Migong Ancestral Hall, the calligraphy sanctuary

Migong Ancestral Hall is a temple built to commemorate Mi Fu, a great calligrapher and painter of the Northern Song Dynasty, located in the Fancheng District of Xiangyang. Originally named Mi Family Hermitage, it was first constructed during the Yuan Dynasty, expanded in the Ming Dynasty, and later renamed Migong Ancestral Hall. The temple complex consists of structures such as the worship hall, Baojin Studio, and Yanggao Hall. Except for the double-eaved Xieshan style of Yanggao Hall, the rest are of the hard mountain style. In the center of the worship hall stands a four-pillar, three-bay, five-story archway with dougong brackets under each eave, serving both supportive and decorative purposes; on both sides of the archway, the lintels feature intricate and elegant Eight Immortals figures, solemn and rustic. The newly built stele corridor and the stone carvings of calligraphy by Mi Fu, Huang Tingjian, Cai Xiang, Zhao Ziang, and modern calligraphers embedded in the east and west gardens amount to over a hundred pieces, forming an art treasury of Mi Fu's calligraphy in China. The title 'Migong Ancestral Hall' was personally inscribed by Dan Maoqian, a Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion, for the archway. During the restoration, based on historical materials such as the 'Migong Ancestral Hall Stele', an additional courtyard was added, featuring a large screen, a half-wall hall, grotesque rocks, and an ink pool; the second courtyard, accessed through the 'Ink Garden Quest for Victory' gate, includes a clean pavilion, winding paths leading to secluded spots, and a stele of Mi's hometown; the third courtyard houses a stone forest and a ginkgo tree over four hundred years old, under which stand five steles recording events; 'Reconstruction of Migong Ancestral Hall Stele', 'Preface to Mi Nangong's Forest of Steles', 'Jingming Studio Record', 'Preface to the Mi Family Genealogy', 'Preface to the Mi Family Lineage'. On both sides of the garden, there are stele corridors totaling 16 bays, with vermilion columns adorned with carvings, elegant and beautiful, inlaid with stone carvings of Mi Fu and his son, Huang Tingjian, Cai Xiang, Zhao Mengfu, and others, creating a dazzling display. The temple courtyard is tranquil, with stone steles standing tall, bizarre rocks protruding, and towering ginkgo trees, offering a serene and profound atmosphere. Mi Fu, also known as 'Mi Xiangyang', was highly praised for his calligraphy and character with inscriptions such as 'Incomparable', 'Beyond the reach of the brush', 'Together with Meng Longmen, the two Xiangyangs' calligraphy passes down through the ages, and with Su, Huang, and Cai, he is called one of the four great masters, surpassing the other three'.