Heping Yangming Park

Heping Yangming Park

Yangming Park is located on Dongshan Ridge in Heping County. The park houses the Yangming Museum, which covers an area of 3,000 square meters and displays historical relics, cultural materials, and folklore related to Wang Yangming and Heping. The stone staircase of Yangming Park has 666 steps, hence it is nicknamed the “Stairway to Heaven,” also known as “Everything Goes Smoothly” for its auspicious number. Climbing up offers a panoramic view of Heping County.

Wang Shouren (1472–1529), a Chinese philosopher of the Ming Dynasty, was the synthesizer of the Idealist School of Mind (Xinxue). His courtesy name was Bohan and his alias was Yangming. A native of Yuyao, Zhejiang, he was a renowned thinker, writer, philosopher, and military strategist during the Ming era, and the culmination of the Lu-Wang School of Mind. He had profound knowledge of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Wang Shouren is celebrated alongside Confucius, Mencius, and Zhu Xi as one of the “Four Sages” (Kong, Meng, Zhu, Wang). His philosophy, known as Wang’s Learning (Yangmingism), became the most influential school of thought in the Ming Dynasty. His teachings spread across China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, establishing him as both a moral exemplar and influential thinker.

In Heping County, buildings, streets, and local products named after “Yangming” are everywhere. Five hundred years ago, there was neither Heping County nor Yangming Town—these names all stem from the Ming Dynasty statesman, military strategist, philosopher, and writer Wang Shouren (courtesy name Yangming). Since the county's establishment in the 13th year of the Zhengde reign (1518), for five hundred years, the people of Heping have remembered Wang Shouren (also known as Yangming).

　　Before Heping County was established, this land was a strategic junction for Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian provinces, described as “at the intersection of four counties and a leftover piece of land among three provinces.” Although the population was gradually increasing, it did not become a cohesive county or town with a concentrated population. Moreover, due to the lack of effective governance, “official authority did not reach here, and human activity was rare,” which gradually turned it into a haven for bandits. “Bandit nests multiplied daily, while the resident population dwindled.”

　　Dating back to the Qin Dynasty, the current territory of Heping County belonged to Longchuan County, established in the 33rd year of Qin Shi Huang’s reign. Later, these areas were divided among Longchuan, Zhongxin, and Heyuan counties.

　　Because the bandits in this region were so troublesome, to ensure the safety of local residents and traveling merchants, the Yuan and Ming dynasties established the “Heping Patrol Inspectorate.” This included a patrol inspector and a corresponding number of archers responsible for inspecting travelers, cracking down on smuggling, and capturing bandits. Not far from the patrol station, there was also a garrison of imperial troops—the Guangyi Thousand-Household Garrison—located at today’s Pengzhai Military Encampment in Heping.

　　However, the imperial troops did not seem very effective. The bandit activities in the area grew increasingly rampant, with several groups even setting up flags and occupying mountains as their strongholds: Xie Zhishan, Lantianfeng, and Zuoxi from Hengshui, Tonggang, and Zuoxi in Nanan Prefecture, Jiangxi, who called themselves the “Southern Expedition King”; Chen Yineng from Dayu, Jiangxi; Gao Kuaima from Lechang, Guangdong; and Zhan Shifu from Nanjing, Fujian. Among them, the most formidable force was led by someone known by three grand titles—Jinlong Overlord, Chi Zhongrong, and Chi Dabian—all referring to the same person. Based in Litudou, he “appointed” several marshals including Chi Zhong’an, Chi Zhongning, and Gao Feijia, who each commanded 40 colonels and generals, leading hundreds of soldiers and guarding dozens of strongholds along the Guangdong–Jiangxi border. He was referred to by the authorities as a “veteran outlaw,” a “gigantic bandit for thousands of years and the source of tri-provincial trouble,” or the “chief outlaw and ringleader among marauders.”

