2021-02-22 (Wang Hanhan)

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? Wang Hanhan? Class 21, 2020

Interview time: January 17, 2021

Interviewee: Grandpa

Interviewer: Me

Record: Mom

Me: Grandpa, can you tell me the origin of our Wang family?

(Grandpa happily picked up the Wang family genealogy from the drawer, put on his reading glasses, and started talking with great interest and joy)

Grandpa: It is said that our Wang family is the earliest At that time, there was a place called Langya in Shandong. During the Song Dynasty, a branch moved to Yingqiao Village in Yongjia, which is now Yongjing in Longwan. In the earliest days, Wenzhou was called Yongjia. We are descended from this family. It has been more than seven hundred years now and has been passed down for twenty-nine generations. Our most famous ancestor, Wang De, once served as the prosecutor of Guangdong, with an official rank of the fifth rank. He was also an anti-Japanese hero and was honored as Wang Degong. Since the Ming Dynasty, many powerful people have emerged in our Wang family. Among them, there are 13 champions, Chuanlu, and Jinshi, 15 candidates, and as many as a thousand scholars. Therefore, there are also many officials. There are more than 70 books handed down from generation to generation.

Me: Wait, grandpa, what are you talking about? I didn’t understand it. I know the number one scholar, but who are Chuanlu, Jinshi, Juren and Xiucai?

(Grandpa laughed loudly)

Grandpa: Don’t worry, grandpa will tell you that in the past, there were several levels of exams. The first was the college exam, which will be the same as your high school entrance exam in the future. County and city unified examinations, and those who passed the examination were called scholars. Scholars can take the provincial examination, which is equivalent to our current college entrance examination. It is a unified examination in the province. Those who pass the examination are called Juren. Then you take the national examination, and those who pass are called Gongshi. Finally, there is the palace examination, which is an examination organized by the emperor.

Me: Oh, then if I study in the general high school in the future, I can take the college entrance examination, and I will be considered a scholar, haha. Grandpa, it’s so complicated. Can it be simpler?

Grandpa: Jinshi is the best person in the exam organized by the emperor. The number one scholar is the first place in the imperial examination. The most powerful one, Chuanlu, is actually the fourth place.

Me: Grandpa, I heard that you have a fun place over there called Yongchang Fort. Did you live here when you were a kid?

Grandpa: Yes, grandpa was born there, and your mother lived there for a while when she was a child.

Me: Grandpa, does this have anything to do with our surname Wang family?

Grandpa: Of course it does matter. Yongchang Fort can be said to have been built by the Wang family. In the thirty-seventh year of Jiajing (1558 AD), the ancestors of the Wang family, Wang Shuguo, Shugao and others, proposed to raise funds to build it. Our Wang family can be said to be a prominent family at that time. Many of the houses of the Wang family in the fort are courtyard-style, with a main hall and side rooms, and the floors are paved with large stone strips.

Me: I heard from my mother that Yongchang Fort was once built to resist Japanese pirates, and it also produced some heroes and celebrities. Can you tell me the story of Yongchang Fort?

Grandpa: You have asked the right person, Grandpa knows everything. When grandpa was a child, his grandpa often told us younger generations stories about Yongchang Fort, such as how our ancestors were not afraid of death to resist the Japanese pirates, how the young people in the fort studied hard to gain fame, and how honest those who served as officials were. Fair story. The story in this castle can be told for three days and three nights.

Grandpa: Grandpa will pick a few and tell them to you. Let’s talk about Yongchang Fort first. During the Ming Dynasty, our coastal areas in Wenzhou were often invaded by Japanese pirates, and the Yongqiang anti-Japanese leaders Wang Pei and Wang De's uncle and nephew died. Later, brothers Wang Shuguo and Shugao, Wang Pei's nephews, initiated the construction of a private anti-Japanese castle in order to defend against Japanese invasion. It took more than two years to build it. There were city walls and a moat outside, and two rivers opened inside. There are also many kinds of bridges. The river can be used for transportation, irrigation and washing.

