He Lingtong’s Planning of Jiangwan

I. Scope: Village Feng Shui Planning (Settlement Yang-Base, Analogous to a Yang Dwelling)

Jiangwan is a famous ancient village of Wuyuan and the clustered home of the Xiao-Jiang lineage (descendants of the Han chancellor Xiao He; at the end of the Tang, Xiao Zhen fled disorder, changed his surname to Jiang, and moved to Jiangwan in Wuyuan). Village tradition holds that the settlement was sited and planned by the Southern Tang Imperial Preceptor He Lingtong. It thus falls under form-method analysis of settlements, within the principle that “dwelling and tomb share the same underlying logic.”

Key context: in Huizhou, “one village, one surname,” agnatic clustering (the Xiao-Jiang of Jiangwan; the Yu of Likeng; the Hu of Kaoshui; the Li of Yantian) meant that feng shui assets belonged to the lineage collectively. The water mouth, incoming dragon, literary peak, and boat-form village plan are shared “public feng shui infrastructure,” not private property. The unit of analysis for Jiangwan is therefore the village/lineage. Its works of joining the dragon vein, redirecting the river, and locking the water mouth were carried out by successive generations of the clan as collective yang-dwelling practice — distinct from single-household legends of household rise.

II. The Person: He Lingtong (He Pu)

He Lingtong (personal name Pu, style Lingtong, sobriquet Zixia; another tradition gives Dongwei) is the central figure in Wuyuan's feng shui narrative, later honored as “ancestor of Wuyuan feng shui” and “Immortal He Gong.” Gazetteers and genealogies record:

Life outline: In youth he met a stranger who transmitted the secret art of geomancy. He served the Southern Tang and was specially appointed Imperial Preceptor (accounts variously give Director of the Imperial Academy or Compiler of the History Office). For bluntly remonstrating that the Niushou Hill mausoleum was inauspicious, he angered the emperor and was demoted to Magistrate of Haining (modern Xiuning), where he is said to have adjusted the county seat by the Eight Trigrams and planted trees widely to configure feng shui. The Xiuning County Gazetteer states that “of the fine burial sites of Huizhou people, most were sited by Imperial Preceptor He.”
Retreat in Wuyuan: After the fall of the Southern Tang he changed his name to Muzhen and lived in seclusion on Furong Mountain in Wuyuan (i.e., Lingshan, a border peak in northeastern Wuyuan, main summit about 997 m). In the fourth year of Taiping Xingguo of the Song (979) he built Biyun Hermitage and cultivated the Way there for some forty years. Popularly he was called Immortal He Gong.
Death and commemoration: The genealogy says that in the third year of Tianxi of the Song (1019) “fire issued from the heart and self-cremated” him; disciples collected the relics and buried them among stone shoots (the Zhen Gong Pagoda, no longer extant). Later generations cast a golden image at Biyun Hermitage and built branch shrines along Taling, Yangdouling, Furongling, and Tangongling. Biyun Temple still enshrines his image, and popular worship continues.

Works and authenticity (to be verified):

Texts attributed to him include the Lingcheng Jingyi (upper fascicle on form and qi; lower on liqi; centered on period cycles; revered as a classic of the “Lingcheng school”), the Tiedanzi, and On the Orthodoxy of Qi.
However, the Siku Quanshu Analytical Catalogue judged the Lingcheng Jingyi a forgery: the catalogue notes that “since the Song, no bibliographic record lists it”; its “period-cycle theory” derives from a Ming-dynasty monk-lecturer of Ningbo — “how could such a theory exist in the Five Dynasties? It is certain that the book is not pre-Ming”; the commentary is attributed to Liu Ji (Ming), and the books it cites are mid-to-late Ming forgeries — “its being a counterfeit is likewise beyond doubt.” In short, Song sources record neither the book nor the man.
Reliability: He Lingtong has no independent anchor in Song documents; the dates 922–1019 also come from the genealogical narrative system and carry the legend-like character of a “long-lived perfected adept.” He is best understood as an ancestral-type legendary figure of Huizhou feng shui culture, used to authorize local geomantic traditions. His attributed works should not be cited as Southern Tang originals.

