Who are the celebrities in Cixi?

Yan Ziling, a hermit of the Eastern Han Dynasty

Yan Ziling is the earliest person in Cixi to be recorded in history. His original surname was Zhuang, but later generations changed his surname to Yan to avoid being tabooed by Emperor Ming. His name is Zun and his courtesy name is Ziling. A native of Chenshan (originally from Yuyao) in present-day Henghe Town. He was very famous when he was young. Later, when he studied in Chang'an, he met Liu Xiu, Hou Ba and others.

In 8 AD, Wang Mang proclaimed himself emperor. The laws were stringent, the corvee was heavy, the administration was corrupt, and the people were filled with resentment. In order to win over people's hearts, Wang Mang once recruited talents from all over the world. Hou Ba took the opportunity to become an official, but Liu Xiu joined the Green Forest Rebel Army, determined to overthrow Wang Mang's regime. Yan Ziling also received many invitations from Wang Mang at that time, but he was unmoved. In the end, he simply changed his name and changed his surname, fled to a remote village, and completely got rid of Wang Mang's fetters.

In 25 AD, Liu Xiu finally defeated Wang Mang, established the Eastern Han Dynasty in Luoyang, and became emperor. This was the famous Emperor Guangwu in history. After he ascended the throne, he was thirsty for talents and looked for Yan Ziling everywhere. A few years later, when he learned that Yan Ziling was living in seclusion somewhere in Qi State, wearing sheepskin and fishing, he immediately sent someone with a betrothal gift, prepared a car, and invited him three times in a row. Your Majesty, there must be ministers who are not summoned. How dare I submit to Zi Ling? If this great cause is exposed to spring ice, it will take a stick to heal it. If there are many high-ranking emperors in Qi, I will not be with Zi Ling. The wind of Yingshui is something I dare not hope for. " Yan Ziling finally came to Luoyang because he couldn't resist.

At this time, Hou Ba had become Liu Xiu's prime minister. It turned out that when Wang Mang lost power, he turned the wheel in time and moved closer to the rebel army. Later, he climbed up step by step with his certain ability. He knew that Liu Xiu valued Yan Ziling very much, so when he heard that Yan Ziling was coming, he did not dare to neglect and immediately sent someone with a letter to greet him. However, Yan Ziling despised Hou Ba's behavior of pursuing fame and fortune and blindly speculating. After reading Hou Ba's letter, he did not want to reply. He only asked the visitor to bring two sentences, saying "Huairen Fuyi" The world is happy, flattery and obedience are the key points." Hou Ba thought this was digging his wounds, and was very dissatisfied. From then on, he tried every means to drive Yan Ziling out of Luoyang. Yan Ziling saw that someone like Hou Ba had become prime minister, so he didn't want to stay in Luoyang anymore. He only slept in the hotel every day, waiting to go home. Even when Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu came to visit him in person, he closed his eyes and ignored him. Liu Xiu knew that his old friend was noble and solitary, so he stroked him and said, "Ziling, Ziling, why don't you come out to help me govern the country?" Yan Ziling suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Liu Xiu said: "Tang and Yao conquered the world because of their virtues, which were heard far and wide, so that the hermits could wash their ears. Why do you have to force me so hard!" Liu Xiujian could not convince him for a while, so he had to sigh and board the carriage back to the palace.

A few days later, Liu Xiu invited Yan Ziling to the palace again and talked with him about old things. The conversation was very speculative. At night, he and Yan Ziling slept on the same bed. Yan Ziling put her feet on his belly in his sleep, but he didn't mind at all. Unexpectedly, Hou Ba found out about this, so he asked the Taishi official to report it the next day, saying that the guest star had violated the emperor's throne last night and was very anxious, hoping to arouse Emperor Guangwu's suspicion of Yan Ziling. Liu Xiu laughed loudly after hearing this and said, "Zi Ling and I slept together. It's okay!" However, Yan Ziling expected that there must be a reason. From this incident, he saw the strife of villains and the dangers of officialdom. , so he refused to stay in Luoyang anymore. When Liu Xiu still wanted him to serve as an admonishment official, he finally left without saying goodbye and lived in seclusion at the foot of Fuchun Mountain. There is a "Yen Ling Lai" there, which is said to be the place where he fished.

