Xue Rengui’s Cold Hut

Xue Rengui’s Cold Hut

Xue Rengui’s Cold Hut is a cultural relic protection unit of Yuncheng City.

Located in Xiucun Village, 10 kilometers east of Hejin City, Shanxi Province, this is the hometown of Xue Rengui, a great general of the Tang Dynasty. Xue Rengui (614–683), a renowned Tang general whose given name was Li and who came from Longmen (now Hejin), was born into a farming family. During the Zhenguan era, he joined the army and also served as the Protector-General of Andong, later being granted the title of Marquis of Pingyang. To the east of the village lies a earthen mound shaped like a crouching tiger, called White Tiger Mound. Beside the mound is an earthen hut, said to be the remains of the cold hut where Xue’s wife, Lady Liu, once lived. To the south of the hut is a cave, named the White Robe Cave because Xue Rengui was known as the “General in White Robes” during his eastern campaign. Inside the cave are two seated statues of Xue and his wife, enshrined by local villagers in memory of them. To the south of the village flows the Fen River, and about two li east of White Tiger Mound in Baidi Village lies the spot where Xue Rengui once shot down wild geese by the Fen River Bay.

Xue Rengui, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty, was from Longmen in Jiangzhou (now Hejin, Shanxi). His given name was Li, and his courtesy name was Rengui, though he was widely known by his courtesy name. He was born in the ninth year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty (613 AD) and died in the second year of the Yongchun era of the Tang Dynasty (683 AD). His main achievements took place during the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong of Tang.

Xue Rengui grew up in poverty, studying literature and practicing martial arts. He had great physical strength, and as he matured, he worked as a farmer and married Lady Liu.

In the later years of the Zhenguan era, Emperor Taizong of Tang planned to lead a military campaign against Goguryeo. Starting in the autumn of the 18th year of Zhenguan (644 AD), he began mobilizing military supplies, provisions, and recruiting soldiers in active preparation for war. Xue Rengui went to enlist under General Zhang Shigui... More details about Xue Rengui ++