III. Jiangwan's Form-Method Configuration (the Work of Joining the Dragon Vein at Immortal Bridge)

According to gazetteer tradition and village form-method survey, Jiangwan's configuration may be analyzed as follows:

Incoming dragon: Houlong Hill (the incoming dragon, winding from Lingshan / Furong Mountain) is the Black Tortoise guardian mountain; the village is built against it. Tradition holds that a great gap stood between Houlong Hill and the “Vermilion Brush Tip” of the incoming dragon — the dragon vein was severed here, a cardinal form-method taboo.
Water method: the Liyuan River in front (gathering the Duanxin water, then flowing into the Le'an River) loops around the village — the noble configuration of “water winding the Black Tortoise, a jade belt girding the waist.” To the south, Youshan is somewhat high and belongs to “Fire,” inauspicious for the village.
Works of joining the dragon vein (Immortal Bridge): To restore the severed dragon and check the southern Fire, tradition has He Lingtong instruct three measures —
- ① Fill stone and pile earth into a ridge nearly 100 m long to reconnect the dragon vein (the Immortal Bridge, crown about 70 cm wide, surface laid in a wave-like swimming-dragon pattern, to show a “live dragon”);
- ② Dig seven wells in the pattern of the Northern Dipper (“Seven Star Wells”) to subdue the southern fire peak;
- ③ Raise dikes to force the Liyuan River to change course (forming a “taiji S-curve” of water before the village). The Jiang clansmen completed these works over several generations; afterward they became the leading surname of the place, and Yunwan was renamed Jiangwan.
Sha and table: Before the table hill stands the form of a brush rack, indicating literary fortune; protective sha flank left and right.
Water mouth: At the village entrance the water mouth is locked by bridge, trees, and temple — securing the qi of the incoming dragon; essential to village form method.
Sitting and facing: The village as a whole sits north and faces south, inclined east; the exact facing awaits compass verification.

(Note: the “Immortal Bridge joining the dragon vein” is the core motif of Jiangwan's feng shui narrative. Its form logic — filling the dragon gap, subduing the fire peak, locking the water mouth — is typical of Huizhou village yang-dwelling enhancement works. The further claim that “He Lingtong personally determined it” is examined below.)

IV. Documentary Corroboration and Points of Conflict

Research aim: the task is not to “prove” or “overturn” the legend, but to seek wide corroboration in documents and remains for “He Lingtong's planning of Jiangwan.” Only where evidence is clearly contrary is the tradition rejected and examined; elsewhere the legend is provisionally retained — traditional feng shui narratives rarely have precise documents, not every fact has firm evidence, and “no exact source” is not itself grounds for denial.

(1) Corroborating sources and remains

Clan genealogical record: The Xiao-Jiang Genealogy explicitly records Immortal Bridge, He Family Lane, the sacrificial hall / immortal altar, and the narrative that “He Lingtong instructed Jiang Yuanqing (or Jiang Di) to build the bridge and move here.” This is a clan history the Xiao-Jiang of Jiangwan have owned for generations — primary lineage memory, not an outsider's invention.
Matching physical works: The Immortal Bridge earthwork (nearly 100 m, crown about 70 cm, wave-like dragon surface), the Seven Star Wells, and the Liyuan River's “taiji S-curve” all exist in fact and correspond to the legendary works of “joining the dragon vein, subduing the fire peak, locking the water mouth” — evidence of real construction, not pure invention.
He Lingtong is historically attested: He is not merely a legendary symbol. The Xiuning County Gazetteer says “of the fine burial sites of Huizhou people, most were sited by Imperial Preceptor He.” Ye Sikong's Biography of Mr. Zixia records his seclusion on Furong Mountain (Lingshan) and the building of Biyun Hermitage. The Republican Wuyuan County Gazetteer · Arts records that You Qian “received from his maternal uncle He Lingtong the learning of the green bag.” He was thus a real geomancer in Huizhou tradition (the forged Lingcheng Jingyi does not cancel the attested person).
Comparable Huizhou patterns: The He of Hetiankeng, the He of Jujing, and the Hu of Kaoshui all have legends of “He Lingtong sited / planned” their places. “The feng shui ancestor planned our village” is a genuine cultural practice of Huizhou society. Jiangwan is not an isolated fabrication; the social basis of the legend is credible.

