According to data, Lin Xiangru fled with his mother to Qiang Village in Cixian County due to floods when he was a child. When he grew up, he became the prime minister of Zhao State. He died of illness in his later years and was buried in Qiang Village. Lin Xiangru stayed in Zhao for decades and left rich historical relics around Handan, the capital of Zhao. For example: "Lin Xiangru's Return Alley" in Nanmenli Community of China Street; "Lin Xiangru's Former Residence" in Linjiahe Village 6 kilometers southwest of Handan County; "Lin Xiangru's Tomb" 16 kilometers southwest of Handan; and the "Lin Xiangru Tomb" on the north bank of the lake in Congtai Park The "Temple of the Seven Sages", an important place for worship of Lin Xiangru, is the ancestor of Lin Xiangru in the north after the Ming Dynasty. These have become precious monuments for future generations to remember their ancestors and enlighten their souls.
Sima Qian has written in detail about Lin Xiangru’s stay in Handan during his lifetime. The main remains of Lin Xiangru in Handan are described as follows:
Jiang Xiangru’s ruins: Huiche Lane
Lin Xiangru Huiche Lane is located in Chuancheng Street Block, Congtai District, Handan City, on the west side of Nanmenli Road in the inner city of Handan during the Warring States Period. During the Warring States Period, Zhao Shangqing and Lin Xiangru used this place to make way for General Lian Po to return to his car. The Carriage Lane runs east-west, with a width of 2.3 meters, which is the distance of one car in ancient times, and a depth of about 300 meters.
Huiche Lane is here, and there are many records in local chronicles in history. According to the "Handan County Chronicles" of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, in the twelfth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, Sucha, the magistrate of Handan County, had a stone carving of "Lin Xiangru Huiche Lane" on the wall of the alley. It is 0.97 meters wide and 0.49 meters high (the stone carvings were removed and set in a cement base when building a private house in 1957, but they were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution).
The "Handan County Chronicles" written by Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty also contains: "Huiche Lane is in the south gate. It is said that Lin Xiangru led his car to avoid danger here, hence the name." In the 28th year of the Republic of China (1939), "Handan County Chronicle" written by Yang Zhaoji also records that Huiche Lane is in the south gate. On the south side of the east end of the current carriage lane, in 1981, the city government allocated funds to build a stele arch where the stone carvings were originally set on the wall. The square is backed by the west wall, with double eaves and green tiles, stone pillars on the top, and bluestone as the base. It is 4.5 meters high, 2.3 meters wide from north to south, 0.55 meters deep, and 0.75 meters wide at the base. There is a monument built into the square, which is 1.63 meters high, 1.1 meters wide and 0.27 meters thick. Tang Zhenyu wrote the text, Li Shoucheng wrote the elixir, and Zhang Shuiwang engraved it. The upper wall between the two eaves of the monument is inlaid with a stone banner with the words "Lin Xiangru Hui Che Lane", which was written by Li Er, the former governor of Hebei Province.
After Handan was announced as a national historical and cultural city, the original ancient "Imperial Street" of Zhao State where Huanche Lane is located was planned as an ancient Zhao cultural street. The street starts from Hanshan Academy and ends at Nanmenwai Vegetable Market, with a total length of about 2 miles. Construction has been started one after another. Now, except for the reconstruction of the ancient courtyard in the eastern section of Hueche Lane, the entire ancient courtyard has been reconstructed, and a 20-meter by 15-meter Huecheh Lane Cultural Square has been opened opposite it. The west of the square is connected to the Royal Street, and ancient two-story pavilions have been built on the east, south and north sides, which house calligraphy and painting, crafts, stationery, Zhao special souvenirs and other shops.
The Tomb of Lin Xiangru in Qiang Village, Cixian County
The Tomb of Lin Xiangru is located in Qianqiang Village, Nancheng Township, Cixian County, Handan City. It is a key cultural relic protection unit in Handan City. It is said that the original cemetery covers an area of ??about 20 acres. From south to north there are theater buildings, mountain gates, incense pavilions, Xiangtang, tombstones, tombs, etc. Lin Xiangru's tomb is circular in shape, with a height of more than ten meters and a circumference of more than 100 meters. It is surrounded by ancient cypresses and pines.
Later, due to natural, political, and economic factors, the cemetery gradually became smaller, the Xiangtang was repeatedly built and destroyed, and the ruins of the sages felt desolate.
