Yang Qing, also known by his courtesy name Boyue, hailed from Hejian in Hebei. Both his grandfather and father were renowned for their filial piety. Yang Qing was good-looking and clever. When he was sixteen, the Qi Guozi scholar Xu Zunming saw him and thought he was outstanding. As he grew up, Yang Qing read many books. At the age of twenty-five, he was recommended as a filial and incorrupt candidate by the county, but he did not take up the position because he was serving his mother. When his mother was sick, he did not loosen his belt for seventy years while serving her. After his mother passed away, he was grief-stricken, emaciated, and personally dug her grave. Emperor Wenxuan of Qi honored his family, rewarding him with thirty pieces of cloth, ten bundles of cotton, and fifty stones of grain. After Gaozu Emperor ascended the throne, he rewarded and promoted him several times, appointing him as an official of the third rank and then as the Prefect of Pingyang. He passed away at the age of eighty-five at home.
Guo Jun, courtesy name Hongyi, was from Wenshui, Taiyuan, Shanxi. His family lived harmoniously together for seven generations, with dogs and pigs suckling side by side, and crows and magpies building nests together. People at the time believed this was an auspicious sign attributed to their filial piety. The state reported this to the court, and the emperor sent Yiwu Public Yuwen Bi to visit his family. When the Imperial Censor Liu Yu inspected Hebei, he also commended his family. When Han Wang Liang held the position of Governor of Bingzhou, he greatly appreciated this and rewarded him and his brothers with a set of clothes each.
Tian Yi's specific birthplace is unknown. He was extremely filial, renowned in the village for his filial respect. When his ailing mother was bedridden for over a year, Tian Yi personally changed her dry and wet clothes, ate only when she ate, and did not eat when she did not. When his mother suddenly got dysentery, Tian Yi thought it was food poisoning and even tasted the food himself. After his mother passed away, Tian Yi wept inconsolably and soon passed away. His wife also died from excessive grief, and the villagers honored them with a grand burial.
Niu Hui, named Xiaozheng, was a native of Anyi in Hedong, Shanxi. He was extremely filial. When his parents passed away during the reign of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, he set up a shelter beside their graves and personally shoveled soil to create their tomb. A hemp plant sprouted in front of the tomb, over a zhang tall, forming an archway around it, with lush foliage that remained green in both winter and summer. A crow nested on top of it, and Niu Hui cried loudly, making the crow cry out in sorrow, which left onlookers puzzled. Emperor Wu of Zhou commended his family and promoted him to be the magistrate of Gantang County. He died during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui.
Zi Shixiong was always known for his honesty and filial piety. After his father passed away, he constructed a modest dwelling beside his father's grave and personally moved soil to build the tomb. There was a locust tree in front of his family's courtyard that had once thrived with lush foliage, but it withered upon the start of his mourning. When the mourning period ended and he returned home, the withered tree miraculously revived! The founding emperor of the dynasty heard about this and praised the father and son for their filial piety, issuing a decree to honor them and naming their residence "Leide Li."
Liu Shijun was from Pengcheng and was extremely filial. After his mother passed away, he was consumed by grief, fainting multiple times and going without food or water for seven days and nights. He lived next to his mother's grave, personally moving soil to build the tomb and planting pine and cypress trees. Even the foxes and wolves became tame in his presence, bringing him food without hesitation. After the founding emperor ascended the throne, he specifically honored his family.
