Memorial Temple of Benevolent Official

A true story happened in ancient Xitang water town. In the final years of the Ming Dynasty, the area of Jiaxing of northern Zhejiang Province was in drought and famine. An old aged official surnamed Jin who took charge of distributing foodstuff for the royal court. One day, he was the captain of a boat on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal that was transferring foodstuff and passing by Xitang, where it had always been a place flowing milk and honey. Jin saw the people stood along the both banks of the canal were in starvation and begging for food. He was quite sympathetic, so he distributed the entire foodstuff on the boat to Xitang people. However, at that time official would face a death sentence if he dared to distribute food of imperial government to civilians secretly. Jin knew that he would be executed very soon, so he drowned himself into a river. In memory of the benevolent old man, Xitang people collected money and built a temple – Memorial Temple of Benevolent Official (护国随粮王庙). 

It is interesting to know that the Ming Dynasty investigated the facts behind the old man's action of kindness. The imperial government redressed his deed and awarded him "King of Protecting National Food". Cheerful temple fair was held every year on 3rd Day of Fourth Month of the Lunar Calendar, to memory Jin and his wife. Xitang people are still following this custom today, and it is the most important local festival.

In the Memorial Temple of Benevolent Official, there hang many sachets, which shape like leaves of trees, made by local senior citizens. They symbolize the autumn harvest, and there are emotional words about the story of the benevolent old man carved on two columns on the both sides of these "leaves".