Hainan Jieyuan Archway

　　The Jieyuan Archway is located on the east side of the Old Market on Dongmen Street in Ding’an County, Hainan. It was originally built behind the Ancestral Temple of Minister Wang (now behind Dingcheng Hospital), and was constructed in the first lunar month of the second year of the Longqing era during the Ming Dynasty (1568), in honor of Wang Honghui, a Shujishi (junior compiler) of the Hanlin Academy at the time. Wang Honghui was a native of Longmei Village, Ding’an County. During the Wanli era, he rose to the position of Minister of Rites of Nanjing. In the 40th year of the Jiajing era (1561), he ranked first in the Guangdong Provincial Examination (Xinxi Class), hence the plaque on the archway reads “Jieyuan” (the top scorer in the provincial exam). Initially erected in the middle street of Ding’an County, the archway underwent renovation once during the Qing Dynasty. In the summer of the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928), due to the construction of a new street, the Jieyuan Archway was relocated to its current site.

　　The Jieyuan Archway stands 5.1 meters tall and is three bays wide. The central bay (excluding pillars) is 3 meters wide, while the side bays (excluding pillars) are each 1.5 meters wide. The stone plaque of the central bay is 77 centimeters wide, 3 meters long, and 20 centimeters thick. The front features an inscribed horizontal line of large regular script characters “解元 (Jieyuan)” in 70-centimeter-square characters. On the right side, vertically inscribed smaller regular script characters read: “Han Yi, Prefect of Qiongzhou Prefecture; Chen Mengxue, Vice Prefect; Yang Mai, Assistant Magistrate; Huang Shouqian, Magistrate of Ding’an County; Yuan Cui, Magistrate of Ding’an County – all contributed to the renovation.” On the left side, vertically inscribed smaller regular script characters read: “Constructed by Wang Honghui, Shujishi of the Hanlin Academy; completed in the first lunar month of the second year of Longqing. In the summer of the 17th year of the Republic of China, Kong Mingjing, descendant of Qi Shi Dan, together with others, relocated and re-erected it.” On the back of the archway plaque, the center bears an inscribed horizontal line of large regular script characters “翰林 (Hanlin),” in 60-centimeter-square characters. The right side has vertically inscribed smaller regular script characters: “Wang Tongdao, Imperial Commissioner and Governor of Liangguang; Yao Shiwei, Deputy Regional Inspector of Hainan.” The left side has vertically inscribed smaller regular script characters: “Constructed by Wang Honghui, Shujishi of the Hanlin Academy; erected in the first lunar month of the second year of Longqing.”

　　Wang Honghui (1541~1617)　　Wang Honghui, styled Shaochuan, also known as Zhongming, was a native of Ding’an County, Qiongzhou Prefecture, Guangdong (now Hainan Province). He was born in 1541 and passed away in his hometown of Ding’an in 1617 at the age of 76. After his death, he was posthumously honored by the imperial court with the title “Shaobao” (Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent) and granted an official funeral. Wang Honghui was a renowned official and educator of the Ming Dynasty. He served in various positions, including Shujishi, Hanlin Academician-Editorial Assistant, Compiler, Examination Official for the Metropolitan Examination, Supervisor of the National Academy, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing, and Minister of Rites in Nanjing. In literature, he developed his own distinctive style and authored famous works such as “Shangyou Tang Gao,” “Wuyue Youji,” “Tianchi Cao,” “Laihe Xuan Ji,” “Nanming Qidian Lu,” “Nanli Zoudu,” and “Wenzi Tan Yuan.” Throughout his life, he was a virtuous and dedicated official... Details+