The Temple of the Five Lords (), also known as the "Temple of the Five Officials", is a memorial shrine to five exiled officials from the Tang and

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

dynasties that is located to the southeast of the city of

Haikou Haikou (; ), also spelled as Hoikow is the capital and most populous city of the Chinese province of Hainan. Haikou city is situated on the northern coast of Hainan, by the mouth of the Nandu River. The northern part of the city is on the ...

on the island of

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

, China. During the times of these dynasties, Hainan was perceived as a remote part of the empire and was used as a place for banishment for disgraced court officials. All five officials commemorated at the temple encountered such a fate, typically after losing power struggles within the imperial court. Notable buildings of the temple complex are the Five Lords

Ancestral Hall An ancestral shrine, hall or temple ( or , vi, Nhà thờ họ; Chữ Hán: 家祠户), also called lineage temple, is a temple dedicated to deified ancestors and progenitors of surname lineages or families in the Chinese tradition. Ancestra ...

proper (), the Guanjia Hall (), the Xuepu Hall (), the East Hall () and West Hall (, also known as ), the Sugong Ancestral Hall (), the Ancestral Hall of the Two Fubo Generals (), the Bai Pavilion (), the Dongzhuo Pavilion (), the Suquan Pavilion (), the Xixin Hall (), and the Youxian Cave (). In total, the temple complex covers an area of 2800 square meters.Wugong Temple (Five Officials Temple) – chinatravel.com The temple's main building is the Five Lords Ancestral Hall. It is a red two-story wooden structure that stands more than 9 meters tall and has a total floor space of 560 square meters.Memorial Temple of Five Lords – china.org.cn
/ref> A historical inscription on a board placed over the front entrance on the second floor declares it the "first building in Hainan". The earliest buildings of the complex were erected during the reign of

Wanli Emperor The Wanli Emperor (; 4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), personal name Zhu Yijun (), was the 14th Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1572 to 1620. "Wanli", the era name of his reign, literally means "ten thousand calendars". He was th ...

(1572–1620) of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...

.Wugong Temple – China Travel Tour Guide
/ref> The temple has undergone a major restoration during the reign of the Qing emperor Guanggxu (in 1889) followed by minor repairs that were carried out later. The five officials commemorated in the temple are the Tang chancellor

Li Deyu Li Deyu (; 787 – January 26, 850Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 174.), courtesy name Wenrao (), formally the Duke of Wei (), was a Chinese poet, politician, and writer during the Tang Dynasty, serv ...

(, 787–850), and the four Song ministers Li Gang (, 1083–1140),

Li Guang Li Guang (184-119 BC) was a Chinese military general of the Western Han dynasty. Nicknamed "Flying General" by the Xiongnu, he fought primarily in the campaigns against the nomadic Xiongnu tribes to the north of China. He was known to the Xiong ...

(, 1078–1159), Zhao Ding (, 1085–1147, also known for his poetry), and Hu Quan (, 1102–1180). Each of the officials had been banished to Hainan Province after having fallen out of the court's favor and is now represented by a stone statue placed on the temple grounds. The Ancestral Hall of the Two Fubo Generals is dedicated to the two generals

Lu Bode Lu Bode (; –?) was a Chinese military leader during the Western Han dynasty. Lu was from Pingzhou (平州) in the Xihe (西河) region of western China (present-day Lishi District of Lüliang, Shanxi). In 119 BCE, Emperor Wu of Han dispatche ...

(, captured Hainan in 110 BC) of the

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a war ...

and Ma Yuan (, 14 BC – 49 AD) of the Eastern Han dynasty. Both generals played important roles in establishing Chinese rule over Hainan and were recognized by their emperors with the honorary title "Fubo General" () for their achievements. The Sugong Temple is located to the southeast of the Temple of Five Lords. It commemorates

Su Shi Su Shi (; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of ...

(), a renowned poet and statesman of the Song dynasty, who was also banished to Hainan. The temple is located near the administrative border between the City of Haikou and

Qiongshan District Qiongshan District, alternately romanized as Kiungshan, is one district in Haikou City, Hainan. History As Qiongzhou, formerly romanized as Kiungchow, the district was formerly a separate city which served as the center of Chinese administra ...

, about 5 kilometers away from the city center of Haikou. Garden in Wugong Ci

Five officials

Li Deyu (787–850)

() served as chancellor () during the Tang dynasty. He was the leader and namesake of the Li faction during the Niu-Li Factional Struggles that pitted officials of humble and aristocratic origins against each other. Tang Emperor Xuānzong ended the struggles by handing complete defeat to the Li faction, demoting Li Deyu and sending him to exile in Hainan, where he held the position of census officer at Yai Prefecture (modern Haikou) and remained until his death.

Li Gang (1083–1140)

Li Gang () was a government official who held the office of chancellor for a brief period (75 days) during final days of the

Northern Song dynasty Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

. He was put in charge of the defense against the invading Jin dynasty by the young Emperor Qinzong during the Jin-Song wars, but was removed from his post when the emperor was falsely hoping to enter peace negotiations with the Jin. The Northern Song dynasty fell in 1127 and Emperor Qinzong became a prisoner of the Jin dynasty for the rest of his life. Li Gang was released from exile and rehabilitated in 1129 and held various government offices in the Southern Song dynasty.

Li Guang (1078–1159)

Li Guang () was exiled to Qiongzhou (now Haikou) in Hainan in 1144.

Zhao Ding (1085–1147)

Zhao Ding () was a statesman and renowned poet of the Southern Song dynasty. He advocated attempts to recover territory lost to the Jin dynasty and committed suicide dying as a result of a hunger strike.

Hu Quan (1102–1180)

Hu Quan (). In 1148, during the rule of

Qin Hui Qin Hui or Qin Kuai (January 17, 1090 – November 18, 1155) was a Chinese politician. He was a Chancellor of the Song dynasty in Chinese history. He was a contemporary of Yue Fei during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Song. Modern historian ...

, he was exiled to Hainan. In 1155, after the death of Quin Hui, he was able to resume his duties.

References

{{Reflist Tourist attractions in Haikou Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Hainan Monuments and memorials in China