Xiaquan Ancient Town

Xiaquan Ancient Town

Xiaquan Ancient Town is situated along the Demao Highway in the Jiuzhaigou tourism loop, 79 kilometers from Chengdu, the provincial capital, and 21 kilometers from Deyang City proper. The town covers an area of 52.5 square kilometers, with a total population of 42,000, including 20 administrative villages and 5 neighborhood committees. The built-up area is 3 square kilometers, with a permanent population of over 18,000. It is one of the first batch of 100 pilot towns and among the 51 key towns designated in Sichuan Province. It’s also an important settlement of the Hui ethnic group in Deyang and the location of the Islamic Association, where the Hui and Han communities live in harmony.

Xiaquan Ancient Town boasts a long and rich cultural history spanning over 2,000 years. It is the hometown of Jiang Shi, a filial son from the Eastern Han Dynasty and one of China’s “Twenty-Four Paragons of Filial Piety.” In ancient times, it was called Xunxiang, but later earned its name—meaning “Filial Piety Spring”—from the stories of “a family three exemplars of filial piety,” “filial piety moving heaven,” and “clear spring water filling the land.” In 1996, it was listed as a provincial-level historical and cultural town. Classic historical texts such as *Dongguan Hanji*, *Book of the Later Han*, *Zuo Ping Yu Lan*, and *Huayang Guo Zhi* recount the tales of Jiang Shi, his wife Lady Pang, and their son Jiang An’an—three filial individuals from the Jiang family during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The story of “a family of three paragons of filial piety” has wielded far-reaching influence since ancient times. After Jiang Shi passed away, Emperor Ming of Han issued a decree to build the Jiang Gong Temple in Xiaquan to honor the family’s exemplary filial virtue. For nearly two millennia, the site has drawn throngs of visitors who come to pay homage. The tale of “a family of three paragons” was included in the *Ancient Twenty-Four Filial Piety Illustrations*, used as enlightenment material for children’s education. Jiang Shi was posthumously honored by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty with the title “Eastern Sage of Supreme Filial Piety and Vast Benevolence.” The virtues of respecting one’s parents and being loyal to one’s country were upheld by successive dynastic rulers and Confucian scholars as criteria for evaluating a person’s moral character. Emperors such as Emperor Ming of Han, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty all issued decrees praising the family, while literati such as Han Yu, Li Diaoyuan, Huang Yunque, and Xie Wuliang composed poems and inscriptions, some of which remain well-preserved. Historical relics such as the Yuan Dynasty brick pagoda and the Qing Dynasty scripture depository have survived to this day. High-ranking officials such as State Councilor Peng Peiyun and Provincial Vice Governor Han Bangyan attached great importance to the town, while delegations from the Soviet Union, Vietnam, and the United Nations visited and left inscriptions. Thus, Xiaquan has become known as the hometown of filial sons and the birthplace of filial and virtuous culture.

To further promote filial and virtuous culture and develop the tourism industry, Xiaquan Town has restored historical sites and built tourist attractions following the principle of “restoring anew while preserving the old.” In 1988, based on the provincial-level protected cultural relic Longhu Sheli Pagoda, they renovated the Three Filial Sons Park covering an area of 6,000 square meters. In 1996, they raised 37 million yuan to construct the China Filial Virtue City, integrating numerous scenic spots and historic relics, covering an area of...

150 acres. In 2001, the entrance square of Filial Virtue City was leveled in preparation for expansion. In the same year, the Sichuan Urban and Rural Planning and Design Institute was invited to create a comprehensive tourism development plan for Xiaquan Ancient Town, forming five major scenic areas centered around China Filial Virtue City as the core: the Core Scenic Area of Filial Virtue Culture, the Source Scenic Area of Filial Virtue Culture, the Town Entrance Scenic Area, the Traditional Old Town Scenic Area, and the Modern Humanities Scenic Area. In 2003, efforts were made to apply for special funds for cultural relic preservation from higher authorities, completing maintenance work on the provincial protected cultural relic Jiangxiao Ancestral Hall. In the same year, three tourism investment projects were launched: the China Filial Virtue City project under the Core Scenic Area of Xiaquan’s Filial Virtue Culture, the Lingugu Spring project under the Traditional Old Town Scenic Area, and the Traditional Folk Culture Pedestrian Street project under the Traditional Old Town Scenic Area.

While constructing the basic framework of Xiaquan’s Filial Virtue Culture Tourism Industry, emphasis was placed on developing cultural tourism and fostering a strong atmosphere of filial and virtuous culture. From 1996 to the present, Xiaquan Town has carried out activities recognizing new-style filial sons, filial daughters-in-law, and exemplary individuals in respecting the elderly. The selection of Sichuan Province's first Top Ten Filial Sons and Hundred Filial Stars was also extended to Xiaquan. Since 2000, the town has successfully hosted four editions of the China Deyang Filial Virtue Culture Tourism Festival, which have been widely reported by over 20 national, provincial, municipal, and district media outlets. The CCTV program “Sunset Glow” visited Xiaquan twice, achieving excellent outcomes and significant influence. The China Filial Virtue City has been awarded the titles “Sichuan Provincial Youth Social Practice Base” and “Sichuan University Social Practice Base.”