Shishu Shize Memorial Archway

Shishu Shize Memorial Archway

The Shishu Shize Memorial Archway is located within the He Clan Ancestral Hall (Liugeng Hall) in Shawan, Panyu City. Built in the 54th year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1716), it is an eight-pillared, three-bay archway constructed from brick, wood, and stone, serving as the ceremonial gate of the ancestral hall. It measures 11.10 meters in width and 3.90 meters in depth. The structure is supported by four square white stone pillars at the front and back, dividing it into three entrances, and is built upon a base of six steps. Horizontal beams on the left and right are inlaid with intricately carved cloud and bird motifs in red and white stone, while the central horizontal beam, which is higher, supports six sets of wooden bracket sets (dougong) that extend layer by layer, with upturned eaves on all sides. The roof of the archway is a hip-and-gable roof with grey ceramic tiles. The main ridge features a coiled dragon sculpture, with its head turned eastward looking west, and its tail curling upward to the west and bending eastward, showcasing a unique design.

The front plaque of the archway is inscribed with four large running-script characters reading “Shishu Shize” (Literary Heritage Across Generations). The upper inscription reads “Reconstructed on a Auspicious Day in the Fifth Month of the Kangxi Year of Bingshen,” and the lower inscription reads “Written by Chen Xianzhang, Hanlin Academician and Historiographer, from Gugang.” These were replicated and re-carved during the reconstruction. According to the He Clan genealogy, the founding ancestor of the Shawan He Clan (originally from Nanxiong) was He Ku, a Hanlin Academician of the Song Dynasty. The third-generation descendant He Xian’an held the official title of Chengshi Lang, the fourth-generation He Deming was granted the honorary title of Chengwu Lang as a judicial officer, and the fifth generation included four brothers: He Qilong, a Jinshi (advanced scholar) of the Song Dynasty and Chief Ritual Official of the Imperial Ancestral Temple; He Doulong, the Provincial Number One Scholar; He Yaolong, an administrative official; and He Yilong, a literary official. Hence, Chen Xianzhang inscribed “Shishu Shize” to honor the family’s scholarly legacy. Originally, a pair of wooden couplets written by Chen Xianzhang hung on both sides of the gate: “Virtue sown by ancestors reaches far; A field of heart bequeathed to children to till.” These couplets have since been lost.

The rear stone plaque of the main gate of the archway is inscribed with four running-script characters reading “Sanfeng Liufang” (Fragrance of Three Phoenixes). The “Three Phoenixes” refer to three brothers—He Tang (also known as He Ji), He (also referred to as “Li”), and He Ju—who were the 50th-generation descendants of the He Clan. They all passed the imperial examination and became jinshi (advanced scholars) during the Zhenghe era of the Northern Song Dynasty. At that time, they were known as the “Three Phoenixes of the He Family,” hence the inscription “Sanfeng Liufang.”

In June 1989, the People's Government of Guangdong Province designated Liugeng Hall as a cultural relics protection unit.