,000 coins from Fang Xinru, the transport judge and criminal investigation intendant of Guangxi, earmarked for salt transport revenues. The entire complex spanned over 40 acres, with the Valley Shrine in the front and Longxi Academy at the back. The architecture was divided into eastern and western sections, each featuring one lecture hall, two study rooms, four living quarters, and one storage room. Behind the shrine, a pavilion was built to house Huang Tingjian’s old portrait, the original plaque of Baohua Pavilion, and stone engravings of Huang Tingjian’s calligraphy. The area was enclosed by walls with a main gate, inside of which stood two ancient pine trees planted by Huang Tingjian himself, known as the “Wan Hong Gate.” Outside the gate was a pond containing a large, half-moon-shaped stone of dark black color, named the “Ink Pond.” The previously dilapidated Baohua Pavilion was restored. Upon the completion of the Valley Shrine and Longxi Academy, three stone steles were erected: one inscribed with “Record of Longxi Academy” by Zhang Ziming, one recording the shrine's land acreage and annual grain harvest, and one depicting the “Map and Record of Longxi Academy” painted by Zhang Ziming. This construction project was the largest in scale throughout its history. However, after more than 200 years of turmoil spanning the late Song, Yuan, and early Ming dynasties, aside from the remaining shrine and three steles, all other structures and lands were destroyed.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, many visionary individuals serving in the Qingyuan Prefecture undertook multiple renovations of the Valley Shrine, some on a relatively large scale. In the sixth year of the Jiajing era (1527 AD) during the reign of Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty, Ye...

...utilizing fines, accumulated grain, surplus funds from annual sacrifices, along with a donation of 40 taels of silver from the local notable Li Hua, carried out a reconstruction on the original site. This included the building of a lecture hall, with the walls inscribed with the White Deer Cave Academy rules. Other structures such as study rooms, storage rooms, and a kitchen were also built. The walls were restored, an outer gate was added, and its horizontal plaque was inscribed with “Longxi Academy.” A memorial archway was erected at the intersection, with its plaque inscribed “Shrine of Master Huang Tingjian.” After the completion of the shrine complex, 100 acres of land were purchased using public funds, with the annual income primarily allocated for sacrificial ceremonies. In the eighteenth year of the Qianlong era (1753 AD), Zha Li, then acting prefect of Qingyuan Prefecture, donated over 400 taels of silver for another round of renovations. The shrine displayed a wooden memorial tablet of Huang Tingjian, with Zhang Ziming honored alongside. This renovation featured three halls, side chambers on both sides, a main gate, and the restoration of the Ink Pond and Baohua Pavilion. Following the work, Zha Li instituted that an elaborate sacrificial ceremony be held annually on June 12th, the birthday of Master Huang Tingjian.

In the sixth year of the Jiaqing era (1801 AD) during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Qing Dynasty, Xie Qikun, the governor of Guangxi, upon learning that Song Kaiheng, the acting prefect of Qingyuan Prefecture, intended to renovate the Valley Shrine, personally donated from his salary to support the project and sent Song a poem as encouragement. Song Kaiheng oversaw this restoration, rebuilding the Valley Shrine and enshrining Huang Tingjian, with Fan Liao also honored. A memorial tomb for Huang Tingjian’s robes and cap was constructed behind the shrine.

Throughout the dynasties, the Valley Shrine served as a sacred site for lectures and worship by the people of Yizhou. On the anniversary of Huang Tingjian’s birth, people of all ages would travel from far and wide to pay their respects. Within the shrine, candles flickered, incense smoke drifted, and the sounds of commemorative songs lingered. “His relic robes and noble words stir our hearts, admiration shared by all. Among the Four Scholars of Su’s School, none matched his literary brilliance and moral integrity. He forged new marvels in the south, his boundless grace weighing heavily on us. The southern lecture hall echoes the red tents of Jiang, extending poetic praise through timeless skies. His esteemed name and remarkable deeds bring fame, his enlightenment efforts unmatched. Worship through the ages continues, befitting the reverence of our scholarly circle.” Each line overflows with the worshippers’ reverence for Huang Tingjian.

Later, due to various reasons including political turmoil, the Valley Shrine was destroyed, and most of its relics were lost, leaving only a self-portrait of Huang Tingjian. In the autumn of 1985, the Yishan County Party Committee, County People’s Congress Standing Committee, County People’s Government, and County CPPCC decided to rebuild the Huang Tingjian Shrine within Bailong Park. With funding support from the Guangxi Bearing Factory, construction began in the spring of 1986 and was completed by October of the same year. The shrine features traditional ancient Chinese architecture with double eaves, upturned corners, and glazed tile roofing. At the center of the shrine’s interior stands a stone tablet bearing Huang Tingjian’s self-portrait, and behind the shrine, a reconstructed memorial tomb for Huang Tingjian’s robes and cap was erected.