Yan Yan (506 BC - 443 BC), named Ziyou, also known as Shushi. Han nationality, a native of Changshu, Wudi in the Spring and Autumn Period. The only southern disciple among the 72 sage disciples of Confucius. Good at literature, he once served as the governor of Wucheng in the state of Lu. He promoted Confucius' theory and educated the scholars and people with ritual and music. The sound of string singing could be heard everywhere in the territory, which was praised by Confucius. Confucius once said: "My sect has Yan, and my way is to the south." This means that my sect has Yan, and my teachings can spread in the south. Therefore, Yan Yan was known as the "Southern Master". Later generations worshiped him in the Confucian Temple, and he was called "the ninth of the ten philosophers" and received Confucian sacrifices. After the Tang Dynasty, it was granted many titles. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, it was renamed "Xianxianyanzi". During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, a doctor of the Five Classics was appointed, who was hereditary by the descendants of Yan Yan. Today there is the former residence of Yanzi in Yanzi Lane of Yushan Town, the tomb of Yanzi in the east ridge of Yushan Town, the special temple of Yanzi in Xueqian Street, and the hometown pavilion of Yanzi beside Zhoutang.

Yan Yan was born in Wudi, and when he grew up, he went to Lu to study with Confucius. Judging from the fact that Yan Yan was forty-five years younger than Confucius, he must have been a student of Confucius in his later years. Confucius had three thousand disciples and seventy-two sages, and Yan Yan was one of the seventy-two sages. Life of the Character

According to the records of "The Analects of Confucius" and "Book of Rites", Yan Yan studied very diligently with Confucius and often asked Confucius for advice when encountering difficult problems; Confucius also regarded Yan Yan as his satisfactory disciple. One of his disciples once described to Yan Yan the beauty of his ideal society. Once, Yan Yan accompanied Confucius to participate in the wax sacrifice (an activity in December to hunt animals and sacrifice ancestors at the end of the year). After the sacrifice ceremony, the two walked to the tall building outside the ancestral temple, and Confucius looked up to the sky and sighed. Yan Yan felt very strange and asked: Why did the teacher sigh? Confucius said: I have not caught up with the era when the Great Dao was implemented and the era when the wise masters of the three generations (Xia, Shang and Zhou) were in power, but I always yearn for it in my heart! Then he eloquently described to Yan Yan the scene of Datong society in which "people plot against each other but do not thrive, thieves do not commit crimes, and people stay outside but do not close themselves off". This left a deep impression on Yan Yan's mind. Later, when he was the prime minister of Wucheng in the State of Lu, he followed the teacher's instructions, educated the people with rituals and music, and made achievements. Once, Confucius came to Wucheng and heard the sound of string singing everywhere, so he smiled and said to Yan Yan who greeted him: "How can I use an ox's knife to cut a chicken?" This means that there is no need to make a fuss and use rituals and music to govern this place. Education? Yan Yan replied respectfully: My teacher once taught me that if officials learn, they will have a heart of benevolence, and if ordinary people learn, they will be able to obey orders easily. Education is always useful! The teacher was very satisfied with the student's answer. Confucius said to the students who came with him that what Yan Yan said was correct, and what I just said was just a joke on him. This shows that Yan Yan not only had a profound understanding of Confucius' thoughts, but also practiced them personally. Then Confucius asked Yan Yan: "Have you obtained any talents here?" Yan Yan replied: "There is a man named Tantai Mieming. He never takes the narrow path when walking. He never comes to my house unless it is official business." The implication is that this person behaves well, does not flatter his boss, and is a talent that can be reused. This shows that Yan Yan is very good at identifying talents. After becoming an official, he does not only like to listen to compliments.

"The Genealogy of the Sages of Wuzhong" was given posthumously by successive dynasties

After his death, Yan Yan was revered by his descendants, which has continued for generations to come. In the eighth year of Kaiyuan (720) of the Tang Dynasty, he was listed as one of the Ten Philosophers and entered the Confucius Temple and was worshiped by people. Nineteen years later, in the 27th year of Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty (739), he was forced to be named a Marquis. In the second year of Dazhong Xiangfu in the Northern Song Dynasty (1009), he was also named Danyang Gong. In the second year of Xianchun (1266) of the Southern Song Dynasty, he was granted the title of Duke of Wu. During the Dade period of the Yuan Dynasty, he was named Wu Guogong. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, he was named a sage and speaker. The Qing Dynasty inherited the titles of the Ming Dynasty. In the 51st year of Kangxi (1712), the imperial court approved the appointment of a doctor of the Five Classics among Yan Yan's descendants, who would be inherited from generation to generation and used to worship the sages. During the Qing Dynasty, several emperors visited the south and sent ministers to Yanyan's tomb in Changshu to pay homage and present plaques with imperial inscriptions.

