Yang Shushan Ancestral Hall

Yang Shushan Ancestral Hall

Yang Shushan Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

Destination Introduction

Yang Jiaoshan Ancestral Hall is located at No. 12 Dazhiqiao Hutong, Xuanwu District. It was the former residence of Yang Jisheng from the Ming Dynasty. The hall houses the Jiancao Pavilion, where stone tablets display the drafts of Yang’s two memorials criticizing court politics.

Yang Jisheng (1516–1555), courtesy name Zhongfang, art name Jiaoshan, was a native of Rongcheng, Hebei, and a successful candidate in the imperial examinations during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. While serving as an Assistant Director in the Ministry of War, he was demoted for submitting the "Memorial Requesting the Abolition of the Horse Market." Later reinstated, he submitted another memorial, "Memorial Requesting the Execution of the Treacherous Ministers," within a month of taking office, listing fifty major crimes of Yan Song. He was then imprisoned by Yan Song in the Ministry of Justice prison. Before his execution, he left the famous lines: “My noble spirit returns to the void; my loyal heart shines through the ages. The unfinished tasks of my life shall be completed by future generations!” He was 40 years old at the time. Twelve years after his death, Emperor Muzong ascended the throne and posthumously awarded him the title of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, with the posthumous name Zhongmin. For over 400 years afterward, many scholars and celebrities composed poems and essays praising Yang Jisheng’s character and integrity.

During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, his former residence, Songyun An, was converted into an ancestral hall. The main gate bears a stone plaque inscribed “Former Residence of Mr. Yang Jiaoshan.” The main hall houses a statue of Yang Jisheng, and the study where he drafted his memorials was later called the “Jiancao Hall.” The memorials he wrote accusing Yan Song were engraved on stone by the renowned stoneworker Zhang Shouzhi from Haiyan, a commoner known for his skill. These stone engravings were embedded into the walls of the Jiancao Hall. Zhang Shouzhi deeply respected Yang’s uprightness and meticulously carved Yang’s authentic handwriting onto the stone. After completing the engravings, Zhang died inside Songyun An. During the Daoguang reign, a “Jiancao Pavilion” was built in the southwest corner of the hall. Inside the pavilion is a Chinese elm tree planted by Jiaoshan himself and a stone tablet. During the Hundred Days' Reform, over 1,300 scholars led by Kang Youwei and Tan Sitong gathered here. Kang Youwei drafted a petition to the emperor, known as the “Gongche Shangshu.” It is a key cultural relic under municipal protection in Beijing.

Beijing Xuanwu District