Taishi Archway

Taishi Archway

Taishi Archway

The Taishi Archway is located in Longmei Village, Leiming Town, Ding’an County, Hainan Province. It was built in the first month of the lunar year 1574 (the second year of the Wanli reign) and was erected as a memorial to Wang Honghui, an official historian, by Yin Zhengmao, Vice Minister of the Censorate, and Zhang Shouyue, Surveillance Censor of Guangdong, hence the name “Taishi” Archway. The archway is 5.1 meters tall and three bays wide, with the central bay (excluding the pillars) measuring 2.84 meters and the side bays (excluding the pillars) 1.3 meters wide.

The central bay’s archway plaque is 80 cm wide and 3.1 meters long. Between the top cover and the plaque stone is a vertical stone inscribed with the characters “Enrong” (Imperial Favor). On the front of the additional plaque stone of the Taishi Archway, the horizontal regular script characters “Taishi Archway” are engraved in intaglio in the center. On the right side, small regular script characters in vertical lines read: “Yin Zhengmao, Governor of Grain Supply for Fujian and Guangdong, Governor-General of Guangdong, and Minister of War concurrently Vice Minister of the Censorate, and Zhang Shouyue, Surveillance Censor of Guangdong,” while on the left side, small regular script characters in vertical lines read: “Wang Honghui, Jinshi (Imperial Examination Graduate) Rank 20 in the 24th Year of the Jiajing Reign (1545), Editor of the Hanlin Academy, Wenglin Official – Official Historian, established this in the 2nd Month (early winter) of the 2nd Year of the Wanli Reign (1574).” On the reverse side of the archway plaque, the horizontal regular script characters “Jiewu Archway” are engraved in intaglio, with smaller regular script characters on the left reading: “Wang Honghui, First Place in the Guangdong Provincial Examination of the 10th Year of the Jiajing Reign (1531).” The large central pillar facing the archway bears an inscription of a couplet in regular script: “Stone pillars reach the heavens, adorning southern splendor opening six fingers; Jade terraces pierce the stars, shaking the North Star responding to three terraces.” This is said to have been written by Dong Qichang, a famous calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty (Dong Qichang was a student of Wang Honghui).

This Ming Dynasty memorial archway features an extremely simple yet majestic architectural design. Notably, considering Hainan's frequent typhoons, diagonal wind-resistant pillars have been installed at the front and back, making the archway not only sturdy but also elegant in appearance.

Wang Honghui, courtesy name Shaochuan, art name Zhongming, was a native of Longmei Village, Leiming Town, Ding’an County. He was born in the 10th Year of the Jiajing Reign (1514) and died in the 45th Year of the Wanli Reign (1617), at the age of 76. After his death, the imperial court dispatched Dai Xi, then the Educational Commissioner of Hainan, to oversee his funeral. His tomb is located near Jiusu Market, Fuwen Town, Ding’an County.

In the 40th Year of the Jiajing Reign (1561), Wang Honghui passed the provincial examination as the top scholar (Jieyuan) of the Xinxi Class at the age of 20. Four years later, he ranked Jinshi in the Yichou Class and was selected as a Hanlin Bachelor. He successively held positions such as Hanlin Compiler, Hanlin Academician, Co-examiner for the Metropolitan Examination, Supervisor of the Nanjing Imperial College, and Minister of Rites of Nanjing, among others. He was posthumously granted the title of Minor Tutor to the Crown Prince.

In the 45th Year of the Wanli Reign (1617), Wang Honghui passed away in his hometown of Ding’an. The local people spread the news eagerly. “Scholars and commoners mourned him, and shops closed in mourning.” This shows the deep grief felt by the townspeople.

Wang Honghui was highly prolific throughout his life and achieved notable success in literature, establishing his own distinctive style. He authored works such as Shangyou Hall Manuscripts, Travels of Wu and Yue, Tianchi Grass, Record of the Crane Pavilion, Memorials on Southern Rites, Records of the Marvelous Southern Frontier, Discourses on Literature, and Biographies of Famous Ministers of Our Dynasty. His major literary works are described as “profoundly expressive,” “bold and unrestrained,” and “created with purpose.” His poetry and prose are fresh in style, concise in wording, sincere in emotion, precise in theme, rigorous in meter, and meticulous in word choice. When read aloud, they produce a resonant rhythm. However, due to the limitations of Hainan’s historical context, some of his works inevitably include superficial social obligations or contain elements of superstitious content.

Address:

Longmei Village, Leiming Town, Ding’an County

Opening Hours:

Open all day

Admission Fee:

Free admission

Wang Honghui, courtesy name Shaochuan, art name Zhongming, was a native of Ding’an County, Qiongzhou Prefecture (now Hainan Province). He was born in 1541 and died in his hometown of Ding’an in 1617 at the age of 76. After his death, he was posthumously granted the title of Minor Tutor to the Crown Prince and honored with an imperial funeral. Wang Honghui was a renowned statesman and educator of the Ming Dynasty. He served in various roles including Hanlin Bachelor, Compiler, Academician, Co-examiner for the Metropolitan Examination, Supervisor of the Imperial College, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel of Nanjing, and Minister of Rites of Nanjing. He achieved distinction in literature and authored works such as Shangyou Hall Manuscripts, Travels of Wu and Yue, Tianchi Grass, Collection of the Crane Pavilion, Records of the Marvelous Southern Frontier, Southern Rites... More details about Wang Honghui ++