(2) Points of conflict with the sources (limited, and reconcilable)

Chronological cross: The common narrative has He Lingtong dying in 1019, while the eighth-generation ancestor of the Xiao-Jiang, Jiang Di, is said to have moved into Jiangwan only in the second year of Yuanfeng of the Northern Song (1079) — a gap of about sixty years. Taken literally from the genealogical chronology, “the Imperial Preceptor personally planned for Jiang Di” seems hard to sustain. Yet the contradiction does not arise outside the genealogical system itself (He's dates are genealogical constructions with zero Song anchors), and another version has “He Lingtong instruct Jiang Yuanqing (ancestor of Jiang Di),” which reconciles the span. This is an internal chronological arrangement that can be harmonized within the system, not a hard external contradiction. At present no independent pre-Song or Song gazetteer states that “Jiangwan was not planned by He Lingtong,” so there is no decisive evidence for denial.

(Note: the following are not “historical conflicts,” only internal variants of the legend, or matters in which legend and examination success should be read separately. None overturns the main claim that “He Lingtong planned Jiangwan.”)

(3) Variant details and items to verify (not denials)

Whether Biyun Hermitage was built by Jiang Wencai / Jiang Guanghan; whether it covered 50 or 60 mu; whether Jiang Di “on his father's orders first built the bridge then moved” or “He Lingtong instructed Jiang Yuanqing”; and the coexistence of “five plum-and-camphor trees + two wells” with “Northern Dipper seven wells” — these are normal multi-version oral tradition. They do not affect the main claim and should be kept side by side for verification.
The material forms of He Family Lane / the sacrificial hall / the “grain-tribute system of gratitude” are earliest securely dated to the Ming (Yongsi Hall built in the sixth year of Wanli, 1578) — showing later institutional layering. This does not deny that an early planning legend existed; the two should be read separately.
Jiangwan's examination success (Jiang Yong and others) is a real lineage achievement of culture and education; it should be read separately from the feng shui narrative. Hard achievement neither automatically proves nor automatically falsifies the legend.

Conclusion: On present documents and remains, the claim that “He Lingtong planned Jiangwan” has clan genealogical record, matching physical works, historical attestation of the person, and comparable Huizhou patterns, with no hard external contradiction. The chronological cross is an internal, reconcilable matter. The tradition is therefore provisionally retained as cultural heritage and landscape narrative of Jiangwan's village feng shui. Its form logic — “join the dragon vein, subdue the fire peak, lock the water mouth” — is typical of Huizhou yang-dwelling enhancement works. Where exact data are lacking (survey of the incoming dragon and sitting-and-facing; whether He personally determined the seven wells; the precise date of the earthwork), further fieldwork and archaeology are needed. Absence of proof is not proof of falsehood. The village still bears the couplet “One dragon overlooks the river, coiling a victorious site for a thousand autumns; two horses turn their heads, descending talent for ten thousand generations” — a glimpse of its geomantic imagery.

V. Lineage Social Structure (Typology)

The basic unit of Huizhou feng shui narrative is the lineage, not the household or individual. Comparison shows:

Yin-dwelling “siting the acupoint for examination success”: What He Lingtong sited for the Xiao-Jiang of Jiangwan, the He of Hetiankeng, the He of Jujing, and the Hu of Kaoshui were lineage ancestral tombs, not some household's private grave.
Yang-dwelling “enhancement works”: The executors of Jiangwan's dragon-vein join, river diversion, and pond cutting were successive generations of clansmen; the beneficiaries were the whole lineage.
Role of the geomancer: Huizhou's He Lingtong, the You line, and He Keda were planners of the whole village (setting the water mouth, diverting the river, planning the boat-form village) — distinct from the Guangdong Lai Buyi type of “individual siter who lifts the poor.”