In the seventeenth year of Jianwu (AD 41), Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu once again summoned Yan Ziling, but Yan Ziling once again refused and simply returned to his hometown of Chenshan to live in seclusion. Within a few years, he He died here at the age of 80.

Yan Ziling’s character is indeed commendable, but not many people knew about it at the time. It wasn't until Fan Zhongyan, a famous official in the Northern Song Dynasty, was appointed as the magistrate of Muzhou, he built Diaotai and Ziling Temple next to Yanling Temple, and wrote an article "Mr. Yan's Ancestral Hall", praising him for "the clouds and mountains are green, the rivers are strong, the wind of Mr. Yan, the mountains are high" "The water is long", Yan Ziling was known all over the world for his "high integrity and integrity".

During the Jiading period of the Southern Song Dynasty, Gaofeng Pavilion was built next to Yanzi's mausoleum in Chenshan, and later a Gaojie Academy was built. Today, it has long been lost, and only a tombstone remains, which is still preserved in Zhishan Park.

Yu Shinan, a calligrapher in the early Tang Dynasty

The Yu family of Minghe flourished for more than 500 years from the Three Kingdoms to the Tang Dynasty. The famous calligrapher Yu Shinan is one of the best.

Yu Shinan was born in the second year of Chen Yongding (558) in the Southern Dynasty. His father Yuli, brother Yu Shiji, and uncle Yu Ji were all famous at the time. Yu Ji had no children, so Shi Nan adopted him, so he was named Bo Shi.

Yu Shinan was quiet and devoid of desires, dedicated to study and studied hard. When he was young, he studied under Gu Yewang, a writer in Wu County. Emperor Chen Wen knew that he was knowledgeable and talented, so he summoned him to join the army as King Facao of Jian'an. Chen Mi entered Chang'an with his brother Shiji, both of whom had the same name. In the great cause of the Sui Dynasty, he was awarded the title of Secretary Lang and moved to live in the house. However, Emperor Yang was dissatisfied with his uprightness and refused to move him for 10 years. However, Yu Shiji was good at flattering people and was regarded as a confidant by Emperor Yang. As a result, he and Emperor Yang were killed by Yu Wenhuaji. In the fourth year of Wude (621), King Qin Li Shimin appointed Yu Shinan to join the army in the Qin Mansion, and later moved to Prince Zhongshe. After Li Shimin came to the throne, he served as a writer and a bachelor of Hongwen Hall, and then as secretary-supervisor.

When Yu Shinan was young, he learned calligraphy from Master Zhiyong of Shaoxing. Zhiyong is the seventh generation grandson of Wang Xizhi, the sage of calligraphy in the Jin Dynasty. He possesses the authentic works of Wang Xizhi passed down from generation to generation. As a result, Yu Shinan learned the essence of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy and became a great master of his generation. "Confucius Temple Stele", which he wrote and wrote in his later years, is called a treasure of Chinese calligraphy art, so much so that Huang Tingjian sighed, "Where can I buy a thousand taels of gold?" It is said that when Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was learning calligraphy from Yu Shinan, he felt that the "Ge" method was the most difficult to control. Once when he wrote the word "Jian", he left the right side blank and asked Yu Shinan to fill it in, and then asked Wei Zheng to comment. Wei Zheng said: "Of the characters written by the emperor, only the word 'ge' is the most similar to Shinan!" After hearing this, Taizong was amazed.

Although Yu Shinan looks weak, he has a strong will. He was upright in his opinions and dared to give advice. He once used natural disasters such as the Longyou landslide to advise Taizong to reorganize the prison and provide relief to the victims. He also used the changes in the astrology to advise Taizong to avoid arrogance and impetuosity and to be cautious in his death. When Taizong was preparing to bury his great ancestor, Citing the laws of previous dynasties, he advocated a sparse burial. In his later years, Taizong was fond of field hunting, and he also advised that "hunting carts should be stopped at all times" to avoid disturbing the people. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty praised this and said: "All the ministers are like Shi Nan, why should the world ignore him?" He also said that Shi Nan had the five qualities of virtue, loyalty, erudition, diction, and calligraphy. He was "a famous minister of the contemporary era with good human ethics."

When Li Shimin first came to the throne, Yu was nearly seventy years old. At that time, he requested to resign, but was not allowed. It was not until the twelfth year of Zhenguan (638) that he was allowed to retire. In May of that year, he died of illness at the age of 81. Taizong "wept deeply" for his death, let him be buried with Zhaoling, presented him with the Minister of Rites, gave him the posthumous title Wenyi, and painted his portrait in Lingyan Pavilion. Yu Shinan can really be said to have "received much "Ai Rong".

Now there is the ruins of Dingshui Temple in Jiejia Village, Minghe Town. It is said that it was the former residence of Yu Shinan in the early days. It is adjacent to Lidu Lake in the east, Qinglong and Baihu Mountains in the northwest, green bamboos and clear springs, and the scenery is deep. It's a fascinating place. Some people have suggested setting up a Cixi calligraphy art center here, not only to commemorate Yu Shinan, but also to promote contemporary calligraphy art. This is a good idea.

Huang Dongfa, a famous scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty

In the late Southern Song Dynasty, there was a famous scholar Huang Zhen. Huang Zhen, whose courtesy name is Dongfa, is also known as Mr. Yu Yue. He is from Cixi. There is an ancient sleeping bridge in Huangjia Village, Zhangqi Town. It is said that this is where Huang Zhen studied in his childhood.

Huang Zhen was born in the sixth year of Jiading in the Southern Song Dynasty (1213), and he did not become a Jinshi until he was 43 years old. Throughout his life, he was an honest official, not afraid of the powerful, and upright. Despite repeated setbacks, he remains steadfast and unyielding. For example, in the third year of Xianchun (1267), because he was very political when he was a local official, he was promoted to the History Museum for review. He participated in the compilation of "National History" and "Records" of Ningzong and Lizong. In July of the following year, he Because he bluntly pointed out that the major disadvantages at that time were poverty of the people, weak soldiers, lack of money, and the shamelessness of the scholar-bureaucrats, and despite the fact that the palace was building an internal monastery, he proposed to stop selling monks and Taoist certificates, which angered Emperor Du Zong and was demoted to the third level. , and was sent to Guangde Army for a general trial.

After he arrived in Guangde Army, he was still very serious in his work. There is a mountain temple there, and hundreds of thousands of people come here every year to pray to the gods. Cattle are killed indiscriminately as sacrifices, and fights often occur, affecting agricultural production and the unity between the villagers. In sacrificial activities, there is also the vulgar custom of putting on shackles and torturing oneself in order to seek blessings from the gods. Seeing this scene, Huang Zhen ordered one of them to confess his crime. The man said: "I have not committed any crime." Huang Zhen sternly reprimanded: "You must have committed many sins because you dare not tell others and want to seek forgiveness from the gods!" He shouted "spare my life" before giving up. Since then, the evil customs of obscene worship have been eliminated. Soon after, Huang Zhen accused the county governor Jia Fanshi of wrongdoing and was reported to his uncle Jia Sidao, the then powerful prime minister. As a result, he was accused of "obstructing the government" and was removed from office.

In the seventh year of Xianchun (1271), Huang Zhen was appointed magistrate of Fuzhou. At that time, there was a famine in Fuzhou, and the people were displaced and desolate. Rich rice merchants took the opportunity to hoard grain, raise grain prices, and make a fortune. Huang Zhen was riding his bicycle at a high speed. He did not enter the state office first, but went to handle official business in the post house. He posted notices everywhere saying "Those who are greedy will be shut down, and those who buy by force will be killed", which immediately suppressed the price of rice. Then, he personally cooked porridge to help the victims, and rewarded those who contributed to the relief work, which quickly stabilized the situation. In Fuzhou, Huang Zhen also did two major things: First, there was a group of prisoners who had been in prison for 28 years for resisting arrest. Only half of them were alive. Because the matter related to Shangshu Province, no one dared to make the decision to close the case. After investigation, Huang Zhen pointed out that the customs clearance was not a rebellion, and that they had been amnesty many times, so he boldly released them all. Second, Fuzhou originally had a "Salesian Bureau", which was originally set up to adopt abandoned babies. Over time, it existed in name only. Huang Zhen proposed that instead of abandoning the queen and adopting it, it would be better to keep it alive than abandon it. Therefore, the old law was improved, and any family that was about to give birth and was really poor could apply for official adoption; abandoned babies could be adopted by others, and the official would provide subsidies. In this way, many babies were saved.

In March of the first year of De? (1275), Huang Zhen was transferred from Jiangxi to Tiju in eastern Zhejiang. At that time, the salt people in Minghe and Shiyan areas held large-scale riots because they could not bear the exploitation by officials. They were suppressed and fled in large numbers. Huang Zhen was ordered to deal with it. He went deep into the salt field and conducted repeated investigations, and found out that it was completely a rebellion forced by the government and the people. On the one hand, he truthfully reported the situation to the court, and on the other hand, he mobilized various efforts to recruit the fleeing salt people, and paid back the salt production capital of more than 613,000 guan owed to the government over the years, thus calming down a storm that had been "shocked for thousands of miles". down.

"History of the Song Dynasty. Huang Zhen's Biography" said that "the decision was delayed in prison, and the people's lawsuits were cleared, and they were as impressive as gods"; "Zhou Zhi is not stingy." It should be said that these accounts and comments are very accurate and fair.

After the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, Huang Zhen lived in seclusion in Zeshan. In today's Tianyang Township, his door was named "Zeshan Hotel" and his room was "Returning House", where he concentrated on organizing his works. Although his philosophical thoughts were based on Zhu Xi, he did not stick to conventions, but had his own original ideas and systematic discussions, forming the "Dongfa School". He advocated that principles are the "natural principles" of "the movement of all things in the four seasons"; he interpreted "Tao" as the principle of daily use, and denounced the emptiness of Taoists' talk about "human heart" and "Tao heart". His sons Huang Mengqian, Huang Ruya (whose name is Shuya), Huang Ruying (whose name is Shuying) and their fellow scholar Chen Zhu all focused on historical research and spread the Dongfa School of thought to Fujian and Zhejiang. Huang Zhen's "Dongfa Japanese Notes" (first work "Huang's Japanese Notes") is a reading note full of wise words and philosophy. It is dedicated to identifying the forgeries of ancient books and is a representative work of the Dongfa School. He is also the author of "Ancient and Modern Chronicles", "Ancient and Modern Chronicles", "Biography of Wuchen's History", "Reading Yide", "Collected Commentary on the Book of Rites", "Collected Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals", etc.

In the first month of the 18th year of Yuan Dynasty (1281), 69-year-old Huang Zhen died in his hometown ("Song and Yuan Dynasty Academic Cases" stated that he died of starvation in Baozhuang Mountain, Yin County). His disciples privately named him Mr. Wenjie, and he Hushan Academy was built to commemorate him.

The bed bridge was originally a mud bridge, but later generations changed it into a stone bridge, spanning the Clippers River. The east and west bridge railings have the inscriptions of "Ancient Sleeping Bridge" and "Dragon Protecting Bridge" respectively.

The east and west bridge gates are respectively engraved with the following couplets: "The ground is connected to the Wei River, which is the hometown of famous sages, and the embankment is connected to the ancient Pu Qingliu of Shangzha Mian" and "Looking at the smoke and scenery, the light is not different from the past, and thinking about the aftertaste of the wind until now", which has become one of the three mountain monuments. one. There are also the ruins of Hushan Academy in Hushan Village, Tianyang Township. In particular, Huang Zhen's epitaph was unearthed in 1975 in Xibutou Village, Minghe Town. It records Huang Zhen's life story in detail, which can supplement the shortcomings of official historical records. It is a very precious cultural relic and is now under the municipal cultural management. Will keep it.

Ma Zonghan, the martyr of 1911

Ma Zonghan’s original name was Chunchang, his courtesy name was Ziqi, and his nickname was Zonghanzi. Born on March 30, 1884, he is a native of Zonghan Village, Zonghan Town. His grandfather and father were both chivalrous and well-known in the local area. Ma Zonghan was influenced by his family when he was young. He has a clear understanding of love and hate and is brave in doing justice. At the age of 15, Ma Zonghan entered Dashan Academy to study. As his knowledge broadened, he was deeply saddened by the corruption of the government and the aggression of the foreign powers at that time. He often sang Yue Fei's "Man Jiang Hong" to express his ambition to serve the country. In order to overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty, he not only insisted on studying, but also exercised every day and learned English. He showed his unusual ambitions from an early age.

In 1902, Ma Zonghan was admitted to Zhejiang University and met many enthusiastic young people. In 1904, he reluctantly obeyed the orders of his grandfather and father and became a scholar, but his determination to revolution made him have no interest in official career. After returning, he taught at Sanshan Academy for two years. During this period, he purchased revolutionary literature and periodicals many times and distributed them in school and hometown. At that time, the revolutionary trend against the Qing Dynasty and national salvation had gradually formed. The revolutionary actions of Qiu Jin, Xu Xilin and others kept Ma Zonghan awake at night. In September 1905, he heard that Xu Xilin had founded Datong Academy in Shaoxing, so he went to visit him and was introduced to the Guangfu Meeting by Xu. In January 1906, he traveled east to Japan with Xu Xilin and Chen Boping to study military affairs. However, due to the obstruction of the Qing government's embassy in Japan, he returned to China in May.

After returning to China, Ma Zonghan originally wanted to study in Germany with Xu Xilin and Chen Boping, but his grandfather died of illness and was unable to make the trip. Ma Zonghan was in his hometown and had a revolutionary heart. He invited friends many times to discuss the current situation for political propaganda.

In early 1907, Ma Zonghan was extremely excited when he learned that Xu Xilin had donated Taoists from Anhui as planned and had infiltrated the Qing government. He once replied to two letters in a row, saying that he would "leave to Anhui on the first lunar month." Later, due to illness, it was postponed until June 10th, and then he and Chen Boping went up the river from Shanghai. When the two arrived in Anqing, Xu Xilin had been promoted to the office of patrol officer and patrol officer school, and he and Qiu Jin agreed to stage simultaneous uprisings in Anhui and Zhejiang on July 8. Ma Zonghan's arrival in Anhui made Xu Xilin even more powerful, and everyone immediately split up to prepare for the uprising. On June 22, Ma and Chen were ordered by Xu to go to Shanghai for final negotiations with Qiu Jin and to purchase weapons. Ma Zonghan and Chen Boping returned to Anqing on July 5, and Xu Xilin informed them that the uprising was ahead of schedule and would be tomorrow. Ma Zonghan knew that the change must be sudden, so he didn't ask much about the reason. He just renegotiated all the preparations for the uprising.

At about 8 a.m. on July 6, 1907, Enming, the governor of Anhui, came to attend the patrol police graduation ceremony at the invitation of Xu Xilin. He was accompanied by a group of local officials such as Fantai Feng Xi and Nantai Yuxian. . After a group of officials sat down and students lined up to enter, Xu Xilin said to Enming: "Come back to the commander, there is a revolutionary party uprising today." Before Enming could react, Xu fired several shots at Enming. At this time, Ma Zonghan and Chen Boping also rushed into the venue, pulled out their pistols and started fighting. However, Enming received a secret report 10 days ago that there was a rebellion by the revolutionaries, so he was particularly careful in the past few days. Before coming to the patrol school, he made careful arrangements. As soon as the gunshots were fired, a large number of soldiers quickly closed the door. After entering the city gate, some people came to the school to round up them. Seeing that the situation was critical, Xu, Ma, and Chen ran out of the school and, under the guidance of a child, climbed over the wall and took a shortcut to the armory. Xu Xilin asked Chen Boping to guard the front door and Ma Zonghan to guard the back door. He and more than thirty students went to get the guns and cannons from the library to prepare for a decisive battle with the Qing soldiers. Unfortunately, these guns do not have bullet-loading mechanisms, so they cannot be used. From 12 noon to 4 pm, Chen Boping died in the battle, and many students were also killed or injured. However, the Qing soldiers continued to attack fiercely because of the huge reward, and the situation was extremely critical. Ma Zonghan suggested setting fire to the armory and perish together with the Qing soldiers.

Xu Xilin considered that the ammunition and arms would explode and harm the residents, and he couldn't bear it, so he did not agree. Not long after, the armory door was breached and Xu Xilin was arrested on the spot. At this time, Ma Zonghan had already broken through the back door and hid in a nearby dry well under the cover of the crowd. The Qing soldiers were searching for him urgently. Ma Zonghan couldn't bear to harm innocent people, so he jumped out of the well and was also captured by the Qing soldiers. After Ma Zonghan was arrested, he was tortured and killed in prison on August 24, 1907. He was only 24 years old.

After Ma Zonghan's death, anti-Qing fighters such as Cai Yuanpei and Tao Chengzhang wrote articles to express their condolences. After the Republic of China, the martyrs' hometown Kedong Township was renamed Zonghan Township to express the people's deep memory for the martyrs. Nowadays, the former residence of the martyrs has been listed as a cultural protection unit. During every festival, people come to pay their respects to commemorate the achievements of the martyrs.

Patriotic overseas Chinese businessman Wu Jintang

Wu Jintang is a famous patriotic overseas Chinese businessman in modern times. Born on November 14, 1855 in Xifang Village, Guancheng Town. He has been working in farming for generations and his family is poor. He attended a private school for two years when he was young. Later, he studied with his uncle, who was a private school teacher, during his spare time in farming, and was able to gain a basic understanding of writing. In 1882, he went to work as a helper in the Cuifeng Oil Candle Shop in Hongmiao, Shanghai. He taught himself arithmetic and business management, and was highly appreciated by the shop owner. Three years later, with the support of friends, he traveled east to Japan and settled in Nagasaki. After four years of steady development, he gained a foothold in Japan's fierce business competition. Finally, the famous commercial port Kobe was chosen as its business center. At the same time, Yi Sheng and Yu Sheng were also established in Shanghai. The business became more and more prosperous. In just a few years, hundreds of thousands of capital were accumulated. With business relationships, operating experience and capital strength, they were able to do business with ease, and then they began to set up industries. and engage in financial activities. He organized East Asia Cement Co., Ltd., Onoda Co., Ltd., Osaka Knitting Co., Ltd., etc. in Japan and became a famous businessman in Kobe and Osaka and a big figure in Kansai's financial circles. As a result, news media reports on his whereabouts often affect the rise and fall of stock prices.

Although Wu Jintang is doing business in Japan, his heart is with Zisang. In Kobe, Japan, the number and scale of the charitable institutions, business institutions, and educational institutions he established for overseas Chinese were unprecedented in the history of local overseas Chinese. According to Mr. Chen Deren's recollection, the various social undertakings established by Mr. Wu Jintang in Kobe amounted to several billion yen. Back home, he cared just as much. In May 1909, there was a rare heavy rain in Sanbei. The streams swelled, the rivers overflowed, and the ruthless floods ran rampant, putting hundreds of thousands of people at serious risk. Mr. Wu Jintang saw this and decided to invest in water conservancy projects. The entire project is of a grand scale, including rebuilding the Yangtang on the west boundary, strengthening the embankments of Dubai Lake and the two lakes, adding water reduction dams for the two lakes, dredging 4 large rivers leading to the sea, adding more than 10 large and small bridges and gates, and improving the drainage and irrigation system.

Just after the surveying and mapping work for the entire project was completed in the fall of that year, a terrible flood broke out. Three days and three nights of heavy rain plunged the land of Sanbei into a vast ocean. The Dubai Lake Water Reduction Dam, which has not yet been fully reinforced, is under serious threat. If the embankment breaks, dozens of villages, tens of thousands of acres of farmland and all water conservancy facilities outside the pond will be destroyed. Therefore, Wu Jintang offered a high bounty to organize a rescue team, and personally held an umbrella with his bare feet, ignoring the raging floods, and went deep into dangerous areas to supervise the work. His move not only deeply moved all the migrant workers present, but even the Japanese surveyor exclaimed: "It's rare in the world!" They even took a photo of him as a permanent memorial.

Based on his personal experience in Japan and what he saw with his own eyes, Wu Jintang believes that "Japan's prosperity depends entirely on education." In 1905, he funded the construction of Jintang School. The school is located near the former residence of Mr. Jintang. The main building is a two-story square-shaped bungalow with red windows, red walls and white gray caulking. It stands majestically in the wilderness and is particularly eye-catching. An artificial pool was dug between the building and the hill in the north, and a new river was opened on the east, west and south sides. On a large piece of land, high-rise buildings and mulberry fields complement each other, and the small river around the playground looks lush and beautiful. The school was completed in 1908 and officially opened its doors in January 1909. In order to ensure the school's regular education funds, Wu Jintang bought another 1,200 acres of land and donated 40,000 yuan of stocks from Hanyeping Company and Zhejiang Railway Bureau to the school. He also stipulated that all the school's property will forever be owned by the school and will be owned by future generations of the Wu family. No one is allowed to interfere on any pretext.

On April 8, 1909, the school held its founding meeting. Wu Jintang attended the meeting and delivered a speech. More than a thousand representatives attended the meeting. At that time, the student quota was 360, which is evident from its large scale. Mr. Cai Yuanpei, a famous Chinese educator, calls Ng Kam Tong, Tan Kah Kee, and Nie Yuntai the “Three Sages of Education” in our country. In order to establish the school, Wu Jintang successively invested more than 200,000 silver dollars, which was three times the total investment in water conservancy. He also focused on cultivating agricultural talents from the perspective of social and industrial needs. In 1911, Jintang School was renamed Jintang Agricultural Middle School and offered undergraduate majors in agriculture and silkworms. We have also hired scholars with expertise as teachers, with a neat lineup, and have trained many outstanding agricultural professionals for the country.

Although Wu Jintang is a businessman, he is very concerned about the fate of his motherland. In August 1905, the Tongmenghui was established in Tokyo, Japan, and soon there were Tongmenghui activities in Kobe. In order to support Sun Yat-sen's revolution, Wu Jintang lent his private residence to the Tongmenghui for many times, and provided funds to help Sun Yat-sen carry out revolutionary activities. On March 14, 1913, Wu Jintang, as the head of the Kobe branch of the Chinese Kuomintang, warmly welcomed Sun Yat-sen at the villa and took photos with Sun Yat-sen, Song Jiashu (the father of Soong Chingling) and others. After Zhang Xun's restoration, Wu Jintang first expressed his opposition to the feudal monarchy at the meeting, which was unanimously supported by the participants. During the Revolution of 1911, Wu Jintang donated more than 21,000 taels of silver and 5,000 yuan of silver dollars to the Shanghai and Ningbo military governments. At a time when the warlords were fighting and the country was in ruins, Wu Jintang repeatedly spent huge sums of money to help refugees, reaching as far as Beijing and Tianjin in the north and as far as Fujian and Guangzhou in the south. He was called "the lucky star" and "the living Buddha" by the masses.

In 1910, Wu Jintang sent people to select a cemetery by Baiyang Lake, and Zhang Jian inscribed the stele and Zhang Taiyan wrote the tomb list. In order to express his patriotism for agriculture, he wrote a couplet of his own: "For the love of the lakes and mountains, I will bury my bones, regardless of Feng Shui, just follow my heart." On January 14, 1926, Wu Jintang suffered from acute pneumonia and was hospitalized in Kobe, Japan. Shanzhuang passed away at the age of 72. When he was dying, he repeatedly asked his body to be transported back to the motherland and buried in his hometown. He also specially asked future generations not to forget that they were descendants of the Yan and Huang Dynasties, and not to do anything detrimental to the motherland at any time. On the tenth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar in 1929, his coffin was escorted by his son Qifan and others and transported by waterway to Cixi via Shanghai and Ningbo. A grand memorial and burial ceremony was held beside Jinxian Temple. On this day, thousands of representatives from all walks of life at home and abroad attended the memorial service. The vast number of people in Cibei area also took the initiative to support the elderly and children, and came to pay their respects, numbering in the tens of thousands. The ten-mile long embankment is filled with thousands of people. In Jinxian Temple, elegiac couplets are hung, and countless wreaths are arranged in front of the mourning hall. The elegiac couplet presented by the people in my hometown reads: "With the enthusiasm to help the world, providing food and clothing, I am worthy of the birth of Buddha in thousands of families; working hard in overseas undertakings, I am willing to promote the heroes of this generation." To express their longing, the villagers paid tribute to the longevity in Yanpu. A bronze statue was erected in the palace. Wu Jintang watched the prosperity and development of his hometown with his kind eyes.

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