Lin Shensi (844-880), courtesy name Qianzhong, alias Shenmengzi, was born in Fuzhou, Fujian. He lived in Hongshan, Qinpingli, Chongxian Township, Changle County (now Dahong Village, Tantou Town, Changle District, Fuzhou City). He passed the imperial examination in the 10th year of Xiantong. In the 11th year of Xiantong, he won the first place in the Boxue Hongci exam. He was the first thinker in Fujian history. He was an important symbol in the history of Fujian’s cultural development, marking Fujian’s transition from barbarism to civilization.

Chinese name: Lin Shensi
Other name: Qianzhong
Nationality: Chinese
Ethnicity: Han
Date of birth: 844

Family origin
Lin Shensi’s great-grandfather Ning Gong was the general of the left guard and the governor of Xiuzhou. His grandfather E Gong was the chief historian of Suzhou and the magistrate of Jinjiang County. His father Sheng Gong was the official of Yinqing Guanglu Dafu, the inspector of the prince’s guests and the supervisory censor. Shensi was diligent and studious since childhood. The five brothers built a house to study in Choufeng Mountain in Fang’anli, and built a new house on the stream at the foot of Choufeng Mountain, named “Kenghu Thatched Cottage” (now Kenghu Village, Xixin Village, Tantou Town). During the Xiantong period of the Tang Dynasty, the five brothers successively passed the imperial examinations, becoming the first family in Fujian history to have five brothers pass the imperial examinations, which was called “Five Sons Passing the Imperial Examination” and “Five Gui Lianfang”. The reading style in Changle flourished because of this. Changle was known as “Zou Lu by the Sea” and “Famous State of Literature” in ancient times, which should also be traced back to this time. Emperor Yizong of the Tang Dynasty gave the plaque “Lan Gui Tong Fang” to praise him, and ordered to change the name of Chongxian Township where he lived to “Fang Gui Township”. Because Shensi was outstanding in the Hongci again, he was given the name “Dahongli” for his village.

Historical Events
After Lin Shensi passed the imperial examination, he served as a proofreader in the Secretariat and the lieutenant of Xingping County. He enforced the law very strictly, and the powerful were afraid of his power. Later he was promoted to the Langzhong of the Shangshu Shuibu. Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty spent his days enjoying himself with eunuchs and ignored state affairs. Shensi repeatedly wrote letters to the emperor to make earnest suggestions, but they were all rejected. Shensi was then exiled to serve as the magistrate of Wannian County in Chang’an. At that time, many officials in various places extorted the people and imposed harsh laws and punishments. Only the officials in Wannian County were fair and honest, and the people were grateful for their kindness. In the first year of Guangming (880), Huang Chao captured Chang’an and Tian Lingzi took the emperor to Chengdu. At that time, celebrities were busy with their own affairs, but Shensi led the officers and soldiers to fight. He was captured after exhausting his strength and died after refusing to accept the appointment. He was buried in Duqiao Damu Mountain. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty praised his family as “Confucian heroes and loyal and righteous people” and ordered the establishment of a Zhongxian Temple to worship them. One of the temples is next to the Baishui Well in Wushi Mountain, Fuzhou; one is next to Shensi’s tomb in Lin Choufeng Mountain, Changle, and one is in the study of Shensi in Lin Choufeng Mountain on Changle Creek. Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty named his study “Decheng Rock”. In the feudal era, the Xiangxian Temple and Zhongyi Temple were built on both sides of Changle County Government Office to commemorate the ancestors and loyal martyrs of Changle. The first deity enshrined in the two temples was Lin Shensi of the Tang Dynasty.

Historical Records
The Dictionary of Various Philosophers states that Lin Shensi’s thoughts were drawn from Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism, and he formed his own school of thought. His political views were based on Confucianism, his historical evolution theory inherited from Legalism, his view of nature was similar to that of Xunzi, and he also absorbed simple dialectical thoughts from Taoism. He believed that Confucianism was the guiding principle for governing the country, “its words have been used for generations, and its politics have been used to train hundreds of kings, just like the sun and the moon cannot be covered, and the mountains and rivers cannot be moved.” He also believed that the extravagance, cruelty, and debauchery of the ruling class violated Confucianism and were factors that led to the country’s demise. In governing the people, he advocated the use of both “gratitude and punishment”. In the imperial examination, he advocated the selection of only the virtuous. His works include three volumes of “Shen Mengzi” and two volumes of “Continuation of Mengzi”, which are rare Confucian monographs in the late Tang Dynasty. He was the first thinker in Fujian history and the forerunner of the rise of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. His name is recorded in “New Book of Tang·Arts and Literature”, “General Catalogue of Song Chongwen”, “Sikuquanshu”, “Ciyuan”, “Chinese Name Dictionary” and “Outline of Fujian Thought and Culture History”. His books were published in versions such as “Bai Zi Quanshu” and circulated widely. Later generations called him “the immortal noble man of our Fujian”.
The “Chinese Champion Name Monument” in Nanjing Jiangnan Gongyuan listed him as one of the champions. However, Lin Shensi’s first place in the Boxue Hongci subject was a subject selected by the Ministry of Personnel, which was different from the Jinshi subject presided over by the Ministry of Rites. According to the provisions of the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty, the champion specifically refers to the first place in the Jinshi subject, and there is no champion for the first place in the subject selected by the Ministry of Personnel.