Octagonal Hall

　　Located about 20 meters north of Wang Honghui’s former residence, the Octagonal Hall was built during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty by Wang Honghui after his retirement. It faces southwest and is built on a northeast orientation. It was destroyed by fire caused by bandits in the late Ming Dynasty and was rebuilt during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty. The structure features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof in the style of a palace, with a double-dragon playing-with-a-pearl design made of grey plaster on the main ridge. The Octagonal Hall serves as the front hall of the Wang Clan Ancestral Hall, which includes the mountain gate of the ancestral hall, a rear hall, and east and west side halls, forming a courtyard layout that covers an area of approximately 1,000

　　square meters. Originally, the hall enshrined a portrait of Emperor Wanli, where incense was burned in the morning and evening as a sign of reverence. Nowadays, the mountain gate and both side halls have been destroyed. The hall is three bays deep and five bays wide, with round golden pillars used in the central bays—each pillar has a diameter of 24 cm and sits on traditional drum-shaped stone bases. The front eaves have square stone pillars, while the rear eaves have octagonal stone pillars. Both the front and rear doors are missing. The rear hall is also three bays deep and five bays wide, with a flush gable roof, and its shrine has been dismantled. The ancestral hall has historically served as the site of a primary school. During the Cultural Revolution, it suffered damage and partial destruction. In 1981, villagers raised funds to renovate the front hall (the Octagonal Hall), and in 1984, the government allocated funds for minor repairs to the rear hall. Currently preserved in the ancestral hall is a plaque, replicated in the Kangxi year of Bing Shen (1716), inscribed with the imperial decree of Emperor Wanli bestowing titles upon Wang Honghui and his wife, Lady Zhou. There is also a wooden plaque inscribed with “Loyal and Righteous Family,” half of the “Record of the Rebuilding of the Wang Clan Ancestral Hall” stele, and another wooden plaque inscribed with “Elegant Breeze at the Eastern Pavilion,” which is hung above the main entrance of the front hall. The Octagonal Hall was listed as a county-level cultural relic protection unit in 1986 and as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in 1994.

　　Legend has it that after the completion of the Octagonal Hall, some officials who had been reprimanded or punished by Wang Honghui and held grievances against him submitted memorials to the emperor, accusing Wang of privately constructing a palace with ambitions of rebellion. These memorials were handed to Dong Qichang, who was in charge of state affairs. Dong had a deep friendship with Wang Honghui and greatly respected his character. He knew full well that Wang had no intention of rebellion. However, given the seriousness of the accusation—which could have led to the execution of Wang’s entire clan for serious transgression of regulations—Dong sent a secret letter to Wang before the imperial investigators arrived. Soon after, the special investigators and the local magistrate came to Longmei Village to inquire about the matter. Wang Honghui explained that the purpose of building the hall was that, after retiring and returning home far from the capital, he could no longer serve the emperor directly and deeply missed him, so he specially built the hall to enshrine the emperor’s portrait and pay morning and evening respects as a sign of reverence. After learning the truth, Dong Qichang reported to the emperor. Instead of punishing Wang, the emperor commended him and had those who made false accusations flogged as punishment.

　　Although the Octagonal Hall is now partially damaged, its grandeur remains, and the scholarly ambition of Minister Wang continues to inspire generations. Descendants have followed in his footsteps, dedicating themselves to study. From the reinstatement of the college entrance examination in 1977 to 2006, Longmei Village saw an average of more than ten students admitted to university each year.

　　Wang Honghui (1541~1617)　　Wang Honghui, styled Shaochuan and also known as Zhongming, was a native of Ding’an County in Guangdong’s Qiongzhou Prefecture (now Hainan Province). Born in 1541, he passed away in his hometown of Ding’an in 1617 at the age of 76. After his death, he was posthumously honored by the court as Minor Tutor to the Crown Prince and was granted an imperial funeral. Wang Honghui was a renowned statesman and educator of the Ming Dynasty. He served in various official roles including as a Shujishi (imperial scholar), Hanlin Academy reviser, compiler, associate examiner for the metropolitan examination, National University Supervisor, Vice Minister of Personnel in Nanjing, and Minister of Rites in Nanjing. He achieved distinction in literature, authoring famous works such as Shangyou Tang Gao (Writings from the Shangyou Hall), Wuyue Youji (Travels in Wu and Yue), Tianchi Cao (Grass of Tianchi), Laihe Xuan Ji (Collected Works from the Hall of the Coming Crane), Nanming Qidian Lu (Records of the Marvelous Frontier of the South), Nanli Zoudu (Memorials from the Southern Rites), and Wenzi Tan Yuan (Gardens of Literary Discourse). Throughout his life as an official, he was... Details+