The tomb of Lin Xiangru is in the shape of a garden and is located on a wide square platform, which means the sky is round and the place is round. It symbolizes that Lin Xiangru’s spirit is with the heaven and the earth, and the sun and the moon shine together, not far from the tomb. , stands a black bluestone tombstone with the inscription: "The tomb of Lin Gong Xiangru, Zhao Shangqing at the end of Lin Dynasty". The inscription is indeed intriguing. How should we explain the word "Lin Mo"? Because it comes from an old man's record and inscription, there are still different opinions. One explanation is the transliteration of "Linmo", which refers to Lin Xiangru's later years; the other explanation is more reasonable and says it is "the desolate forest under the setting sun". Because Lin Xiangru returned to Qiang Village for burial, when the Qin Dynasty attacked Handan, Lin Xiangru took his family and fled the capital. In the evening, they arrived in a deserted forest southeast of Qiang Village. Among them, the last one was buried in Qiang Village.
Lin Xiangru’s cemetery is in Qiang Village. Although it is not recorded in the "Historical Records", many local chronicles have detailed records: (1) "Guangping Prefecture Chronicles" in the Jiyou Year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1525) records: "The tomb of Lin Xiangru, Yu Di wants to look at the clouds. In Bai Village, Sanshili south of Handan County, there is the former site of the temple, and the tomb is destroyed." (2) "Zhangde Prefecture Chronicles" in the first year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1522) It contains: "The tomb of Lin Xiangru, Lin Shangqing, is in Qiang Village." (3) "Cizhou Chronicles" in the 39th year of Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1701) contains: "The tomb of Lin Xiangru, Zhao Shangqing, is in Qiang Village, forty miles northwest of the state, and there is still a large temple. There are three couplets, with a statue in the center, and the tomb is behind the temple." (4) In the 28th year of the Republic of China (1939), Yang Zhaoji wrote in the "Handan County Chronicles": "The tomb of Lin Xiangru is located 35 miles southwest of the city. According to legend, there was Lin Shangqing. "(5) In the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), Huang Xiwen wrote in "Zeng Xiu Ci County Chronicles": "The tomb of Zhao Shangqing Lin Xiangru is located in Qiang Village 40 miles northwest of the county. There are still three ancient temples. There is a statue in the couplet, and the tomb is behind the temple. In the sixth year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty, it was protected by the document. "
Not only the above-mentioned local records record that Lin Xiangru's cemetery is in Qiang Village, but also the "Qing Dynasty Emperor Jiaqing" in the 24th year of the Qing Dynasty. "Anyang County Chronicles" records Lin Xiangru's ancestral tomb in Gangxi Village, Xujiagou Township, Anyang County, but records that "only Lin Xiangru's tomb is not here." This historical record can also be regarded as Lin Xiangru's tomb from another aspect. Evidence that the tomb was in Qiang Village. Today, the buildings and facilities in the original site of Lin Xiangru's tomb, such as the theater, mountain gate, corridor, Xiangtang hall, tomb, etc., have been restored one after another, forming a magnificent building with three courtyards: theater, temple, and tomb. group. In the corridors on both sides of the Xiangtang Hall, a memorial hall for Lin Xiangru, a famous prime minister through the ages, was built. Lin Xiangru Cemetery in Qiang Village, a place with a long-standing reputation and blessings that lasts for thousands of years, is expected to become a shining carrier of Zhao culture and a national historical attraction.
Lin Xiangru Temple (Xiangtang Hall)
As for the temples dedicated to Lin Xiangru, they are widely distributed due to their great influence. Many counties in Handan, especially Handan County There are statues in Xiangxian ancestral halls in Xiangxian and Cixian counties, and the only temple dedicated to worshiping ancestral halls is Lin Xiangru Temple in Lin Xiangru Cemetery in Qiang Village, which is the main hall of Xiangtang. The temple's repairs are recorded in the state and county annals of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Lin Xiangru's Xiangtang Hall, which has been restored to its original site, is a conjoined hard-mountain-style glazed tile building with a wide surface, three dark rooms, and five deep rooms, with a front porch in the south and a back building in the north. Foundation laying is held locally on Lin Xiangru's birthday (officially July 20th in the lunar calendar) and on Shuowang Day every month, with July 20th being the most popular day. Lin Xiangru Temple faces south, with a small stream flowing in front of it. The environment is quiet and it is a place with excellent Feng Shui. The temple is arranged in three courtyards, namely the front courtyard where the theater is located (the theater courtyard), and the middle courtyard where the Xiangtang is located. The temple (temple courtyard) and the backyard (tombyard) where the tomb is located cover an area of ??about five acres and have more than 30 buildings.
