義建樹德堂記
Record of the Righteous Construction of Planting Virtue Hall (Text)

義建樹德堂記
Record of the Righteous Construction of Planting Virtue Hall

The merits and virtues of the ancestors are bequeathed to their descendants and supply the great foundation [for the descendants’ prosperity.] Filial and benevolent descendants continue [the merits and virtues of] their ancestors and accomplish what [their ancestors] could not complete. Since the [ancestor known as] Twenty First Great Duke created the great beginning and bequeathed it to us his descendants, the sacrificial rituals for our first migrant ancestor [of the entire Yaxi Lu], [Lu] Shi, have not been practiced. There is nothing that we can do about the passing of time, thus when we gather altogether we have almost no way to discern near kin from distant kin. [As a result,] the lineage came to be divided into the northern branch and the southern branch, which becomes as vulgar as two Ruan’s conduct¹ Once the flowers have fallen from the Zijing trees, who can see the righteousness of the Three Annual Hunts of the ancient nobility?² If the proper emotional [ties among family members] are dispersed to this extreme, how can the family reputation be revived?

Therefore, in accord with the common desire of the human heart, [we] have now set forth a great plan. Relying on the leadership of the family heads, [we] have today arrived at an agreement. We ask that all take an oath in front of our ancestors and not argue against it with your personal opinions. Counting the average income, we can raise three hundred [strings of cash] annually. Together with voluntary contributions from all quarters this will amount to several thousand strings. Since we know that this initial plan has a sound basis we do not need to worry about it not being realized. Although there are differences in degrees of kinship, is this not the proper way to gather what has already dispersed and combine what has been separated? It is true that there are differences in wealth, but everybody is willing to spend [great amount on] their son’s or daughter’s marriage. Can one has to give priority to a short-term calculation for one’s own family at the expense of a grand and permanent plan for ten thousand generations of descendants. If anyone says that this project is too big [for our family], [my reply must be that] our efforts will be rewarded with great success [in building our communal hall, i.e., Planting Virtue Hall in the future] within five years. If anyone says that this project is too costly and complicated, [my reply must be that it is not true] as long as we all can cooperate without disunion. If anyone harbors a selfish thought, let him first quell [this] for not only is he turning his back on the intentions of the ancestors in building halls, he is also giving later generations a reason to condemn [you]. We must enter into a forma agreement together and not miss this opportunity. In the middle of the winter, the dingwei year of the Wanli reign (1607), three days before the full-moon, written in all sincerity by the seventh descendant, [Lu] Honglan (盧洪瀾, 19th gen., 1572-1646)

[Family members] live in the same place because the distance between even the siblings of common parents will widen if they live apart. We all stem from our common ancestor, Dunzhai (鈍齋府君, Lu Zhang 盧章, 13th gen., 1395-1445). In terms of the five degrees of mourning we are not distant [kin], but since this ancestor did not establish a place where [his descendants to the fifth] could sleep [under the same roof], the five branches [directly descended from him] did not have a place to live altogether. Since none of these five branches established a place [where the descendants of each branch] could sleep [under the same roof], the fourteen sub-branches succeeding [these five branches] also do not have a place where [the descendants of each sub-branch] can live altogether. At present the [descendants] have increased like cloud, but since their residences are scattered, our sons, grandsons, and brothers barely recognize their relatives. Since there is no chance to gather except [for the annual sacrifice at] the main ancestral hall, when we do assemble we feel distance from each other. This is the origin of [the problem.]

Moreover, the most unpleasant thing is there is no place for sacrifices devoted to our common ancestor [i.e., Lu Zhang], we have to arrange [the utensils and food for sacrifices] in the middle the family temple where he is surrounded by the other ancestors. This makes it very embarrassing for our common ancestor to receive sacrifices exclusively. Given this discomfort should we not make a place just for him?

Recently, we have discussed building a communal hall with the aims of offering annual sacrifices to our common ancestor and, at the same time, of tying us, his descendants, together. When the suggestion [for building a communal hall] first came out, most of us agreed with one voice. Given this sentiment we know that we cannot cancel [this plan.] It is not easy, however, to collect the considerable amount of money to cover expenses. [Accordingly,] the meeting of family elders has agreed on the following: First, preserve and accumulate the surplus from selling pine trees; second, strongly encourage the wise and wealthy to voluntarily contribute; third, charge each adult male in each branch and sub-branch a certain amount of silver. , When we appoint an honest person with an ability to manage the finances we may anticipate that in five years we will have the resources to build [this communal hall.] We will then begin construction in a timely fashion. [When finished,] we will have a building for annual sacrifices, and all the members can gather in its grand courtyard. This will be a magnificent sight for a hundred generations.

Our ancestor has consciousness; he ought to respond to our efforts with full approval. We shall hold a separate deliberation on the date to begin construction.

Respectfully recorded by his seventh generation descendant, Hongxuan (盧洪選, 19th gen., 1553-1624)

1. Possibly Ruan Ji 阮籍 and his nephew Ruan Xian 阮咸. The allusion remains to be clarified.
2. The allusion remains to be clarified.