The castle has four entrances, east, west, north and south, each with a double gate. There is a tower on the tower where you can check the enemy's situation. There is also a fort on the tower. At that time, it was said that when the Japanese pirates came to invade, the small group gave up retreat when they saw the high city wall. He said that once a large army came. They spent two days attacking the city gate, but they still couldn't capture it, so they guarded the gate and prepared to trap us inside. He thought that sooner or later we would run out of food and ammunition and starve. die. Unexpectedly, those officers, soldiers and people lived in the fort, so when it was time to eat, smoke came out of the chimneys of every house in the fort, and the smell of rice spread everywhere. The enemy had to hold on for several days and had nothing to eat. Withdrew. In the earliest days, there were more than 100 acres of paddy fields in this fort. In times of crisis, it could produce and save itself without fear of being besieged by the enemy for a long time. Therefore, when the Yongchang Fort was built, a lot of time was spent on the design and the arrangements were very proper.

Grandpa: Now this Yongchang Fort is a national key cultural relics protection unit. It also contains the Zhuangyuan Mansion, Imperial Gate Lane, Shidafu Temple, Garden Ancient Well, No. 40 Dongqiaodi, and No. 12 Yushi Lane. , No. 6 Zhuangyuanli, and many other ancient houses, ancestral halls, and many ancient bridges, all of which are of great historical value. Grandpa used to live at No. 12 Yushi Lane. In the past two years, in order to protect these cultural relics, the government moved out all the people who still lived in these old houses, took back the old houses and managed them uniformly. In 1994, Yongchang Fort was also named a patriotism education base and a national defense education base. You, you can ask your mother to take you to Yongchang Fort and the Wang Ancestral Hall in the next two days.

Me: OK. After knowing this, when you go to see it, you will be able to see Mingtang even more clearly. Grandpa, you said before that there are many officials in Yongchang Fort.

Grandpa: Yes, since the Ming and Qing dynasties, there have been more than 50 officials in the Wang family, and none of them are corrupt. There are also two widely praised honest and good officials, Wang Zheng. and Wang Jiming. This Wang Zheng was a Jinshi in 1550, and the highest official was the governor of Guizhou. When he was in power, he was not afraid of powerful people to redress the grievances of the people. He had a clear sense of love and hate, and could not stand corrupt officials. He once smashed a corrupt official's banquet in anger, and was known as A strong censor is a good censor. He had been an official all his life and had a clear mind. When he retired and returned to his hometown, all he had was a box of books and a piano.

Me: Grandpa, your Wang family has many academic leaders and honest officials, and they can also fight Japanese pirates. They are really powerful.

Grandpa: Yes, why can the Wang family produce so many outstanding talents?

Me: Why?

Grandpa: Ask your mother to take you to Yongchang Fort another day, and maybe you can find the answer.

Me: OK. Mom, let’s go to Yongchang Fort tomorrow.

Half-day tour of Yongchang Fort on February 18, 2021

First stop: No. 12 Yushi Lane: the former residence of Wang Degong

Second stop: Qingshi Gate

The third stop: Wang Ancestral Hall

The fourth stop: Monument to the Anti-Japanese Heroes

The fifth stop: Yongchang Fort Tower

Sixth stop: Old-fashioned buildings in the fort and impressions of the water town

I also saw the following content in the exhibition hall of the Wang Ancestral Hall - "Wang Clan Covenant"

Content Introduction:

? Written by the eighth generation grandson Wang Che based on his many years of experience in serving as an official. It includes six major contents. One is that family members should adhere to the clan and family; ; The third is the admonition to the descendants to be thrifty and diligent in running the house; the fourth is the admonition to the descendants to cultivate themselves well; the fifth is the relationship between the family, family members and the country; the sixth is the essentials of family governance and marriage, etc. The ten chapters of "Wang Clan Covenant" total more than 12,500 words.

After the "Wang Clan Covenant" came into effect, it was officially recommended as a model for family rules and civil covenants. The spirit of the Wang family covenant is more than just paper. The ancestors of the past generations have practiced it personally, and the good family tradition has been passed down from generation to generation. Only the Wang family has a distinguished family name and is an honest official. Only there are anti-Japanese heroes who build forts to fight against the Japanese.

It is still full of talents, with dozens of professors and experts serving in various fields of society with remarkable achievements, such as Mr. Wang Guosong, an electrical expert and professor and former acting president of Zhejiang University; Mr. Wang Jisi, a famous dramatist and professor of Sun Yat-sen University; in the People's Republic of China Mr. Wang Siben, who contributed to the peaceful liberation of Wenzhou on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China and served as vice chairman of the Wenzhou Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference, etc. Therefore, the "Wang Clan Covenant" plays a very important role in the development and long-term prosperity of the family.

? Every year on the twelfth day of the first lunar month, the Wang family holds a grand spring festival.