　　These bandits not only fought independently and seized cultivated lands, causing “people to flee and fields to lie barren, with mulberry, hemp, pepper, and wheat left to wither” (from Yu Jing’s “Petition for the Establishment of Heping County” in the Ming Dynasty), but they also formed alliances, often repelling imperial troops such as the Langbing (elite minority soldiers from western Hunan and Guizhou), and even launching offensives that routed government-appointed officials: “They captured the magistrate of Heyuan, abducted the administrator of Nanan Prefecture, tied up the county magistrate of Longnan County, and executed the commander of Xinfeng Post.”

　　The repeatedly victorious Chi Zhongrong once boasted: “The Langbing are easy to deal with. Even if they are summoned, it would take half a year. Even if I avoid them, it would only take a month.”

　　Unable to defeat them and having wasted much military expenditure, the court resorted to bribing the mountain lords. Chi Zhongrong took the money but continued to attack towns and villages, looting and pillaging. When troops came, the bandits scattered and returned home to pose as farmers; when the troops left, they went back to being robbers.

Clearing Away a Hundred Miles of Evil in One Battle: Wang Yangming’s Wise Subjugation of Chi Zhongrong

　　This dire situation was changed by Wang Shouren.

　　Wang Shouren (1472–1528), also known as Yangming, was a master of the “School of Mind” philosophy renowned both in China and abroad. Yet as a child, he disliked the Four Books and Five Classics and instead loved military strategy and archery. At the age of 15, he once told his father, Wang Hua—who was the top scholar in the 17th year of the Chenghua reign (1481)—“I’ve written a letter to the emperor and wish to lead tens of thousands of troops to quell national crises!” However, he received stern criticism from his father.

　　Wang Shouren then dedicated himself to studying and passed the provincial examination at the age of 20. But he failed the metropolitan examinations in both the 6th year of the Hongzhi reign (1493) and the 9th year (1496). Three years later, he finally passed the imperial examination and was appointed in the 13th year of the Hongzhi reign (1500) as an official in the Ministry of Justice’s Yunnan Branch, later transferring to the Ministry of War (responsible for selecting military officers and managing military rosters, weapons, and orders). His involvement with military affairs gave the hero a chance to shine, fulfilling his childhood aspiration.

　　In September of the 11th year of the Zhengde reign (1516), Wang Jing, the Minister of War who had long admired Wang Shouren’s talents, recommended him for promotion to Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. He was ordered to serve as regional inspector for southern Jiangxi (Nanan and Ganzhou), western Hunan (Chenzhou), and southern Guangdong (Nanxiong, Shaoguan, Huizhou, and Chaozhou), instructing him to suppress any bandits he encountered.

　　Wang Shouren, well-read in military texts and full of strategic insight, had already conducted a thorough analysis of the situation. Earlier, he had overcome challenges such as lax discipline among imperial troops, the unreliability of Langbing (ethnic minority troops from western Hunan and Guizhou), and insufficient funding to pacify the bandits of Zhangnan. In February of the 12th year of the Zhengde reign (1517), Wang Yangming defeated Zhan Shifu of Zhangnan and petitioned to establish Qingping County (now Pinghe County). After this battle, Wang Yangming gained great renown. His “Proclamation to the Bandits of Litudou” persuaded the “bandits” of Longchuan—Lu Ke, Zheng Zhigao, Chen Ying—and Huang Jin’ao of Litudou to surrender. By then, he had already devised a strategy to pacify the three major rebel groups in southern Jiangxi, including those in Litudou.

　　But the Jinlong Overlord was still the Jinlong Overlord—Chi Zhongrong refused to surrender. In July of the 12th year of the Zhengde reign (1517), his allies, Xie Zhishan of Hengshui and Lantianfeng of Tonggang, were quickly defeated upon contact with Wang Shouren’s troops. The two leaders were captured alive, while the other rebels were killed or taken prisoner. By October of that year, Chongyi County was established.

　　At this point, among the three largest rebel forces at the tri-provincial border of Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi, only Chi Zhongrong’s remained. Known as the “most defiant bandit leader among the tri-provincial marauders,” the cunning and fierce Jinlong Overlord was the hardest to crack—and the hardest was saved for last. “The initial plan was to attack Hengshui first, then Tonggang, and finally join forces with Guangdong to gradually deal with Litudou; just as when tackling hardwood, you start with the softer parts and then move to the tougher joints.” (From Wang Shouren’s “Report on the Victory at Litudou”)

　　While his former allies surrendered to the court, Wang Yangming tried to persuade Chi Zhongrong to do the same—but even surrounded and isolated, Chi Zhongrong still refused. To his subordinates, he said to Wang Yangming’s envoys Huang Biao and Zhou Xiang: “I’ve been a bandit for more than a year, and the government has tried to recruit me more than once. What proof is that? Once Jin Chao and the others have truly submitted and received official posts, then we can consider sending someone too—it’s not too late.”

　　Chi Zhongrong doubted the court’s sincerity and wanted to see whether his former ally, Jin Chao, would actually receive an official position before deciding whether to accept amnesty. But pressure mounted from all sides. Chi Zhongrong first sent his second brother, Chi Zhong’an, with 300 men to the camp of Wang Yangming, the regional inspector in Ganzhou, to probe. Wang Yangming was well-prepared—keeping internal vigilance while outwardly appearing lenient—and kept Chi Zhong’an behind to “assist” in the attack on Tonggang.

　　At Tonggang, Wang Yangming paid close attention to the local customs and sentiments. “Every mountain field has turned into terraced paddies, alas, half the common folk now have no homes. We march forth to relieve the people’s suffering, scaling perilous paths without fear of steep slopes.” (From “Two Poems in Harmony with Magistrate Xing at Tonggang”) The bandits, who defied imperial rule and only cared about looting wealth, caused prolonged suffering to the people.

　　Wang Yangming conducted surveys in the Jiulian Mountains, traveling through Litudou, Heping, and other areas, “carefully observing the terrain of the hills and streams, studying the bandits’ conditions and local customs.” After several rounds of “mental sparring” with Chi Zhongrong (partially recorded in Wang Shouren’s “Report on the Victory at Litudou” and detailed in the Ming Dynasty novelist Feng Menglong’s “The Upright and Pacifying Chronicles of the Great Confucian Scholar Wang Yangming”), Wang concluded that Chi Zhongrong was irredeemably greedy and brutal. Coupled with pleas from local officials and gentry, and the decisive directive from the Ministry of War—“No more following old flawed practices of appeasement, which only breed further harm”—Wang Yangming decided to eliminate Chi’s forces. On New Year’s Eve of the 12th year of the Zhengde reign (1517), he used a stratagem to eliminate Chi Zhongrong. The “veteran outlaw” of over 20 years who rampaged across Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Fujian, the Jinlong Overlord, thus died during a festive “reward banquet” adorned with lanterns and decorations.

　　From New Year’s Eve to the 7th day of the first lunar month to the 8th day of the third lunar month, spanning two months, Wang Yangming “set a deadline for a coordinated offensive, determined to uproot every last remnant and eliminate all survivors, to pacify the region.” He led his troops in destroying a total of 38 “bandit lairs”: Quatan, Banjing, Fangzhuhu, Huangtian’ao, Reshui, Tieshizhang, Wuhuazhang, Youkeng, Xintianjing, Fengmen’ao, Danfang, Cengang, Wulongzhen, Kongbei, Zhenlizhai, Zhongcun, Damenshan, Qiling, Shimen Mountain Lair, Shangling, Xialing Lair, Baisha Lair, Chitang Lair, Bukeng Lair, Sankeng Lair, Yangjiaoshan Lair, Han Dong Lair, Xiwěi Lair, Duxikou Lair, Dudong Lair, Chibakou Lair, Shuizhongdong Lair, Wuhu Lair, Lan Zhou Lair, Fengpan Lair, Chashan Lair.