Jiangwan belongs to “collective feng shui transformation (yang-dwelling enhancement works).” Joining the dragon vein, diverting the river, and cutting ponds were completed by successive clansmen — real yang-dwelling feng shui practice that matches the legend (Immortal Bridge, Seven Star Wells, and genealogical records mutually corroborate). As for “He Lingtong's instruction,” there is historical attestation of the person (Xiuning County Gazetteer, Ye Sikong's Biography of Mr. Zixia, Republican Wuyuan County Gazetteer · Arts) and comparable Huizhou patterns. The main claim is provisionally retained as legend. The documents lack early independent side-evidence for some details (e.g., whether the seven wells were personally determined); these should be kept for verification and not hastily denied.

VI. He Lingtong Compared with Verifiable Practicing Geomancers (Abundance of Sources, Not a Matter of True vs. False)

Wuyuan's geomancers form a pattern of “many surnames, many sites, many branches.” He Lingtong, the You line, Dong Dezhang, and Ye Jiusheng differ in the wealth of their sources and should be assessed separately. All, however, are links in a genuine Huizhou geomantic transmission — not a simple true/false judgment:

He Lingtong (historical record + legend overlaid): Beyond genealogical legend, he is attested in gazetteers — the Xiuning County Gazetteer on sites he sited; Ye Sikong's Biography of Mr. Zixia on Biyun Hermitage; the Republican Wuyuan County Gazetteer · Arts on You Qian receiving “the green-bag learning of maternal uncle He Lingtong.” His seclusion on Furong Mountain (Lingshan) is also documented. The Lingcheng Jingyi was judged a forgery by the Siku catalogue (period-cycle theory from the early Ming; commentary attributed to Liu Ji; unlisted since the Song), so at the level of “works” he is heavily symbolic, while at the level of “person” he is historically attested.
The You line of Jixi: You Xuan sited the county seat of this county; You Yonghao the ceremonial gate of Huizhou Prefecture; You Wenjiong the “Descending-Tiger” at Dafan Xiashan; You Chaozong participated in the Ming Thirteen Tombs — all verifiable public works / engineering cases. That he “received from his maternal uncle He Lingtong the green-bag learning” also has early independent corroboration in Cao Jing's Epitaph and the Record of Biyun Hermitage; the transmission chain is solid.
Dong Dezhang of Dexing: sited three Ni-family graves, recorded in Dili Renzi Xuzhi — a documented professional case.
Ye Jiusheng (Qing): his Complete Book of Mountain Methods in nineteen fascicles entered the Siku Quanshu (the catalogue notes “Tai, style Jiusheng, of Wuyuan”) — the firmest bibliography, with no mythology.

(Note: He Lingtong and Ye Jiusheng stand at opposite poles — the former “false book, historically attested person”; the latter “solid person, works in the Siku.” The abundance of sources differs, but one should not use “one master is truer” to deny the Jiangwan legend.)

VII. On the Response Period

Jiangwan's cultural brilliance (Xiao-Jiang examination success; modern notables) is chiefly due to the farming-and-reading household tradition, historical opportunity, Huizhou merchant networks, and lineage investment in education (lineage fields and charitable schools; collective investment in water-mouth literary peaks to enhance literary fortune). Yang-dwelling qi operates on contemporary residence; village form method should be understood objectively as “storing wind and gathering qi, literary fortune unobstructed” — not attributed to feng shui alone, and not stretched without limit in time.

VIII. Four-Dimension Evaluation: Offspring, Wealth, Rank, Longevity

Basic Framework (Yang-Dwelling Planning Version)