During the Spring Sacrifice, the clan covenant will be read through by the priest, and the descendants of the clan will listen and remember it. This is the most solemn part of the rigorous sacrificial ceremony.

1. Integrity

Every descendant who holds an official position must be honest, diligent, upright, loyal to the country①, abide by the official motto②, have outstanding governance and conduct, and benefit the people④ , and those who have meritorious deeds and are supported by the clan and neighbors ⑤ will be passed down in the genealogy after their death; if they are greedy and cruel and deposed ⑥, their titles will be reduced in the genealogy.

——Excerpted from Wang Che’s "Wang Clan Covenant" Summary

Notes ①Tiguo: generally refers to governing the country. ② Official admonishment: originally refers to the admonitions given by officials to the emperor, and later refers to the admonitions given to officials. For example, those who are loyal to their duties as an official are called "the motto of not disgracing the official". ③ Governance: Achievements in managing government affairs. ④Hui Ze: Favor and Deze. ⑤Policy: protect and rely on. ⑥Depose: abolish, demote.

Explanation: Any descendant who holds an official position must be honest, diligent and upright, govern the country with loyalty and respect, and respectfully abide by the responsibilities of an official. His political achievements are outstanding, his kindness is popular among the people, and his merits and good deeds lead his clan and fellow citizens. If there is any benefit, then it will be commemorated in the genealogy; if the official is corrupt and perverts the law and is dismissed and reprimanded, then the official position will not be recorded in the genealogy.

2. Family Tradition

All members ① are the best in the clan, and they should practice ② good manners, respect their ambitions, and ③ act as heroes to the clan. If you only run a business based on profit, go in and out of public houses regardless of your reputation, and interfere with neighboring towns, it is despicable. How can you be a scholar? Those who are officials and at home should especially respect themselves with Taoism, refuse private visits ④, and maintain the family customs with their family members. ——Excerpted from Wang Che's "Wang Clan Covenant" Excerpts

Notes ① Student members: During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, anyone who passed the examinations at all levels in the province and entered the prefecture, state, or county school was called a student member, commonly known as a student member. Scholar. ②Dunxing: pay attention to conduct; ③Xiang: pass "Xiang", the past, the past. ④Private visit: To ask for a private visit.

Explanation: Fansheng members are outstanding talents within the clan. They should pay attention to personal conduct and follow moral standards, respect integrity and ethics, and use students as examples for the clan to learn from. If you are only interested in profit, go in and out of the Yamen regardless of your reputation and integrity, and disturb your neighbors, then it is very despicable. What qualifications do you have as an intellectual? When officials are living at home, they should respect themselves morally, refuse to ask the government for private matters, and jointly maintain the good customs of the clan.

3. Law-abiding Chapter

Anyone who commits ① infringement or ② is subject to the laws of the country. In a small case, it will cause humiliation and loss of family, and in a big case, it will cause harm to the clan, so we should strictly abstain from it. ——Excerpted from Wang Che's "Wang Clan Covenant" summary

Notes ① Bao Ba: Bao Bao Bao. ②Infringement: persecution, bullying.

Explanation: Anyone who takes charge of local affairs, persecutes and bullies fellow villagers will not be able to escape the punishment of the state. In the least case, they will be humiliated and homeless, in more serious cases, they will harm the clan and should be punished. As a warning, remember.

4. Managing a Family

The only way to maintain a family is through frugality and diligence. If you are accustomed to laziness and leisure, and spend your money without restraint, it will not be a long-term reason for you to be a common person. ①. Being a scholar or serving as a minister or a minister. ② Tao is different. They are both diligent and thrifty.

——Excerpted from Wang Che’s "Wang Clan Covenant" Summary

Notes ① Common people: generally refers to common people without official titles. ②Dafu Qingzuo: generally refers to officials.

Explanation: The only way to protect a family is frugality and hard work. If you are idle and live a luxurious life, it will not be a long-term solution. As common people, scholars, or officials, although their thinking methods are different, the fundamental of being diligent and thrifty is the same.

5. Virtue Chapter

Those of all races should ① be superior to others, respect ② moral words and deeds, and those who can serve as teachers and role models are superior; Those who do not offend the township party ③ are considered inferior; those who are superior will die according to the genealogy.

——Excerpted from Wang Che’s "Wang Clan Covenant" Summary

Notes ① Conduct inspection: conduct and conduct. ②Dun Chong: Dun thick and noble. ③Xiangdang: In the countryside, the language comes from "The Theory of Confucius·Xiangdang": "Confucius was as sinister as the Xiangdang, as if he could not speak."

