The Former Residence of Hai Rui in Shixia

The Former Residence of Hai Rui in Shixia

The Former Residence of Hai Rui in Shixia is located in Shixia Village, Xinxing Town, about 2.5 kilometers east of the 70-kilometer marker on the Haiyu Middle Road. The site preserves remnants of the former residences of the Hai family as well as their ancestral burial grounds.

In the 28th year of the Jiajing reign during the Ming Dynasty, Hai Rui returned to Shixia Village to pay homage to his ancestors and stayed here for 25 days. During this time, he witnessed and heard about soldiers brutally killing Li ethnic minority people, which filled him with great indignation. This experience became the basis for his later writings, “Strategies for Governing the Li People” and “Memorial on Pacifying the Li People.” In these two memorials, Hai Rui proposed many beneficial methods for handling the situation, refuted Han chauvinism, and contributed to the unity of Hainan’s various ethnic groups as well as the improvement of the living conditions of the Li people.

The Hai family had lived in Shixia Village for generations, known for their benevolence and good deeds. Later, they produced a loyal statesman—Hai Rui—so the villagers have always held the Hai family in high esteem. Over the years, especially during the Qingming Festival, people would bring incense, candles, joss paper, and offerings such as chicken, duck, fish, and meat to pay respects at the ancestral tombs of the Hai family. The former residence of Hai Rui has been preserved to this day largely through the voluntary protection of local residents.

As the birthplace of a loyal statesman, Shixia Village has a long history and is an important historical site in Tuncheng County, holding significant value for tourism, sightseeing, archaeology, and research.

The Ancestral Burial Grounds of the Hai Family

Shixia Village in Xinxing Town is the birthplace of Hai Rui, the loyal statesman of the Ming Dynasty. To this day, four ancestral tombs of the Hai family remain: the Tomb of Hai Gong, the Founding Ancestor

The tomb of Hai Gong is located on the southern hillside of Shixia Village. There is a stone stele about two meters tall, inscribed with “Tomb of Hai Gong, the Founding Ancestor.” According to elders in Shixia Village, the Hai family was a prominent clan, and their five ancient tombs were relatively well-preserved before the Cultural Revolution. At that time, the area around the tombs still featured stone carvings of dogs, horses, musicians, and boundary stones. In particular, the gravestone of Hai Rui’s mother, Madam Xie, stood five meters tall and half a meter wide, exuding grandeur. Currently, only stone-carved water jugs and bottles remain at the site of the ancient tombs, while Madam Xie’s gravestone has been split in half, with the middle section missing. Only the top and bottom fragments lie horizontally in the grass.

Tip: The peanuts produced locally are quite good—you might want to take some home.

Address:

Shixia Village, Xinxing Town, Tuncheng County, Haikou City