Xinghua city, a county level city of Taizhou city, East China's Jiangsu province, has nurtured a number of celebrities.
In ancient times:
Shi Nai'an, the author of the classical literature masterpiece Water Margin
Gao Gu, Li Chunfang and Wu Shen, three chancellors in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Zongchen, a literary scholar in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Zheng Banqiao and Li Shan, two painting masters in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
Liu Xizai, a famous literary theorist
The charming Zheng Banqiao Former Residence. [Photo/WeChat ID: tztour]
From the year of 1265 to the end of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), 262 Xinghua people passed the national imperial examinations, 105 people were successful in the examinations and the city was home to the best performers in the literature and military subjects, namely Li Chunfang and Xuexiong.
The memorial archway for the zhuangyuan- the candidates who took top place in the annual national-level recruitment exams for officials [Photo provided to etaizhou.gov.cn]
In modern times:
Preeminent scholars from Xinghua include biologist Li Jidong, chemist Niu Jingyi, geographer Li Chunfen and the chief engineer of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Island Tunnel project, Lin Ming. Writers Bi Feiyu, Fei Zhenzhong, Wang Gan and chess masters Hou Yifan, Gu Xiaobing and Guo Qi also come from Xinghua.