Explanation: The moral conduct of the people in the clan is determined by the His character, morals, words and deeds, and his ability to serve as a role model are considered superior; those who respect benevolence and righteousness, honor his parents, love his brothers, and do not offend fellow villagers are considered inferior. Anyone who has achieved excellence will have a genealogy passed down to commemorate him after his death.

6. Zongzun Chapter

Be filial to relatives and respectful to superiors, be respectful to brothers and sisters, have a righteous husband and an upright wife, do not commit illegal acts and be punished by officials; do not rely on them Be rich and powerful in order to bully the poor and weak; do not be litigious and disturb the family; do not engage in gambling to squander the property; do not indulge in promiscuity ①, in order to ruin the family reputation; do not delay the cultivation of koji, ③, in order to disorder the nature; do not make a habit of wandering Being lazy and forgetting to manage life ⑤, copying this admonition is actually a waste of prosperity. I have said it again and again, so you should reflect deeply. ——Excerpted from Wang Che's "Wang Clan Covenant" Ancestral Ritual

Notes ①Luxury: fornication and debauchery; ②Mei: defeat or ruin; ③麴蘖: also called quhe, referring to wine; ④Jue: Its; 5. Managing life: managing and handling the business of making a living.

Explanation: Serving parents must be filial, treating the elderly with respect, brothers must be friendly and modest, husbands must behave in a righteous manner, and wives must behave in a womanly manner. Do not do illegal things and incur punishment from the government; do not rely on wealth and power to bully the poor and weak; do not be quarrelsome and litigious, which disturbs the peace of the clan and family; do not gamble, which ruins the property; do not engage in fornication, Do not ruin your family's reputation by drinking too much; do not be idle and forget your livelihood. Copying this admonition is actually related to the rise and fall of our clan. I have repeatedly asked everyone to reflect deeply.

7. Respecting righteous deeds

The poor people of the Xuetan family in Zhou Dynasty can hardly go to the ancestral hall, so righteous deeds should be carried out if the family has enough money; ③Lian Qianmo ④, leaving behind descendants to tell the truth, the ancestors' official affairs are limited to the abbot, banquets for relatives and guests, Qi Luo fills the headband ⑤, and the hunger and cold of the clan, all due to unclear righteousness, have not even thought about the meaning of the book; the husband is tired of starting a business. ⑥, and then people use it like dung. ⑦. Wealth and honor come from time to time, but when a person dies, he leaves his name behind. Therefore, the family has more than enough wealth but cannot be kind to the family. It is sincere and unwise to seek great achievements for immortality. ——Excerpted from Wang Che’s "Wang Clan Covenant" Excerpts

Notes ① Zhouxueqi: that is, Zhouxueqi, aid, relief; ② Zai: in a certain position; ③ trapped in: barn, Granary; ④Qianmo: field boundary or field path; ⑤笥: originally refers to a square bamboo vessel for holding things, generally refers to a box; ⑥锱铢: an ancient unit of weight, a metaphor for a very small quantity. ⑦Dung: This is a metaphor for treating the wealth accumulated by the ancestors as dirt and squandering it at will.

Explanation: Whenever the poor and needy households in the clan are helped, and the ancestral hall launches a charity charity event, wealthy families should respond with actions. But now some people have many granaries and contiguous fields, which are used to give away to their children and grandchildren. When it comes to doing business for the benefit of the ancestors, they have become monks; banquets for relatives and friends, lavish silk and satin decorations, and return to the clan. There are people who are starving but no help is given. This is all due to unclear righteousness and disregard of the fact that they have the same roots. Our ancestors accumulated wealth bit by bit when they started their business, but future generations regard wealth as dirt. Wealth will not last long, but what is valuable is leaving a good reputation to future generations after death. Therefore, it is really unwise for a wealthy family with more than enough wealth to be unable to show favors to the clan and not to plan good deeds but to leave a name for future generations.

After visiting Yongchang Fort and reading the introduction to "The Covenant of the Wang Family", the questions my grandfather left for me naturally had answers. Why the Wang family has so many talented people, why a private castle can repeatedly repel Japanese bandits, and why officials in the Wang family can be honest and diligent are all because of the "Wang Clan Covenant" that has been passed down from generation to generation. Good family training cultivates good family tradition, and good family tradition shapes useful talents.

Photographed by: me

Copywriting planner: My mother and I

(Some pictures and text come from the Internet)