Beijing Ancestral Hall of Prime Minister Wen

Overview

The Wen Tianxiang Ancestral Hall (文天祥祠), also known as the Prime Minister Wen Ancestral Hall, is located at No. 63, Fuxue Hutong (府学胡同), Dongcheng District (东城区), Beijing (北京). It was established in the ninth year of the Hongwu era (洪武九年) during the Ming Dynasty (明代) (1376) and opened to the public in 1984. This hall commemorates Wen Tianxiang (文天祥), a national hero of the Southern Song Dynasty (南宋) who resisted the Yuan Dynasty (元朝). The original site was where Wen was imprisoned in Dadu (大都), now known as Beijing.

The ancestral hall faces south and comprises a main entrance, a hall of worship, and a gallery, covering nearly 600 square meters in a traditional courtyard style. The gallery features an exhibition titled “The Life of Wen Tianxiang,” while the main hall preserves some relics and manuscripts of Wen. There is also a jujube tree in the courtyard, said to have been personally planted by Wen.

On August 21, 1979, the hall was designated as a second-level cultural relic protection unit by the Beijing Municipal Government. On March 5, 2013, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.

Historical Background

In 1279, during the Yuan Dynasty, Wen Tianxiang was captured by the Yuan army and imprisoned in a military prison.
In 1282, Wen was executed at the execution ground.
In 1376, Vice Envoy Liu Song (刘崧) oversaw the construction of the Wen Ancestral Hall at the former site of the military prison in Shuntian Prefecture (顺天府).
The hall was opened to the public in October 1984.
In 2003, the hall was restored to its original layout based on historical photographs from 1930, including Wen’s statue, altars, couplets, plaques, and offering tables.

Architectural Layout

The Wen Tianxiang Ancestral Hall is arranged in a traditional courtyard layout, covering nearly 600 square meters. It consists of a main entrance, a gallery, and a hall of worship. The gallery introduces Wen’s life, including his early years, political career, resistance against the Yuan, capture, and martyrdom. The main hall contains relics and exhibits of Wen’s manuscripts.

Cultural Relics

The front courtyard’s east wall features a stone inscription of “Song of Righteousness” (正气歌) by the Ming Dynasty calligrapher Wen Zhengming (文征明), a stele of “Biography of Prime Minister Song” (宋文丞相传), a Qing Dynasty (清朝) “Reconstruction Inscription” (重修碑记), and a stele of “Portrait of Prime Minister Song” (宋文丞相国公像). Inside the hall, a screen features Mao Zedong’s (毛泽东) calligraphy: “Who can escape death throughout history? Leave behind a loyal heart to illuminate the annals of time,” with the reverse side displaying the complete text of Wen’s “Song of Righteousness.”

Notable Relics

Guiding Jujube Tree

The guiding jujube tree is located in the hall’s backyard and is said to have been planted by Wen during his imprisonment. This tree is notable for its branches naturally leaning south at a 45-degree angle, symbolizing Wen’s unwavering loyalty, encapsulated in his words, “My loyal heart is like a compass, I will not rest until I face the south.”

Historical and Cultural Significance

Song of Righteousness

In prison, I sat in a dirt chamber,
Eight feet wide and four deep,
With a low, narrow door,
It is dark and filthy inside.
On this summer day, various vapors gather:
Rain collects, filling the room;
At times, the air is moist;
The dirt dries in the heat,
And the wind blocks all openings;
At times, the air is fiery;
Food is stale and foul;
With odor mixed from human waste,
All of these combine and invade.
Yet I remain weak,
Sitting among these for two years;
Fortunately, I remain unscathed.
Yet, how can I know what sustains me?
Mencius said: “I cultivate my righteous spirit.”
There are seven types of air that can invade,
But I have one type of spirit;
Against seven, I can stand firm, what do I fear?
Besides, righteousness is the essence of Heaven and Earth.
Thus, I compose a “Song of Righteousness.”
(For more details, see the entry on “Song of Righteousness.”)

Related Figures

Wen Tianxiang (文天祥) (June 6, 1236 – January 9, 1283), originally named Yun Sun (云孙), with the courtesy name Songrui (宋瑞) and the pseudonym Fuxiu Daoist (浮休道人), was a politician and literary figure from Luling (庐陵), present-day Qinyuan County (青原区), Ji’an City (吉安市), Jiangxi Province (江西省). He was a patriot, a famous minister against the Yuan, and a national hero, known alongside Lu Xiufu (陆秀夫) and Zhang Shijie (张世杰) as the “Three Heroes of the Late Song Dynasty” (宋末三杰).

Cultural Value

The Wen Tianxiang Ancestral Hall in Beijing holds historical significance, architectural grandeur, and rich cultural atmosphere, making it invaluable for historical research, patriotic education, and moral instruction.

Cultural Relic Protection

In 1992, the hall was recognized as a patriotic education base in Dongcheng District (东城区), Beijing.
On August 21, 1979, it was designated as a second-level cultural relic protection unit by the Beijing Municipal Government.
On March 5, 2013, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.
On May 23, 2017, it was recognized as a base for official virtue education in Dongcheng District.