　　As for what Chi Zhongrong hoped to see—that Jin Chao would receive an official post—Jin Chao never actually became an official. He laid down his arms, retired to farming, and went into business.

　　During the suppression of the Three Lü Rebellions, Wang Yangming was moved by the tragic loss of life. On the 15th day of the second lunar month in the 13th year of the Zhengde reign, after largely pacifying Chi Zhongrong’s forces, Wang Yangming held a ceremony to honor the spirit of Litudou Mountain and wrote “A Sacrificial Ode to the Spirit of Litudou Mountain,” expressing his sentiments: “Now these remaining rebels, cornered and exhausted, are also sending people to surrender. If we simply accept them and pacify them, we worry they may not truly reform and could bring future harm. But if we reject them outright, we fear some may indeed be sincere, and executing them would weigh heavily on our conscience.” This was a warning to other fleeing bandits to reform sincerely and surrender genuinely, and to stop harming others.

　　“Wang Yangming’s lure-and-kill of Chi Zhongrong has drawn the most criticism.” Si Yannren, former deputy editor-in-chief of Heyuan Daily, after studying the “Report on the Victory at Litudou,” concluded that Wang Yangming had seven reasons for killing Chi Zhongrong: 1. He relied on brute strength and ignored warnings. 2. He employed tricks and showed insincere surrender. 3. He incurred immense public anger and outrage. 4. He knew his crimes were unpardonable under national law. 5. He prepared for large-scale battle, showing he could not be reformed. 6. He harbored ambitions of separatism, proclaiming titles and appointing officials. 7. His personal power was too great—bandit factions across regions respected and followed him, and repeated campaigns only made him stronger.

　　Therefore, "the mountain bandits and cave robbers suppressed by Wang Yangming were neither as evil as described in the official histories of the time, nor as good as later official accounts portrayed them. We need not defend the imperial court, nor should we praise the bandits in the tone of glorifying peasant uprisings. Yangming was merely a scholar-official who firmly believed that suppressing bandits was a matter of course." (See Zhou Yueliang’s *The Grand Biography of Wang Yangming*, Chapter 9)

△ The New Look of Heping County

Deeply Ashamed as Elders Welcome Him with Refreshments: Wang Yangming Establishes Heping County in Accordance with Public Opinion

　　After the defeat of the bandit leader Zhong Rong, known as the “Golden Dragon Overlord,” Wang Yangming petitioned the court to establish Heping County. This memorial was titled *Memorial on the Establishment of Heping County Administration*.

　　"In one battle, the fiendish miasma over a hundred *li* was cleared away; thunder from myriad peaks washed the returning troops clean. I failed to pacify the stubborn Miao with civil virtue, and deeply regret the warm welcome from elders bearing refreshments." Seeing that the region had been pacified and amid the cheers of the locals, Wang Yangming prepared to return to the capital. But on his desk lay a stack of petitions, all aligning with his own thoughts. He once told Chen Xiang, the prefect of Huizhou: “Heping has vast lands and many mountains; it must have a county established to govern it, so that a path to lasting peace and stability can be sought. Otherwise, trouble will sprout again before long.” Wang Yangming believed that leading troops to suppress bandits was like applying acupuncture and medicine to treat a sick person, while establishing a county and providing care was akin to proper diet and nourishment. Otherwise, not only would the illness recur, but vitality would be exhausted, and the condition worsen. One “dietary remedy” for recovery was to build schools to educate the people in rites and morals: “Take pity on the Heping area, establish a county administration to control the Yao caves, and set up schools to transform local customs... hopefully turning a land of bandits into a place of civilization.”

