The ancestor of the Pei family was Zhuanxu, one of the Five Emperors. Zhuanxu's descendant Boyi was given the surname Ying by Emperor Shun. His descendants began to take the surname Pei during the reign of King Xi of Zhou Dynasty. Pei Ling is the first recognized ancestor of the Pei family. During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the first official in the Pei family who was recorded in official history appeared. He was Pei Gai, who lived in Shuiheng Duwei and Shizhong. From then on, people from the Pei family came to serve in official positions one after another, and it was impossible to stop them. Pei Zun, the ninth grandson of Pei Gai, followed Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty to conquer Longshu, and later served as the governor of Dunhuang. His life story can be seen in "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of the Western Regions". The Pei family also had a Dunhuang governor named Pei Cen. From the famous "Han Dynasty Dunhuang Governor Pei Cen's Monument of Merits", we can read about his great achievements in defeating the Huns.
Pei Ling's 27th grandson Pei Ye served as the governor of Bingzhou and the general of Liao Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He looked up at the astronomy, looked down at the geography, and after repeated deliberation, finally moved his family to a place 50 miles east of Wenxi County in the early Yongjian year of Emperor Shun of the Han Dynasty (AD 126). The world is so big, why did you choose this place? Because Pei Ye saw the majestic mountains here, the lush pines and cypresses, lingering purple clouds, and permeated the fragrance of lotus, he decided that this was the most suitable Feng Shui land for the family to multiply and nurture talents. Because there are cypress trees all over the mountains and plains here, it was named Peibai Village. Since then, Pei Bai Village in Wenxi County has been included in the genealogy of the Pei family as the ancestral home of the Pei family and has been included in official history by historians of the past dynasties. That is to say, from the time when Pei Ye settled in Pei Bai Village, the Pei family opened a splendid family history page, and princes, princes, and generals emerged one after another.
Pei Ye first set an example and set an example. Both of his sons became prime ministers. The eldest son, Pei Xi, served as Shangshu Ling and Founding Duke during the reign of Emperor Huan of Han Dynasty. He was the first prime minister of the Pei family. The second son, Pei Mao, served as county magistrate and county guard, and then became a minister. He was named Pinghou of Yangji by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty.
As a marquis, Pei Mao gave birth to 4 sons. These four sons were later divided into three branches: East, West and Middle, called the "Three Families". They moved south and west respectively, and lived separately across the country. Nearly two thousand years have passed, and today, the descendants of the Pei family are spread across the land of China, and many of them have also immigrated overseas. However, after examining their genealogy and tracing back to their origins, it was found that all the descendants of the surname Pei came from the "Three Households", and their overall family roots are in Pei Bai Village, Wenxi County. That's why there is a saying that "their clan is spread all over the world, and there is only one Pei in the world."
In the two thousand years of history, celebrities from the Pei family have emerged in large numbers, shining like stars. Checking the historical records, there are more than 600 people in the Pei family who have been recorded in official history. Among them were 59 prime ministers of past dynasties, 59 generals of various dynasties, 14 ministers of Zhongshu, 55 ministers, 44 ministers, 11 permanent ministers, 11 censors, 211 governors, and 77 prefects. 89 people were granted the title of Duke and 33 people were granted the title of Marquis. There have been 3 queens, 2 princesses, and 21 princes-in-law. There are 117 people who have passed the Jinshi examination, and among them, 11 people are the top scorers in high school.
The Pei family "originated in the Zhou and Qin Dynasties and flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties". In the 290-year history of the Tang Dynasty, China produced 396 prime ministers, and the Pei family had 34, nearly one-tenth. All major events in the Tang Dynasty involved the Pei family. Therefore, Comrade Hu Yaobang said that to study Chinese feudal society, we must study Nan Lin and Bei Pei. During the Chengdu Conference in 1958, Chairman Mao Zedong asked Tao Lujia, the former Secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee, if you knew Pei Du? The Pei family in Wenxi County has produced so many prime ministers, which is worth studying. It can be seen that the old man is also very interested in Pei's phenomenon.
In 1989, Pei Lisheng, the 74th generation descendant of the Pei family, former governor of Shanxi Province and deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, invited the famous calligraphy and painting master Dong Shouping to inscribe the name "Prime Minister Village" for Pei Bai Village. The "Chinese Prime Minister Village" has spread like wildfire since then, spreading throughout China and the world.
In today's Peibai Village, there are many historical relics of the Pei family, including buildings, inscriptions, and tombs. There are many historic sites such as Pei's ancestral hall, Pei's stele gallery, and Pei's tomb. Pei's Ancestral Hall, also known as Jin Gong (Jin Gong Pei Du, also known as Zhongli, was an important official in the four dynasties of Tang Xianzong, Mu Jia, Jingzong, and Wenzong. He served as a general and prime minister, and was given the title of Jin Gong.) The ancestral hall was built in the third year of Zhenguan (629) of Tang Dynasty. year), there are front hall, back hall, Zhuangyuan Square, stele gallery, etc. It is large in scale, but it has been repeatedly destroyed by war, repaired and destroyed.
Pei's Stele Gallery is almost a museum of fine Chinese calligraphy and engraving. It was rebuilt in the 1970s and has preserved dozens of ancient steles, which are of high value in terms of historical materials and calligraphy art. Among them, the "Pei Hong Stele" is a combination of Wei and Li, with stable calligraphy. It was engraved in the third year of Yamato (568), the third year of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. It is the earliest surviving inscription of the Pei family.
"Pei Jingmin Monument" was written by Li Baiyao, a historian in the early Tang Dynasty, and written by Yin Lingming, a calligrapher. The script is in regular script, which is close to the style of Yan, but also contains the willow style. It is dignified and solemn, and the writing is straight and straight. "Pei Guangting Shinto Stele" was written by Zhang Jiuling and written by Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. The writing is bold and bold, and the handwriting is beautiful. "Ping Huaixi Stele" was written by Han Yu, a famous litterateur in the Tang Dynasty, and was reprinted by Qi Junzao, the military minister during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. This stele records the achievements of Pei Duping, the famous Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, and Wu Yuanji's rebellion in Huaixi. It is carved with four stones, standing side by side. It is majestic and has excellent writing, calligraphy and engraving. It is called the "Three Unique Steles". In addition, there are 17 prefaces to the Pei family genealogy engraved from Jin Dading to the Qing Dynasty, which are the essence of the clan's relics. These inscriptions are precious materials for studying the history of the Pei family and the art of calligraphy.
"Millennium of Prosperity" This is when Chairman Mao led the delegates to visit the Wuhou Temple during the Chengdu Conference held by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1958 and read the inscription on the Zhuge Wuhou Temple written by Pei Du. , said in a conversation with me. He said: "You are an official in Shanxi, do you know who Pei Du is?" Before I could answer, he said: "Pei Du was the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty and a native of Wenxi County under your rule. Wenxi County is The county with the most prime ministers in Chinese history, most of the prime ministers from Wenxi were the Pei family, which has been prosperous for thousands of years and is the most famous family in history."