Descendants of Lin Xiangru
Shilin Ancestral Temple is located in Quantang Formation, Yuquan Village, next to provincial highway S3 10, and has just been listed as the sixth batch of municipal key cultural relics protection units in Changsha. The local villagers claimed to be descendants of Lin Xiangru, and Lin Daihong was the grandson of the ninetieth generation of Lin Xiangru. He gave me a set of Lin Xiangru's genealogy, with four volumes, which recorded the migration and reproduction tracks of their ancestors and descendants. There is a large plaque hanging high on the beam in the main hall of Lin's ancestral hall, which was inscribed by Li Hongzhang in Qing Dynasty to a general named Lin Shuchuan. Lyrics and music of Ode to Lin Xiangru and Family Instructions of Lin hung on the wall. It says, "Cultivate kindness, get rid of superstition, work hard, avoid vagrancy and help the poor, prohibit gambling in the neighborhood, and severely punish theft, litigation and alcoholism." Lin Yugen, a branch secretary of Yuquan Village, said that these 64-word family instructions are the guidelines for more than 20,000 people who belong to their ancestral temple to stand on and act, and there have been no major criminal cases for decades. In social governance, the power of clan plays an active role. For example, when encountering common contradictions and disputes in rural areas, such as farmland, mountains, rivers and traffic accidents, as long as the patriarch comes forward to do the work, the parties will generally take care of the dignity of the family and will not haggle over every ounce, and in the end they will all be resolved harmoniously. Wenjia City covers an area of only 148 square kilometers, but there are more than 100 ancestral halls (including branch ancestral halls), which is extremely rare in the surrounding areas. Many buildings have a history of 100-200 years and have certain cultural relics value. Sacrificing ancestors on the solstice in winter and sweeping graves in Tomb-Sweeping Day have become their unchanging tradition for thousands of years. Among them, the sacrificial activities from the winter solstice followed the ancient rituals, and the form and content were similar to those of the sacrificial cave. At the sacrificial ceremony, people remembered Zude, commended the advanced and new soul, and rallied people's hearts.