Cangxi Wenchang Palace

Cangxi Wenchang Palace

Wenchang was a well-known dry dock in Cangxi. This "dry dock" is in contrast to water docks located near rivers. In ancient times when transportation was inconvenient, people were skeptical about establishing market towns at dry docks. Market towns by rivers not only had a reliable water supply, but also facilitated travel, business, and the transport of goods. Therefore, it was hard for people to believe that any dry dock could enjoy a thousand years of prosperity.

So, how did Wenchang Town in Cangxi become an exception? There must be many reasons, but the presence of the Wenchang Palace, which has stood for a thousand years without collapsing, might be one of them.

What is the Wenchang Palace? You might blurt out, “Isn’t that a temple dedicated to the God of Literature, Wenchang Dijun?” You’re only half right. Originally, this Wenchang Palace was not built to worship Wenchang Dijun, but rather as a schoolhouse.

In ancient times, people believed in geomancy. Even before the place was called Wenchang, some had identified it as a feng shui treasure land. The basis for this belief was captured in these two lines: “Two mountains sharing one head, where a lion rolls a silk ball. Whoever is buried here will have descendants as kings for generations.”

These two mountains refer to the local Jin Kui Mountain and Quan Zi Zhai (now Quan Jia Zhai). The “one head” refers to the flatland shared by the two mountains, which is now the main part of Wenchang Town. If you stand at a suitable vantage point where both mountains are visible, the terrain indeed resembles two lions playing with a ball on the flatland. Once considered a feng shui treasure, it naturally became a point of contention. In ancient times, the area was densely populated. On the side of Jin Kui Mountain there was a Taoist temple, and on the side of Quan Zi Zhai there was a Five Fragrance Temple—both coveted this “lion rolling the silk ball” site. Imagine, the flatland between the two mountains was so limited—so who would get to use it as a burial ground? According to elders, when the local clans argued bitterly over it, grave robbery and tomb relocation became common occurrences. What does grave robbery and tomb relocation mean? It refers to families who failed to secure a burial spot secretly moving the graves of others elsewhere. As a result, not only would the intended family not get the auspicious land, but they wouldn’t even know where their ancestors’ remains ended up. Eventually, the major local clans had to come to the negotiating table, and the agreed-upon solution was: no one would use the land for burials, and instead, they would jointly fund the construction of a schoolhouse. Thus, a plaque inscribed with “Wenchang Shines Over the World” was hung above the entrance of the schoolhouse. This is the original origin of the Wenchang Palace in the region.

With the influence of the schoolhouse’s teachings, it is said that a scholar named Hu Dahua eventually became a successful imperial examination graduate (Jinshi). People quickly erected a statue of Wenchang Dijun to pray for the enduring prosperity of literary talent in the area. It is also said that Magistrate Hu had served in various official posts in Shaanxi, and wherever he went, he built a Wenchang Palace to promote the local tradition of educating people through literature. His hometown’s Wenchang Palace thus gained even greater fame. People even renamed the mountain where the scholar lived as Jin Kui Mountain, and his hometown simply became known as Wenchang.

The local Wenchang Palace was destroyed multiple times in wars and had to be relocated several times. The Wenchang Palace rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty was situated exactly midway between Jin Kui Mountain and Quan Zi Zhai. Today, the Wenchang Palace is also recorded in history as the former office of the “Commoner Marshal” and the location of the Cangxi County Soviet regime.

In those years, the county Soviet government's six committees—including Land, Grain, Labor, Finance, Culture, and Internal Affairs—as well as the Security Bureau, Communications Bureau, Economic Office, Revolutionary Tribunal, and Military District Command, were all located in or near the Wenchang Palace. Many generals of the Fourth Red Army, including Marshal Xu, planned significant Sichuan-Shaanxi military campaigns here. Hence, this Wenchang Palace also carries the weight of revolutionary red history, adding to its fame.

Although parts of the Wenchang Palace’s ancient architecture have been damaged, the serene courtyard where Marshal Xu once worked remains well preserved. Twelve single-story houses with a mortise-and-tenon structure, moss-covered tiles, time-worn wooden lattice windows and doors, sturdy plank walls and beams, a small courtyard paved with bluestones, and the old tree where the marshal once tied his horse—all stand quietly. They coexist with the bustle just beyond the wall and with the indelible memories of those bygone years. (By Hu Bo)