Temple of the Palace Graduate

Temple of the Palace Graduate

The Temple of the Palace Graduate is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Temple of the Palace Graduate is located at Shengqi Family Ancestral Hall in Fengchong Village, Zhongtang Town, which was the former residence of Chen Botao, the Palace Graduate of the Qing Dynasty. Chen Botao (1855–1930), also known as Xianghua or Zili, was a native of Fengyong Village, Zhongtang Town. He passed the imperial examination to become a scholar in 1875, the top scholar in the provincial exam in 1879, and the Palace Graduate in 1892. According to the Dongguan Examination Records compiled by Su Zedong, he was the only literary Palace Graduate in Dongguan’s history.

Speaking of his participation in the palace examination, there is a small anecdote. During the examination, Chen Botao initially ranked first—as the top scorer or Zhuangyuan—but was demoted outside the top ten because he mistakenly wrote “Xuanfu Si” (a type of administrative office) as “Xuanwei Si.” Fortunately, Weng Tonghe, who had been the Zhuangyuan in the Xianfeng era and later became Minister of Revenue, advocated on his behalf, and Chen was reinstated in third place. He was then appointed as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, an editorial assistant at the Wenyuan Pavilion, and an associate editor at the Wuying Hall. Later, he served as an associate compiler and chief editor at the National History Office. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Chen Botao moved to Kowloon, Hong Kong, where he devoted himself to writing under the pseudonym “Jiulong Zhenyi” (The Recluse of Kowloon). He passed away on August 20, 1930, at the age of 76 in his Kowloon residence and was buried in Nangang, on the outskirts of Guangzhou.

In front of the Temple of the Palace Graduate is a large pond covering several acres, and in the distance lies a vast expanse of farmland. The temple is a typical example of Qing Dynasty Lingnan-style architecture, and the four blue regular script characters “Shengqi Family Ancestral Hall” on the door are still well preserved.

“Shengqi” was the given name of Chen Botao’s grandfather, and these four characters were inscribed by two Guangdong Palace Graduates. The characters “Shengqi” were written by Chen Botao himself, while “Family Ancestral Hall” was penned by Li Wentian, the Palace Graduate of Shunde. Li Wentian achieved the Palace Graduate title in the ninth year of the Xianfeng era and served as Vice Minister of Rites and Right Vice Minister of Works. Historical family albums suggest that the two shared a close relationship and often took photos together. Chen regarded Li as his teacher and studied calligraphy under him, so it is likely that the plaque “Shengqi Family Ancestral Hall” was calligraphed by both men.

On the main gate of the ancestral hall hangs a couplet with the horizontal inscription “Palace Graduate and Top Scholar.” The upper line reads “Silken Ties Receive Heaven’s Favor,” and the lower line reads “Literary Works Adorn the Nation’s Splendor.” Upon entering the gate, one sees side chambers on both sides and a central hall, where a large plaque inscribed with “Yimutang” hangs. On either side are plaques awarded for being the top imperial scholar in the Renchen Year of the Guangxu reign and being honored with a blue-gold sword. The left wall displays plaques for coming first in the prefectural examination in the second year of the Xianfeng reign, coming first in the prefectural examination in the fifth year of the Guangxu reign, and serving as a teaching assistant at Cheng’an Palace in the twelfth year of the Guangxu reign. The right wall displays plaques for ranking 78th in the metropolitan examination in the eighteenth year of the Guangxu reign, being appointed a grand examiner, and a photo of Chen Botao wearing a blue feathered hat and official robes.

Chen Botao was a prolific writer throughout his life. His works include Filial Piety Discourse (3 volumes), Records of the Remnants of the Ming Loyalists in Guangdong (4 volumes), Dongguan County Annals, Melon Hut Literary Remnants, and Melon Hut Book Remnants. These can be found at the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong City Hall Library, and the Sutong Temple on Mount Luofu. Among them, Records of the Remnants of the Ming Loyalists in Guangdong and Dongguan County Annals are the most valuable.

