En-p'ing

Memorialism as distinct from worship can, I think , be seen in a different context illustrated by an incident which occurred in Kwangtung in 1867. The country magistrate and 'gentry' of En-p'ing hsien raised money for the repair of the local Confucian temple by proposing to build an academy (shu-yüan) to serve as a shrine in honour of local men. People who contributed to the building fund were entitled to put their ancestors' tablets in the shrine, in positions of honour varying with the amounts donated. It proved a successful idea and was copied by others.