The first thing you enter is the front yard. The first building you face is the ancient stage, which is fifteen meters long from east to west and ten meters wide from north to south. There is a coupon hole under the stage. Because it was built near the river, the platform facade on the south side is about five or six meters high, which is very majestic.
Go through the coupon cave and enter the middle courtyard along the main Shinto. The first thing you see is the tall, majestic and resplendent mountain gate. The mountain gate is a complex building that combines the ancient classic archway and the traditional rolling shed. The halls are organically combined. The four gilt characters "Lin Xiangru Temple" on the front of the mountain gate were written by Liu Bingsen, vice chairman of the contemporary calligraphy circle. The couplets on both sides of the main hall of the mountain gate are even more rich in calligraphy and writing and were written by Mr. Qi Gong, chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association: " Loyalty runs through the sun and the moon, and the name of a generation is in peace with the country; the liver and gallbladder shine on the rivers and mountains, and the universe is full of righteousness for thousands of years."; Mr. Lu Zhongnan, a famous Chinese calligrapher, wrote: "The name of the prime minister lies in Taihang, and the achievements of the ages will be remembered in history; the sages of Qiongyu Temple, Li Shule from all directions. "Yao Tian" couplet.
Cross the nine stone steps and enter the mountain gate, which is the middle courtyard, also known as the temple courtyard. The main building is the Xiangtang Hall of Zhao Shangqing and Lin Gongxiangru. It is a hard mountain-style conjoined building with a front porch in the south and a rear building in the north.
You can enter the cemetery courtyard by passing through the Xiangtang, going down the steps, or from both sides of the Xiangtang. This is the resting place of famous names throughout the ages.
Lin Xiangru’s former residence—Linjiahe Village
Linjiahe Village is located ten kilometers west and south of Handan City and is under the jurisdiction of Linjiahe Township, Handan County. This village is said to be the hometown of Lin Xiangru, but it is recorded as the former residence in local chronicles.
"Handan County Chronicles" written by Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty records: "In the city, there is Linjiahe and Linjiahe Village." "It is said to be the former residence of Lin Xiangru." In the 28th year of the Republic of China, Yang Zhaoji wrote "Handan County Chronicles" and recorded: "Linjia River is located 20 miles southwest of the city and is also the name of the village. It is said to be the former residence of Lin Xiangru." "People of the Lin clan once lived here." Today's "Handan Place Names" "Zhi" (1984) records: Linjiahe is located 14.5 kilometers away from the County People's Government... According to legend, during the Warring States Period, the former residence of Zhao Xiangxiangru was in this village. And because there is a river next to the village, it is named Linjiahe. According to old county records, Lin Xiangru's former residence was in the southwest of the city. During the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, Yingqi, the magistrate of Handan County, once wrote the poem "The prime minister is like a house".
Beside the Guandi Temple in the southeast corner of Linjiahe Village, there are still ancient houses from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. The villagers said it was the location of Lin Xiangru’s former residence. Although the village is named Linjiahe, there is no family named Lin. It is said that before Qin destroyed Zhao, the descendants of Lin Xiangru in Linjiahe changed their surnames to his own in order to avoid being pursued by Qin soldiers according to Lin Xiangru's instructions. But the facts are different. There is still a merit monument in the Guandi Temple in the village that was used to rebuild the Guandi Temple in the Ming Dynasty. On the stele, there are many lists of people with the surname Lin who donated money. Villagers said that this may be a donation from the Lin family of Linjiahe who fled to other places to build a temple in their hometown, but they cannot rule out that there was a Lin family living in the village at that time.
Lin Xiangru Memorial Hall - Temple of the Seven Sages
The Temple of the Seven Sages was built to commemorate the seven sages of the Zhao Kingdom during the Warring States Period. It is located on the north side of Congtai Park in Handan City. The Seven Sages Temple was jointly built by the original "Sanyi Temple" and the "Four Sages Temple". The general outline of its origins and changes is: the Sanzhong Temple has existed for a long time, and the original temple is difficult to find. According to "Historical Records": "When Cheng Ying died, Zhao Wu offered sacrifices to him in the city and built a ancestral hall in the Spring and Autumn Period for generations to come." Sima Qian did not write down the specific time when the temple was established. In the 19th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the county magistrate Lu Longyun rebuilt the "Sanzhong Temple" under Congtai.
