Ten Chronicles of the Wu Family

The fourth ancestor Wu Fu (945-1025), was praised for being industrious and thrifty. He was a good manager of the household and had the refined manners of a sage.

The ninth ancestor Wu Qin died prematurely, leaving his wife, a lady named Ye (1156-1214), a widow after only two years of marriage. The widow had to sell her dowry and work day and night to raise their fatherless one-year- old son by herself. After managing the household alone for several difficult years, the family gradually became rich.

The tenth ancestor Wu Wei (1129-1185) was profoundly inspired by his mother’s good qualities. Following her example, he conscientiously observed social etiquette, helped people in need and built bridges, walls, and roads.

The Wu family of Xianju County was a distinguished clan of Zhejiang Province, whose reputation came from the observance of moral principles and the pursuit of erudition. From the fourth ancestor Wu Fu onwards, his descendants had all carried on the tradition of charity and good works.

The compilation of a genealogy was the core expression of traditional family culture and history. The tenth ancestor Wu Qia (1144- 1221) initiated the compilation of the family’s genealogy to gather together relatives, develop closer relations and revive family education.

The tenth ancestor Wu Yuan (1146-1125) served as a military officer and was well-respected in the prefectures of Zhao and Jing. Concerned about his aging mother, he resigned the post to serve at home as an officer managing the Chongdao Temple.

The twelfth ancestor Wu Huan (1177-1227) served as an officer in Changsha City in the years from 1223 to 1224. During his term, he ordered his son Wu Jian (1206- 1279, Left Prime Minister in the Southern Song Dynasty) to study at Yuelu Academy, where Wu Jian’s teachers included Zhen Dexiu and Li Fan, disciples of the philosopher Zhu Xi.

The family wealth of thirteenth ancestor Wu Churen (1242- 1304) was such that his father was targeted by soldiers of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. When the soldiers captured Wu’s father, they demanded that he shout across the mountain to his family for help.

The twenty-third ancestor Wu Shilai (1527-1590) was an accomplished writer and poet by the age of ten and was acclaimed a child prodigy. In the 28th year of the rule of Jiajing Emperor (1549), he passed the provincial exam; but the next year failed the subsequent examination.

During the Anti-Japanese War, the Zhejiang Security Office was located in Gaoqian Village. To the southwest of the village was the Gaoqian River, which the villagers used to ford, since there was no solid bridge.