　　Those who submitted petitions to Wang Yangming included Yang Zhang, Deputy Regional Commander of the Linqi Circuit of the Jiangxi Provincial Surveillance Commission; Zhu Ang, Regional Inspector of the Lingdong Circuit of the Guangdong Provincial Surveillance Commission; Xing Xun, Prefect of Ganzhou Prefecture; Chen Xiang, Prefect of Huizhou Prefecture; as well as students and elders such as Chen Zhen and Huang Chen from counties like Longchuan and Heyuan under Huizhou Prefecture. Thus, Wang Yangming scheduled a meeting at which Yang Zhang, Zhu Ang, and elders Chen Zhen, Sha Hai, and Zhong Xiushan from Heyuan and Longchuan gathered to discuss matters such as dividing administrative divisions, establishing a new county, selling off bandit-controlled fields, relocating patrol stations, and assigning guards to passes.

　　On the first day of the fifth lunar month in the thirteenth year of the Zhengde era (1518), Wang Yangming submitted *Memorial on the Establishment of Heping County Administration*, writing: “I humbly hope Your Majesty will take heed of the clear lessons of the past and plan for the perpetual future, mindful that opportunities must not be missed, and grieving that the suffering of the people must not be repeated... The site chosen for the county is called Heping; naming the county after the locality seems most appropriate.” The court approved the petition, and thus the Heping, Guangyi, and Zhongxin divisions (now including Zhongxin, Dahu, and Xiuduan) of Longchuan County, along with the Huihua division of Heyuan County (now part of Lianping County), were incorporated into the newly established Heping County.

　　Chen Xiang, Prefect of Huizhou, accompanied Yang Zhang, Zhu Ang, and local elders down from Wuhuazhang to inspect the Dadong area for a suitable site for the county seat. Some recommended Qiuhutang, others the old patrol inspection office, but Chen Xiang visited both and found them unsuitable. He asked the elders as well, and they too said no. So they climbed to a high ridge, surveying as they walked, until they arrived at Yangzipu. Looking around, they saw the area embraced by mountains and waters, with an expansive and majestic landscape. A respected elder named Huang Jinzhi stood by the roadside and said to Chen Xiang and the others: “There is an old prophecy: ‘He who takes Yangzipu and treads Flame Pond shall prosper.’ Previously, someone wanted to relocate the patrol inspection office here, but it didn’t happen. Now it is to be made the county seat—this is Heaven’s will.” Chen Xiang was overjoyed and reported this to Wang Yangming, who agreed. After submitting the proposal to the court, the Heping County seat was established at Yangzipu. The Heping Patrol Inspection Office was moved to Litu to take advantage of its strategic location.

　　In the fifth year of the Jiajing era (1526), Magistrate Liu Yan applied for permission to establish a memorial temple and statue, which was granted. The Temple of Lord Yangming was built behind the county yamen in Heping County, where locals offered sacrifices with livestock and liquor in the second month of spring and autumn. Heping County was not the only place where a temple was erected for Wang Yangming among the many Guangdong and Jiangxi counties he helped pacify. “When the army reached Nankang, the common people welcomed him along the road, holding incense burners aloft. In every prefecture, county, pass, and station passed through, memorial temples were erected. In distant villages, people set up his image in their ancestral halls and offered seasonal worship.” (*Chronicles of Master Yangming* by Qian Degong of the Ming Dynasty)

　　After the establishment of Heping County, a Yangming Academy was set up next to the Xu Family Ancestral Hall north of Yangzipu. To commemorate Wang Shouren’s achievements, Heping County later renamed Yangzipu in Heping Cave to Yangming Town. The great name of Wang Yangming remains unforgotten in the hearts of the people of Heping. Centuries have passed, yet his name has not faded with time—in fact, it has grown even clearer. Numerous products, schools, and buildings bear the name “Yangming,” such as Yangming paper, Yangming umbrellas, Yangming Middle School, Yangming Primary School No. 1, Yangming Primary School No. 2, Yangming Primary School No. 3, Yangming Bridge, and more. On May 29, 2014, the Heping County Wang Yangming Research Association was established.