Former Residence of Li Guangdi

Located on Zhongshan Street in Hutou Town, the temple was first built by Li Sen, ancestor of the Li clan, in the early Ming Dynasty. Expanded and renovated in the early Qing Dynasty, it is a three-courtyard complex covering an area of 2,000 square metres. Known as the Grand Ancestral Hall, it served as the venue for the Li clansmen of Hutou to offer sacrifices to ancestors, uphold clan regulations and handle clan affairs. Grand sacrificial ceremonies were held every spring and autumn.

An imperial edict issued by Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty is still preserved in the temple. Hanging above the hall of the second courtyard is a horizontal plaque inscribed Upholding Virtue as a Royal Assistant, a gift from Emperor Kangxi in commendation of Li Guangdi. Another plaque Devotion to Public Interests and Upholding Righteousness hangs inside the hall. Above the hall of the third courtyard is the plaque Judgement Resounding Far and Wide, written by Ye Xianggao, the prime minister of the Zhengtong reign. At the rear of the hall hangs the plaque Prosperity for Generations, which is believed to have been written by Li Guangdi. Numerous gilded couplets on the stone pillars endow the temple with high cultural relic value. In 1988, overseas clansmen of the Li family funded the restoration project, bringing the ancestral temple back to brand-new condition.

Also called Changyou Hall, the mansion is situated in Hu'er Village, Hutou Town. Constructed in the 37th year of Kangxi’s reign (1698), it was the official residence of Li Guangdi, Grand Secretary of the Wenyuange and Minister of Personnel. With a construction area of 3,120 square metres, the compound consists of five courtyards flanked by two auxiliary wing houses, east-west lanes and enclosing walls, featuring a spacious front courtyard. At the northern entrance of the east lane stand an official reporting pavilion and a reception booth. The couplet on the pavilion reads: His merits spread across all nations; his lofty ideals embrace the whole land. Portraits of Ming and Qing officials are displayed in the second hall. The couplet on the main gate goes: This ministerial household upholds Confucian learning; this mansion carries the spirit of heaven and earth.

Adjacent to Junmin Middle School in Husi Village, Hutou Town, Xianliang Shrine is listed as a Provincial-level Protected Cultural Relic (together with the New Official Mansion and the Li Clan Ancestral Temple). It was built in the 24th year of Kangxi’s reign (1685). Originally shaded by banyan trees, it was also known as the Banyan Tree Study. It was renamed Xianliang Shrine in the 11th year of Yongzheng’s reign to honour Li Guangdi.

The three-courtyard shrine occupies around 1,000 square metres. The main hall has three bays. Marble slabs inlaid on the inner and outer walls are carved with poems and essays handwritten by Emperor Kangxi, including Explanation of the Taiji Diagram and Poem on Dam Construction along the Ziya River. To the right of the shrine stands a stone stele pavilion housing an imperial sacrificial edict issued by Emperor Yongzheng, which praises Li Guangdi as an erudite and perfect man of his age.

Small bridges and winding streams surround the shrine. To the south lie a waterside pavilion and a lotus pond. In summer, the moon shimmers over lotus blooms amid willow branches, creating a serene poetic scene. The shrine was restored in the traditional style by overseas clansmen in 1990. Rich stone inscriptions here serve as vital material for the study of Emperor Kangxi’s calligraphy and early Qing history.