Yizhuang began in the Northern Song Dynasty. Yizhuang is an ancient social custom in China, and it is the land owned by the clan. Yizhuang is the product of agricultural society. In a big clan, some are poor and some are rich, and the rich pay to run a righteous village, which includes schools, public fields, ancestral halls and other facilities.

In historical documents, the earliest recorded Yizhuang was created by Fan Zhongyan in Suzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty. With the change of social structure, the content of Yizhuang gradually narrowed, and in modern times, it was almost only dominated by ancestral halls. In the city, that place called Yizhuang also has a very special purpose: to put coffins.

In earlier years, China people emigrated from Chinese mainland to Hongkong or worked overseas to make a living, hoping to be buried in their hometown after their death. Yizhuang provided a temporary and unified place to put coffins or bones until later generations were fully prepared to move their ancestors to the burial cemetery.

The purpose of the establishment of Yizhuang

Yizhuang was established on the basis of a large number of fields, which were donated by talented people of Fan's descendants, and the ownership was transferred to Yizhuang, that is, it was no longer owned by any specific person. In this way, Yizhuang has a property foundation. Yizhuang also has Yizhuang management regulations and special managers, which operate independently and have the basic characteristics of a consortium legal person. Judging from the purpose of its establishment, the beneficiary of Yizhuang is the Fan clan. For more than 800 years, anyone who lives in his own village can benefit from Yizhuang.

Although Yizhuang's relief is limited by the family, the number of beneficiaries is still relatively wide. Moreover, the ancient family category is far greater than the small family in modern society. Therefore, Yizhuang is charitable, even if the scope of this charity is limited. For the purpose of charity, based on independent property and supported by property operation, it has considerable independence. These characteristics of Fan Yizhuang show that it can be regarded as a formed foundation.

The above contents refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Yizhuang.