The "Handan County Chronicles" written by Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty records: "'Sanyi Temple' was built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. It was dedicated to Cheng Ying, Gongsun Chujiu and Han Jue. It was originally called 'Sanzhong Temple', but Zheng Fangkun, the county magistrate today, thought it was Chujiu. Zhao Shuo was a guest of Cheng Ying and his friend Han Jue, who was also a public minister. The word "loyalty" seems to have not been firmly fixed, so it is more recent. "The county annals also record that when Zheng Fangkun, the magistrate, restored the "Sanxian Temple" outside the south gate of the county, he originally worshiped Lian. Po, Lin Xiangru, and Li Mu added Ma Fujun Zhao She and changed it into the "Four Sages Temple".
In the 28th year of the Republic of China (1939), Yang Zhaoji wrote the "Handan County Chronicle". In the 11th year of the Republic of China (1922), the garrison Sun Yuxing, the Yishen Wang Wenshan combined the three righteousnesses, and the four sages were in Congtai. The "Seven Sages Temple" was built on the shore of Hubei Province. It is a roll-gate structure with three rooms in width and one room in depth. In 1982, "Handan City Chronicles" edited by Chen Xiangqing and "Handan Dictionary" edited by Zhang Jianhua both recorded: "Seven Sages" The temple was later destroyed and rebuilt in Cong Taipei in 1981. It is a mountain-style glazed tile building with one room in depth and five rooms in width. It has a building area of ??131 square meters and an area of ??524 square meters. There are Han Jue, Han Jue, and Han Jue, about two meters high, and Colorful statues of Cheng Ying, Gongsun Chujiu, Lian Po, Lin Xiangru, Zhao She and Li Mu. The gatehouse of Qixian Temple has a plaque of "Qixian Temple" inscribed by former State Councilor and Vice Prime Minister Fang Yi. There is a "Handan Stele Forest" in the Qixian Temple courtyard, with 42 inscriptions inlaid and standing, including 2 inscriptions about Qixian Temple. , is a precious historical material for studying Handan culture and the Seven Sages Temple.
The distribution area of ??Lin Xiangru's descendants
According to the Ming Dynasty "Lin Family Genealogy" in Beijiabi Village, Beijiabi Township, Ci County: "The ancestor (Lin Xiangru) lived in Handan and stayed with the Qiang people. Village, (descendants) fled from Kequan and moved to Jiabi Village in Cizhou." It is also clearly recorded that Lin Gao, the direct descendant of Lin Xiangru in the Ming Dynasty, led his son to move to Jiabi from Kequan in the early years of Hongwu.
Judging from the field investigation, the descendants of Lin Xiangru are mainly distributed in one county and one district in Handan, namely Ci County and Fengfeng Mining Area. There are three main reasons for the formation of their distributed villages: First, in the early Ming Dynasty , Lin Gao, the direct descendant of Lin Xiangru, moved from Kequan to Jiabi and multiplied for generations, forming the ancestral home of Lin Xiangru's descendants in Handan after the Ming Dynasty. More than 75% of the 6,000 people in the village have the surname Lin, and there are Lin's ancestral tombs, Lin's ancestral halls, and the Lin's family tree is well preserved. The second is the village where Lin Gao's second son Lin Cheng and third son Lin Rang moved away respectively.
According to the "Lin Family Genealogy" of Beijiabi Village, Lin Gao gave birth to three sons, named Guang, Cheng and Rang respectively.
In order to alleviate the contradiction between Jia Bi's large number of people and limited land, except for the eldest son Lin Guang, who stayed in Jia Bi, the second son Lin Cheng led his family to move to the west side of the Drum Tower in Cizhou City, and the third son Lin Rang led his family to move to Pengcheng Town, Fengfeng Mining Area. Linjiazhuang gradually formed Linjia Hutong, where the Lin family lived. The shape of this alley is very special, with one entrance and five courtyards. According to legend, the Lin family in this alley had a successful candidate during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty. The third is the villages that were dispersed from Jiabi due to various reasons. For example: Shandi Village in Yijing Town in Fengfeng Mining Area, Shiqiao Village in Linshui Town, Linjiagou Village in Dayu, and Shangqiyuan Village in Shicunying Township in Cixian County, etc.
In addition, there are some families with the surname Lin in various counties and districts in Handan. It is said that in addition to those who moved out of Jia Bi, a considerable number of these people are descendants of Lin Xiangru who were forced to change their names and surnames after the fall of Zhao in the Warring States Period. The surname was gradually restored to Lin.