Wenchang Devotion at the Changzhou County School, 1550s–1790s

In the early sixteenth century the erection of towers devoted to the deity Wenchang was mandated in all state-sponsored academies in the Ming empire. Wenchang is a deity of Daoist origins who became the patron of the civil examination system in the Song dynasty (960-1279). Though integral to the ritual function and social life of official schools for nearly half a millennium, scholars have yet to consider the ritual role and social function of Wenchang towers. Drawing on literary anthologies, genealogies, stelae inscriptions, and autobiographies, this paper documents the relation maintained between the Peng clan of Suzhou and a county-level Wenchang tower over six generations. Covering the two and a half centuries between the zenith of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and that of the ensuing Qing (1644-1911), I examine the performance of a vibrant mix of rituals dedicated to both Daoist and Confucian pantheons alongside philanthropic endeavors such as disseminating morality books and organizing a society for protecting fish and animals. I show that, rather than an austere campus devoted solely to conventional pedagogy, the Wenchang Pavilion was a loci for multifaceted aspects of the collective and individual spiritual, professional, intellectual, social, and familial concerns of local gentry.

            Further, I argue that literati writings on county and prefectural level Wenchang towers can be used as a barometer for local-metropolitan relations. While imperial mandate provided the initial impetus for the erection of many of the towers, local gentry bore the burden of upkeep and renovation. Additionally, it was a localist pride, framed in geomantic terms and measured by examination success that motivated financial contributions and ritual and social involvement.