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 performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

dynasties that is located to the southeast of the city of

Haikou Haikou; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanized as Hoihow is the capital city, 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. ...

on the island of

Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...

, 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 worshipped 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 , ; Chữ Hán: ; ), also called lineage temple, is a temple dedicated to deified ancestors and progenitors of surname lineages or families in the Chinese tradition. Ancestral temples are closely lin ...

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), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shenzong of Ming, personal name Zhu Yijun, art name Yuzhai, was the 14th List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reig ...

(1572–1620) of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

.Wugong Temple – China Travel Tour Guide
/ref> The temple has undergone a major restoration during the reign of the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

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

Li Guang Li Guang (184–119 BCE) 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 X ...

(, 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 (, captured Hainan in 110 BC) of the

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring in ...

and

Ma Yuan Ma Yuan may refer to: * Ma Yuan (Han dynasty) (馬援; 14 BC – 49 AD), general of the Han dynasty * Ma Yuan (painter) (馬遠; 1160–1225), painter of the Song dynasty * Ma Yuan (judge) (:zh:馬原 (政治人物), 馬原; born 1930), a former V ...

(, 14 BC – 49 AD) of the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. 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 ( zh, t=, s=苏轼, p=Sū Shì; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese poet, essayist, calligrapher, painter, scholar-official, literatus, artist, pharmacologist, and gastronome wh ...

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

Five officials

Li Deyu (787–850)

Li Deyu () served as

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

() 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 The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...

. 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, 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