Former Residence of Hai Rui

Former Residence of Hai Rui

The Former Residence of Hai Rui is a cultural tourism attraction.

At the edge of Hongcheng Lake on Zhuyun Road in the ancient city, a solemn "Nanhai Qingtian" memorial archway stands along the roadside of Hongcheng Lake. Behind the archway lies a group of classical-style buildings — this is the newly reconstructed Former Residence of Hai Rui.

Hai Rui (1514–1587), courtesy name Ruxian, style name Gangfeng, was a native of Zhujulizhen in the ancient city. He was a famous politician of the Ming Dynasty, known for his integrity, uprightness, and clean governance, and was honored by the people as the "Hai Qingtian" (Hai the Upright Heaven).

Orphaned at a young age, Hai Rui, under the guidance of his mother, developed the ambition to "study the classics of the sages and serve the affairs of the nation." After passing the provincial examination at the age of 36 and becoming a juren (recommended man), he was selected by the Ministry of Personnel for an official post. He first served as an instructor at the Nanping County School in Fujian, then was promoted to magistrate of Chun’an and Xingguo counties. In the third year of the Jiajing reign (1564), he was appointed as an assistant director in the Yunnan Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue. Deeply concerned about Emperor Jiajing’s neglect of state affairs and obsession with alchemists, in the 44th year of Jiajing (1565), he risked his life to submit the "Memorial on Governance," criticizing the successes and failures of court politics — speaking out what no one else dared to say — which offended the emperor and led to his dismissal and imprisonment. After the death of Emperor Jiajing, he was released and reinstated. In the third year of the Longqing reign (1569), he was promoted to regional inspector of Yingtian, where he eliminated malpractices, reformed the bureaucracy, redressed injustices, and managed the rehabilitation of the Wusong River and Bai'mao River. He was deeply loved by the people. In the fourth year of Longqing (1570), due to denunciations by Dai Fengxiang, Gao Gong, and others, he was dismissed from office and returned home for a 15-year retirement. In the 13th year of the Wanli reign (1585), the court recalled the elderly Hai Rui to serve as Right Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Censorate. During his tenure, he continued to advocate for strict punishment of corruption and the purification of the bureaucracy, and later passed away in office. He was posthumously granted the title of Minor Tutor to the Crown Prince and awarded the posthumous name Zhongjie (Loyal and Upright). His surviving works include the Collected Works of Hai Zhongjie.

The Former Residence of Hai Rui was originally located in Haizhaitang Village outside the northern gate of the ancient city during the Ming Dynasty, now part of Zhujulizhen by Hongcheng Lake in the ancient city. Zhujulizhen belonged to the western outskirts of the ancient city’s west ward, bordered by Jinhua Village to the west and Beisheng Street to the east. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was a thriving residential area. At that time, the slopes north of the village were vegetable fields, with woods on the east and west sides. The current site of Hongcheng Lake was once a hundred-acre expanse of fertile farmland, surrounded by many ponds, including one in front of the original Hai Rui residence. The entire Zhujulizhen was filled with beautiful pastoral scenery.

Hai Rui spent a long period of his life in his hometown residence. Before the age of 39, aside from traveling to the capital for imperial examinations, he never left his hometown. From the age of 40 in the 32nd year of Jiajing (1553) to the age of 57 in the 4th year of Longqing (1570), he served in official posts away from home for a total of 18 years. From the 5th year of Longqing to the 12th year of Wanli (1584) at the age of 71, he retired to his hometown for 15 years. In the 13th year of Wanli, he served in Nanjing until his death at the age of 74 in the 15th year of Wanli (1585). In total, Hai Rui lived in his hometown for 53 years.

Hai Rui lived an upright and uncorrupted life, earning the admiration of his contemporaries. His hometown became a place of pilgrimage. After his death, due to a lack of successors, his former residence gradually fell into decline. By the early Qing Dynasty, the site had been sold to another family.