In the early Qing Dynasty, the practice of destroying historical records was especially severe, and very few materials or writings from the late Ming and Ming loyalists remained. Chen Botao extensively collected information from local gazetteers, historical records, genealogies, and specialized texts, carefully selecting and organizing details on 312 Ming loyalists, recording their life stories. This work became an essential reference for later scholars researching Ming loyalists. Chen Botao also organized dozens of people over six years in Kowloon, using funds from the Dongguan Minglun Hall, to compile the Dongguan County Annals (98 volumes, plus 4 volumes of the Shatian Annals). It stands as the most comprehensive county annal in Dongguan’s history, surpassing those of neighboring counties, and represents his greatest contribution to his fellow Dongguan natives. The version compiled by Chen Botao can still be found in Dongguan’s current city library.

Chen Botao was erudite, and his compilations of historical records were comprehensive and beneficial to scholarship. His poetry and prose showed deep concern for the suffering of the common people. During the chaos, warfare, and frequent natural disasters of the late Qing Dynasty, it was all too common for families to be torn apart and homes destroyed. As a poet, Chen Botao carried on the fine tradition of realism in Chinese poetry, using emotionally charged language to describe the hardships of the common folk in some of his poems: “The dark sky hangs low with clouds, / Cawing crows circle the trees. / A foot of snow covers the broken roof, / And the shivering residents cry out in hunger. / Young lords in sable coats ride fat steeds, / While strong attendants follow closely behind. / Hooves strike the ice, unaware of the cold, / As they agree to admire the snow by the southern ponds.” — “Traveling South of the City After Heavy Snow.” His willingness to expose societal darkness and sympathize with the plight of the people reflects the brighter side of Chen Botao’s thinking.

Looking at Chen Botao’s life, from diligent youth and learning from masters, to achieving high imperial honors and holding esteemed offices, supervising local and academic examinations, becoming a chief editor at the history office, and being recorded in the official biographies of Confucian scholars and literary figures. In the year before his death (1929), a couplet he wrote for the Leshantang succinctly encapsulated his lifelong philosophy: “Find joy and forget worry through diligence; practice kindness without boasting to nurture inner peace.”

Chen Botao (1854–1930), styled Zili, also known as Xianghua, later changed his name to Yongtao and used the sobriquet “Jiulong Zhenyi” (The Recluse of Kowloon). He was a native of Fengyong, Zhongtang, Dongguan, Guangdong. He was the third-place Zhuangyuan (Imperial Graduate) in the 1892 (Renchen Year) imperial examination under the name Liu Fu Yao.

Chen Botao came from a scholarly and literary family. His father, Chen Mingjiao, was the top scholar in the provincial examination in 1875 and was a scholar with reverence for Taoism. Chen Botao was innately honest and matured early. At age 6, he became a disciple of Chen Runfu, and under his mentor’s guidance, his knowledge deepened. By age 10, he had mastered the Five Classics and studied at the Sulu Academy on Mount Luofu. In the first year of the Guangxu reign... [More detailed information on Chen Botao]

Zhongtang Town: Located in the northwest of Dongguan City, Zhongtang Town covers an area of 60 square kilometers and governs 20 village (residential) committees, with a permanent population of nearly 70,000 and a migrant population of over 50,000. Situated along the economic corridor between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, the town is traversed by National Highway 107, the Guangzhou-Yangjiang Expressway East Section, Zhongma Highway, Beiwang Highway, and Zhonghuang Highway. It is 120 km from Hong Kong, 46 km from Guangzhou, 100 km from Shenzhen, 12 km from downtown Dongguan, and 3 km from the entrance of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Zhuhai Expressway. Zhongtang nestles along the Dong River, surrounded by its tributaries, where 1,000-ton vessels can navigate the entire waterway... [More detailed information on Zhongtang Town]