Cemetery

Yan Yan’s Tomb is located at the east foot of Yushan Mountain. It is built against the mountain and is majestic. The tomb is a tall mound of earth, and the existing foundation path consists of three archways and a stone pavilion. The first archway faces Beimen Street, with the four characters "Yanzi Tomb Path" written on it. There is "Ying'e Pond" inside, and there is a stone arch bridge and a literary bridge. Crossing the bridge and going up the stairs is the mid-mountain pavilion. There is a plaque inside the pavilion with the inscription "Wen Kai Wu Hui" (Wu County and Kuaiji County) written by Kangxi. A few dozen steps further up are three archways, with the four characters "Southern Confucius" carved on the stone banner. Yanzi's tomb is behind the square. The ancillary buildings of the tomb include Luocheng, altar, dining hall, etc.

The year when the tomb passage was first built is unknown. According to literature, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Yanyan's seventeenth-generation grandson Yancheng Da began to repair the ancestral tomb. In the third year of Duanping in the Southern Song Dynasty (1236), Wang Mingling, the magistrate of Changshu County, clearly protected the tomb of Yanzi. Afterwards, it underwent several repairs and most of the existing buildings were built in the Qing Dynasty. It is now a provincial cultural relic protection unit. Historic Sites

There are several historic sites related to Yanzi in Changshu City. For example, there is the former residence of Yanzi in East Yanzi Lane, which was built in the late Qing Dynasty. There is a stone carving of "Yanzi's Former Residence" in the third entrance, and there is a statue of Yanzi and a stele pavilion in the fourth entrance. There is also a Mojing well in the former residence, also known as the famous public well. It is the only relic of Yanzi in the house and has a history of more than 2,000 years. There is a lake stone next to the well, with the word "Mojing" in official script engraved on it. According to records, the well was originally ten feet deep and three feet wide. The water was black and sweet, but today it is no different from an ordinary well. There used to be a washing stone next to the well, three feet long, but its location is unknown. There are Yanzi Bridge and Wenxue Bridge at the entrance of Dongyanzi Alley. On the east side of the Confucian Temple on Xueqian Street is the Yanzi Temple, which has been renovated. There is a Hong Kong Bridge outside Dadongmen. Five kilometers south of the city, on the east bank of Zhoutang Bridge, there is the stele pavilion of Yanzi's hometown, which is more than one foot and three feet wide. In the pavilion, there are stone couplets of "Yi Li Chong Famous Site" and "Zhong Daxian in the Southeast". The above-mentioned monuments can still be seen today. Others only have relics. They are: the Academy Lane has the Literature Academy (later renamed Yushan Academy ). According to records, the academy is quite large, with Xuedao Hall in the middle, Yanzi Temple and Xiange Tower in the west, Shepu in the northwest, and Yuanyuanchi and Zhijin Bridge in the front. There was originally a gate tower and the Yan Family Temple in Hedong Street. The main hall, the Xiange Pavilion, and the back building are dedicated to collecting sacrificial vessels and suicide notes; there is Yanzi Quelifang on Nanmen Street. Today we can only imagine the situation from the records or pictures of the Supervisory Office.

Yanzi's words and deeds are scattered in "The Analects", "Mencius", "Book of Rites", "Historical Records", etc. The king of Yiling in the Song Dynasty compiled two volumes of "Yanzi", which were later lost in the Ming Dynasty. ", Yi Ling Geng Jue made annotations for it, but it was not printed. In the Qing Dynasty, Yan Rusi, a descendant of Yan Yan, collected the lost works and compiled them into three volumes of "Wenxing Lu". Today there are woodblock copies of them. p>

Yanyan is revered by Fengxian District in Shanghai as his hometown. It is said that during the pre-Qin period more than 2,000 years ago, Confucius, who was revered as a sage by later generations, founded a school and promoted Confucianism. After his disciple Yan Yan completed his studies, it is said that in 444 BC, Yan Yan came to the coast of the East China Sea to open a school, where he not only taught his disciples how to learn literature and calligraphy, but also taught them moral ethics. Under the initiative of Yan Yan, the sound of rituals and music can be heard everywhere in Haiyu, and Yan Yan is also respected as a "sage" by the people of Haiyu. In order to commemorate this wise man who devoted his life to spreading learning and promoting rituals, later generations named the county "Fengxian". , built the "Yanzi Temple" to express his nostalgia, and to show that future generations take Yan Yan as a model and advocate the folk custom of "respecting the virtuous, learning from the virtuous, and empathizing with the virtuous". It has become the code of conduct for Fengxian citizens. For details, see "Fengxian Historical and Cultural Celebrities", written by Zhang Zhidi, Oriental Publishing Center, 2006 edition.