Tangyue Memorial Archway

The Tangyue Memorial Archway Group is composed of 7 arches. It's located on the road at the entrance of Tangyu village, west of Shexian County. It arrays in the successive order of loyalty, filial piety, women's chastity and charity. The Tangyue Memorial Arch Group is all made of green stones which are of good quality and produced in Shexian County. There are no nail or rivet could find in these constructions. The skillful combinations between stones are astonishing. In addition, there are a large number of beautiful carvings in Hui style around the body of the arches.

Among the Tangyue Memorial Arch Group, three of seven are made in the Ming dynasty(1368- 1644), and four are in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911). Although they have a long history, the style of architecture is a successful combination of old and new fashion, which seems a piece of works finished at a heat. These seven arches in turn are: the Baocanxiao Memorial Arch, the Cixiaoli Memorial Arch, the Jiexiao Memorial Arch of Wang, the wife of Baowenling, the Kindness Arch, the Jiexiao Memorial Arch of Wu, the second wife of Baowenyuan, the Baofengchang Dutiful Son Memorial Arch, and the Baoxiangxian Shangshu(a rank in ancient times in China) Memorial Arch. All these archways are memorial arches of Bao families of Tangyue village.

The Cixiaoli Memorial Arch was built in the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty to honor Baosheyan and Baoshouxun, who were father and son. After they were captured by the rebels, the rebels wanted to kill one of them and let them choose who was live and who was dead. These two persons all wanted to use their own death to gain their relative's life. In order to honor the father and son, the memorial arch was granted by the emperor. Later, Qianlong, an emperor of the Qing dynasty, inscribed a couplet: There is no second one of love and filial piety in the world. The memorial archways were respected by generations of ancient Chinese emperors.