Dimension	Form	Response	Assessment
Offspring	Immortal Bridge joins the dragon vein; Seven Star Wells subdue the fire peak; the village plan is complete	The Xiao-Jiang multiplied for hundreds of years after the Song migration and became the leading surname of Jiangwan	A settlement yang-base rests on “storing wind and gathering qi”; population growth and lineage clustering are mutually causal, not feng shui alone
Wealth	Liyuan River as jade belt; water mouth locked by bridge and trees; obtaining water is primary	The Xiao-Jiang rose through Huizhou commerce; trade routes open; locally wealthy	The wealth dimension is relatively marked: Changjiang water transport and the Huizhou merchant network are the real foundation; the jade-belt water image matches and enhances it
Rank	Brush-rack table hill; literary peak enhancing elegance; village sitting north, facing south, inclined east	Continuous examination success from the Song onward; Jiang Yong (master of classics) in the Qing; many modern officials	Literary-peak form combined with a farming-and-reading tradition yields marked examination and cultural success
Longevity	Mountains and water gathered; wind stored and qi collected; yang qi unobstructed	No abnormal longevity among the line; the settlement as a whole is livable	Yang-dwelling planning serves contemporary residence; best read as a livable environment, not as a forecast of fortune-term length

Core distinction: Jiangwan is yang-dwelling planning; its qi operates on contemporary residence and should not be forced into the yin-dwelling framework of “early offspring, late rank.” The rise of the Xiao-Jiang is chiefly due to the lineage's farming-and-reading tradition and Huizhou merchant network. Works such as joining the dragon vein at Immortal Bridge may be read culturally as “storing wind and gathering qi; the land numinous, the people outstanding.” Of the four dimensions, wealth and rank are more marked, offspring secondary, and longevity a natural effect of livability.

IX. Open Questions

Beyond the Xiao-Jiang Genealogy and oral tradition, independent pre-Song / Song gazetteer corroboration of He Lingtong's personal planning of Jiangwan remains to be sought (no hard contrary evidence exists at present).
Measured data for Jiangwan's incoming dragon, water mouth, and sitting-and-facing await fieldwork and compass survey.
Whether the seven wells (Seven Star Wells) were personally determined by He Lingtong.
Authenticity and dating of the Lingcheng Jingyi (the Siku catalogue holds it is not a pre-Ming book).
He Lingtong's dates (922–1019) are genealogical constructions with zero Song anchors and should not be used as secure historical chronology.
The actual date of the Immortal Bridge earthwork (no inscription, no stratigraphy; archaeological dating is difficult — yet the physical existence itself is compatible with the legend and is not a counter-proof).
The builder of Biyun Hermitage (Jiang Wencai / Jiang Guanghan, among other versions) and its exact date.

References (Orthodox Sources)

Qing / Republican Wuyuan County Gazetteer (including Wuyuan County Gazetteer · Arts, on He Lingtong and the You line)
Xiao-Jiang Genealogy (narratives of He Family Lane, Immortal Bridge, sacrificial hall / immortal altar at Jiangwan)
He Clan Comprehensive Genealogy (compiled Jiajing 23 / 1544; memory-construction of the Tianyuan He founding migrant)
Republican Tianyuan He Genealogy (sole source of the “divination-choice” claim for Hetiankeng)
Xiuning County Gazetteer (“of the fine burial sites of Huizhou people, most were sited by Imperial Preceptor He”)
Yongzheng Jiangxi Comprehensive Gazetteer, fasc. 1.6 (Wu Jingluan, comparative corroboration)
Kangxi Huizhou Prefecture Gazetteer and Jiangnan Comprehensive Gazetteer (You Chaozong at the Ming tombs, comparative corroboration)
Siku Quanshu Analytical Catalogue (entry on Lingcheng Jingyi, judged a forgery)
Ye Sikong, Biography of Mr. Zixia (Biyun Hermitage; He Lingtong's cultivation)
You Huansun, “Comprehensive Genealogy Compilations of Local Huizhou Lineages in the Ming and Qing and Their Significance,” Academic Monthly 2022, no. 11 (scholarly consensus on founding-migrant memory construction)
Shangrao Daily, 2023-04-22, “The Xiao-Jiang and Jiangwan Village” (dating of the He Family Lane “gratitude system”)

Note: self-media pieces (Ifeng feng shui, Toutiao, NetEase entertainment channel, and the like) and tourist narratives record only the spread of the “He Lingtong planned Jiangwan” legend and are not treated as sources. Their variant details have been folded into §IV(3) as “same-source narrative, divergent details.”