In the 26th year of the Kangxi reign (1687), Tong Xiangnian, the prefect of Qiongzhou, was outraged by the fate of such a loyal official. He located the ruins of Hai Rui’s former residence, redeemed the site at official expense, set up stone boundary markers, and explicitly forbade anyone from occupying the land under any pretext. He also built the Temple of Lord Hai and the Temple of Lord Qiu in the center of the site, purchased ritual farmland, and invited descendants of the two lords to manage the temples.

In the 42nd year of Kangxi (1703), Peng Peng, an imperial censor from the Censorate, inspected Qiongzhou and was dissatisfied with the scale of the Temple of Hai Rui. He specifically ordered Huang Guocai, deputy regional inspector of the Thunder-Qiongzhou Circuit, and Jia Tang, prefect of Qiongzhou, to expand the temple on the original site of Hai Rui, while also constructing the Temple of Lord Su and the Temple of Lord Qiu. The three temples were arranged around an enclosing wall and collectively referred to as the Three Sages Temple. The Three Sages Temple built on the site of Hai Rui’s former residence was the most magnificent commemorative architectural complex in Hainan’s history.

In the autumn of the 34th year of Qianlong (1769), Qin Qili, the provincial administration commissioner of Guangdong, erected a stele in the Temple of Lord Hai. The stele inscribed the boundaries of Hai Rui’s former residence and strictly prohibited anyone from encroaching or misusing the land. This stele, known as the Stele of Hai Rui’s Hometown, has been preserved to this day. It is 1.7 meters tall, 0.53 meters wide, and 0.13 meters thick. The main text is engraved in regular script with intaglio lettering, though most of the small characters have become blurred. The seven large characters "Ming Hai Zhongjie Gong Gu Li" ("Former Residence of Ming Dynasty’s Loyal and Upright Lord Hai") are each 16 cm square.

In the late Qing and early Republican period, the Three Sages Temple had already collapsed, and descendants lacked the means to repair it. In August of the 9th year of the Republic of China (1920), Zhao Fan, Minister of Communications, and Li Genyuan, Lieutenant General, Supervisor of Coastal Defense, and Governor of Shaanxi Province, jointly erected the Hai Rui Hometown Stele and the Qiu Jun Hometown Stele on the site of Hai Rui’s former residence. The steles feature regular script with intaglio lettering, with character sizes ranging from 5 to 16 cm. These steles are now incomplete and are housed in the Haigong Pavilion by Hongcheng Lake in Zhujulizhen, Zhuyun Road, in the ancient city.

After liberation, the site of Hai Rui’s former residence became a vegetable plot. In 1978, local residents voluntarily raised funds to build a small earthen-and-wood temple dedicated to Lord Hai, enshrining a wooden statue of Hai Rui, as well as wooden spirit tablets of notable locals such as Lin Jie (biographies of whom appear in both prefectural and county records). The aforementioned two steles were also retrieved and placed under the eaves of the temple.

In 1991, relevant departments of the Hainan Provincial People’s Government and members of all walks of life in Hainan began reconstructing Hai Rui’s former residence on the original site, expressing the people’s reverence for Hai Rui.

The reconstructed Former Residence of Hai Rui faces south with its back to the ancient Zhujulizhen main street, and looks west toward Hongcheng Lake. It covers an area of 1,363 square meters. Based on the original layout of Hai Rui’s residence and drawing inspiration from the architectural style of Hainan during the Ming Dynasty, it was designed with contributions from descendants of Hai Rui’s hometown, and funded by donations from the Qiongshan County Government, the Ancient City Town Government, and various individuals.

The front gate is styled as a memorial archway, with a wooden plaque bearing the name “Hai Rui Former Residence” hanging centrally above, topped with another plaque inscribed with the four characters “Yuedong Zhengqi” (Upright Qi of Eastern Guangdong). Entering the front gate, you will see two main halls, front and rear, each consisting of a central room with two side chambers. Flanking the main halls are wing rooms, including a study, exhibition hall, flower hall, and utility room.

The main halls feature ten-pillar raised-beam structures with stone walls on all sides. The eaves are 3.6 meters high, and all ten pillars are made from imported kyun timbers, rafters from imported fir woods, and decorative boards crafted from Hainan specialty tree species such as ironwood and bao’mi wood. The surrounding wall stretches 154 meters in length and is 2.2 meters high, with green bamboo latticework windows installed along it.

