Dengdi Archway

　　Dengdi Archway is located in the eastern part of Tang Village, Bailian Town. Built during the Ming Dynasty, it is a county-level cultural heritage site. Oriented from north to south, it is a four-pillar, three-bay open-through stone memorial archway, with a total width of 4.65 meters and a height of 3.9 meters. In the 22nd year of the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty (1486), it was erected by the deputy envoy under the imperial decree of Emperor Xianzong to commemorate Wu Jinghui, a scholar-official and judicial magistrate of Guilin Prefecture, who sacrificed his life for the country. Wu Jinghui was a native of Tang Village in Tangyi Subdistrict and served as the judicial magistrate of Guilin Prefecture in Guangxi. In the 20th year of the Chenghua reign (1484), there was fierce contention over farmland in He County. The imperial inspector sought officials to mediate the dispute, but many were afraid to go. Wu sighed, “I was appointed to care for the people, even death will not deter me!” He resolutely went and was indeed killed by bandits. The people mourned him deeply. Deputy Envoy Gu Qiran composed a mourning poem that read: “Studying was never for personal gain, serving the nation — who knew it would become a source of calamity?”

　　Source: Party History Research Office of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee