Fan Zhongyan

Fan Zhongyan with the courtesy name of Xiwen (989-1052), coming from Wu Town of Northern Song Dynasty (Suzhou, Jiangsu). He came from a poor family, but he had a great ambition. He studied hard and he won the bachelor’s examination when he was 26 years old. He was sent by the Emperor to work as officer of salt warehouse in Xixi when he was 34 years old. Then he was promoted to counsellor (prime minister). He was outstanding politicians and writers in the Northern Song Dynasty. His great ambition, to worry before the common people worries; to enjoy only after the people can enjoy, has been immortal saying from ancient to modern times. Fan Zhongyan did not work in Xixi for a long time, but he did make so many political achievements, so he was praised by the Xixi people at that time and he is respected by the offspring.    

In his post of officer of salt warehouse, Fan Zhongyan was in a strong youth. At the beginning of the post, he was persuaded by others that he should not go to Xix since Xixi was a remote place and the officer was not high, it was so wasteful for such a talent. But he thought that the post could be ignored since he could work for the Emperor, and he also wrote a poet, To Xixi:  谁道西溪小？西溪出大才。参知两丞相，曾向此间来。

He liked to show the appreciation with poems, so he came to Xixi with the ambition to build contribution. At that time, Xixi was close to seaside and the living condition was so hard. However, Fan Zhongyan did not give up and he wrote in a poem, Poem for Mosquito：饱似樱桃重，饥如柳絮轻。但知从此去，不要问前程。

The poem reflects the hardship of the seaside in summer. There are so many mosquitoes and he also satirized cockroach without knowing of the future. At the same time, he showed his optimism and ambition. He had not worked in Xixi for a long time, but he did make so many contributions for Xixi. His fame had been circulating up to now. 

According to the history, Xionghe River (called as Yuxing River) in Xixi Town and Ynxihe River cross the town in the form of Ding. The two rivers divide the town into three pieces. For the convenient transport of the people at both sides, Fan Zhongyan and craftsman had delicate design. It was so unique. He presided the construction of Baziqiao Bridge. The overall structure of the Bridge is so ingenious since there is perfect match with the surrounding environment. “Stepping on the top of two bridges by one step and two bridges lead to three banks”. Baziqiao Bridge deserves to be a treasure in the history of bridge construction in ancient China.     

Fan Zhongyan gained the last wish of Yan Shu to lecture in Xixi after he became the officer in Xixi, so he greatly advocated to have strict learning and lecturing. He built a pavilion in place surrounded by water in the southwest of Xixi (the site belongs to the residential committee of Taishan Temple in Dongtai Town), and he wrote three words in the upper front of pavilion, Yang Zhi Ting. The Pavilion was surrounded by bamboo and flowing water. Fan Zhongyan read so many books in the pavilion and he also lecture, gather and walking with scholars in Xixi to talk about the willing to make returning to the country. Xixi people did worship him. The pavilion was called as Fan Gong Du Shu Ting after he was leaving from the post.

    Besides, there are heritage sites and ancient sites related with Fan Zhongyan in Xixi also include: Sanhuai Hall (according to legend, Fan Gong planted three pagoda tree behind the hall, so the establishment of civil ethics court is called as Three Pagoda), San Xian Ci (Hu Lingyi and Zhanglun presided the Fangong Weir for the memorization of the donation of Fan Zhongyan), Xuanma Zhuang (The west side of Fan Gong’s Pavilion, according to legend, Fan Zhongyan wanted to educate the offspring), Tang Zhai (In the southwest of Xixi Town and it was built by Fan Zhongyan according to legend), Zhongxiao Si (It was built by the Xixi residents to memory Fan Zhongyan and Dong Yong).  

Fan Zhongyan was so talented and he was proficient was poems. He also made poems in Xixi. There were so many poems in Xixi, Yanxi Train Gull, Xixi Mockery and Poem of Peony.