The currently located Former Residence of Hai Rui at the intersection of Zhuyun Road and Hongcheng Lake Road was rebuilt in 1997 through fundraising efforts by various sectors in Qiongshan.

The reconstructed Former Residence of Hai Rui consists of individual structures such as the front hall, main hall, rear house, study, flower hall, servant room, utility room, and kitchen. It was completed and opened to the public on the 480th anniversary of Hai Rui’s birth. In 1998, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit of Qiongshan.

To promote Hai Rui’s unyielding and principled spirit, and integrate his former residence into the scenic landscape of the beautifully landscaped Hongcheng Lake Park, in May 2002, the site added a plaza, statues, and memorial archways, covering a total area of 3,300 square meters. In January 2003, further improvements were made to the residence and its auxiliary facilities.

Upon entering the Former Residence of Hai Rui, the first thing that catches your eye is a large memorial archway inscribed with the four characters “Nanhai Qingtian.” On either side are inscriptions reading “Gangfeng” and “Zhongjie,” Hai Rui’s self-styled name and posthumous title, respectively.

The base of the archway is carved with wave patterns, the top with auspicious cloud motifs, and the central gate with a pair of vivid, symmetrical dragon heads.

Passing through the archway, visitors are greeted by a spacious Hai Rui Plaza, centered around a towering stone statue of Hai Rui. In front of the statue is a large cauldron inscribed with auspicious phrases such as “Fame Lasts for Ten Thousand Generations” and “Immortality for a Thousand Autumns.” The base of the large stone statue of Hai Rui features carvings depicting his life story on the northern side.

The front hall of the Former Residence of Hai Rui is 13 meters wide and 9.4 meters deep, featuring a raised-beam structure with a single-eave gable and hip roof covered in tubular tiles. The main hall is 12.5 meters wide and 9.2 meters deep, with a 1.3-meter-deep front eave corridor, also featuring a single-eave gable and hip roof with tubular tiles. Inside is a fiberglass-cast statue of Hai Rui, 1.6 meters tall with a 70-centimeter-high base. Below the shrine is a wooden plaque inscribed with the characters “Xiao Zhong” (Filial Piety and Loyalty) in intaglio. Between the flower hall and the study is an 8.8-meter-long, 2.5-meter-wide corridor, inside of which are five stone steles inscribed with calligraphy by Hai Rui. Next to the servant room is a stone well built using the stone well rings left from the Ming-era Hai Rui residence. The well ring is circular, 90 centimeters in diameter, 35 centimeters high, and 6 centimeters thick, with the well depth to the water surface being 1.3 meters.

The overall architectural style of the Hai Rui Former Residence follows the traditional residential style of Hainan during the Ming Dynasty. It has become a site for later generations to pay homage to the sage and serves as an educational base for inheriting traditional culture and promoting clean and diligent governance.

Address: No. 67, Hongcheng Lake Road, Qiongshan District, Haikou City

Type: Celebrity Former Residence

Recommended Visiting Time: 1–2 hours

Opening Hours:

8:00-18:00

Ticket Information:

Admission is free.

Hai Rui (1514–1587), courtesy names Ruixian (汝贤) or Guokai (国开), and art name Gangfeng (刚峰), was commonly referred to as Master Gangfeng. He was a statesman and renowned clean official of the Ming Dynasty, hailing from Qiongshan. Orphaned at the age of four, he was raised and educated by his mother. In 1549 (the 28th year of the Jiajing reign), he passed the imperial examination for the xiucai degree. In 1553 (the 32nd year of the Jiajing reign), Hai Rui was appointed as a Confucian instructor at the Nanping County School in Yanping Prefecture, Fujian. Upon taking office, he established sixteen educational regulations that students were required to follow diligently. Due to his outstanding performance in education, he earned the appreciation of Vice Censor-in-Chief Zhu Heng and was summoned to oversee an academy. He advocated for upholding the dignity of teachers. On one occasion, when an imperial education inspector visited the school, … More details about Hai Rui ++