Jiang Shi's filial piety is a tale that transcends time

In mid-January, I joined a tour group to visit Xiaoquan Ancient Town, located in Jingyang District, Deyang City. The ancient town is situated in the western part of the Sichuan Plain, 75 kilometers away from Chengdu, and is famous for the story of 'One Family, Three Acts of Filial Piety'. The protagonist of the story, Jiang Shi, was a person from the Eastern Han Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Ming. He was born in Xunxiang, Luoh County, Guanghan (now Xiaoquan Town, Jingyang District). His father passed away early, and he grew up dependent on his mother. After growing up, he married Pang Sanchun and had a son named Jiang An'an. Jiang Shi was known for his extreme filial piety and had a reputation for virtue. At the age of 26, he was recommended for his filial piety and integrity, and became the magistrate of Jiangyang (today's Luzhou). His mother heard that the water from the river near their hometown could cure eye diseases, so he resigned from his official position and carried his mother back home for thousands of miles. His wife, Pang Sanchun, fetched water from the river seven or eight miles away every day to wash her mother-in-law's eyes. Her mother-in-law liked to eat fish, so she cooked fish every day for her mother-in-law to share with the neighbors. Later, the mother-in-law, misled by slander, made things difficult for her daughter-in-law and even forced Jiang Shi to divorce her. Despite suffering from grievances, Pang Sanchun took refuge in the White Robe Nunnery, living by spinning and weaving, and gathering firewood in the mountains. She still bought fish and asked neighbors to deliver it to her mother-in-law. Jiang An'an, who was seven years old, also understood filial piety. He took a handful of rice from his school provisions every day, hid it in the Earth God Temple, and saved up a bag to give to his mother. He also carried water for his grandmother to wash her eyes but unfortunately drowned. The filial acts of Jiang Shi's family moved the gods, and one day, a spring suddenly burst forth next to their house, tasting like river water, and every day a pair of carp would leap out for Pang to honor her mother-in-law. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the world was in chaos, a contingent of the Red Eyebrows Army passed by the area. Moved by the story of Jiang Shi's filial piety, they not only refrained from harassing the locals but also secretly left their food at Jiang Shi's doorstep. The story of the great filial son Jiang Shi spread far and wide. After Emperor Ming of Han learned of it, he awarded a plaque with the inscription 'One Family, Three Acts of Filial Piety' and posthumously titled Jiang Shi as 'King Guangwen of Han with Supreme Filial Piety'. This event is recorded in 'The Book of Later Han: Biographies of Exemplary Women', 'Han Ji of Dongguan', 'Huayang Guo Zhi', and 'Commentaries on the Water Classic'. During the Yuan Dynasty, Guo Jujing compiled the deeds of 'One Family, Three Acts of Filial Piety' into the 'Complete Collection of Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars' (also known as 'The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars') with the theme 'Jiang Shi's Filial Piety, The Spring's Leaping Carps'. In 1996, the local government raised funds to build the 'China De Xiao City', covering an area of 150 acres. Inside the city, many cultural relics related to virtue and filial piety are preserved, such as Jiang Xiao Ci, Jiang Gong Tomb, White Robe Nunnery, Linjiang Bridge, and others. In February 2015, the Central Civilization Committee awarded Xiaoquan Town the title of the Fourth National Civilized Village. In 2021, Xiaoquan Town was selected as one of the 'Most Beautiful Ancient Towns in Sichuan' in the third batch.