Lang Fanggui is from Huainan. He has been ambitious since childhood and lived with his cousin, Lang Shuanggui. During the Kaihuang period, Lang Fanggui went out while it was raining heavily, and the Huai River was in flood. While waiting for a boat to cross the river at the ferry, the boatman, angered, broke his arm. When he returned home, his younger brother, Lang Shuanggui, anxiously asked what had happened. Lang Fanggui told him everything that had transpired. Lang Shuanggui, enraged, went to the ferry and killed the boatman. The ferry guards apprehended them and brought them to the county government for questioning. After the trial, Lang Fanggui was deemed the mastermind and sentenced to death, while Lang Shuanggui was found to be an accomplice and sentenced to exile. Both brothers insisted on confessing, and the county government couldn't reach a verdict, so they escalated the case to the prefectural government. The brothers still insisted on taking responsibility, and the prefectural government couldn't make a ruling either. They even contemplated suicide by jumping into the river. The prefectural government escalated the case to the imperial court. The emperor was deeply moved upon hearing about it and pardoned their offenses, honored their family, and rewarded them with a hundred pieces of cloth. Eventually, Lang Fanggui rose to become the chief registrar of the prefecture.
Zhai Pulin is from Chuqiu, renowned for his compassion and filial devotion. He was widely admired for his dedication to his parents. Despite being summoned multiple times to serve as an official by the local government, he declined and focused on farming and caring for his parents. His neighbors referred to him as "Mr. Chuqiu." When his parents fell ill, he personally cared for them day and night, never leaving their side for seventy years. After his parents passed away during the early years of the Daye era, overcome with grief, he was nearly driven to madness. He constructed a modest shelter beside their graves and personally dug the earth to create their tombs. Even in the cold winter, he refused to wear warm clothing, instead choosing to wear only a thin hemp garment. His pet black dog followed him to the gravesite, mourning alongside him whenever Zhai Pulin wept. Witnesses were profoundly touched by this sight. Two magpies made nests in the cypress tree outside his home, often entering his house unafraid. During the Daye era, the provincial inspector reported his exemplary filial conduct to the emperor, who then appointed him as the magistrate of Xiaoyang.
Li Derao was from Bairen County in Zhao County. His grandfather, Li Che, was the Right Chancellor of the Ministry of Officialdom during the Wei Dynasty; his father, Li Chun, served as the Chief Historian of Jiezhou during the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty. Li Derao was intelligent and studious from a young age, kind-hearted, and highly respected by his family members. In his youth, he became a scholar official and worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, handling documents. He later became a censor, performing his duties with integrity, even having the courage to correct the mistakes of even high-ranking officials’ relatives. In the third year of the Daye reign of the Sui Dynasty, he was promoted to the position of Sima, regularly touring different regions to seek justice for the common people and honoring those who showed filial piety and kindness. Although his official position was not very high, his character was greatly admired during that time, and those who associated with him were well-known virtuous talents. He was particularly devoted to his parents; when they were ill, he would sometimes go days without eating and would not change his clothes for ten days to two weeks. During his mourning period after his parents passed away, he didn’t drink water for five days, and out of overwhelming grief, he vomited several liters of blood. On the day of the funeral, in the midst of a heavy snowstorm in midwinter, he walked over forty miles in mourning clothes, barefoot, crying out until he nearly fainted. More than a thousand people attended the funeral, and not a single person left without tears. Afterwards, dew descended from the trees in his family's yard, and magpies nested under the eaves of his house.
At that time, Minister Yang Da inspected Hebei, visited Li De Rao's home to pay his respects, and renamed the village where Li De Rao lived 'Xiaojing Village' and the township 'Heshun Township.' Later, Li De Rao was appointed as the county magistrate of Jinhe County. Before he took office, he faced a surge of banditry. The bandit leader Ge Qian, Sun Xuanya, and more than ten other leaders gathered in the Bohai region. The court ordered them to surrender, but Ge Qian and his men were too afraid to surrender. They heard that Li De Rao was a man of integrity and righteousness, so they sent envoys to the court to say, "If Li De Rao is sent, we will surrender together." The emperor sent Li De Rao to persuade the bandits in Bohai to surrender. When Li De Rao arrived in Guan County, he unexpectedly encountered other bandits who had invaded the county town. Tragically, Li De Rao was killed.
His younger brother Li De Zhao was renowned for his honesty and integrity. During the Sui Dynasty, he worked as a judicial officer in Lishi County, and Governor Yang Zichong held him in high regard. Later, when the rebel army revolted, Yang Zichong was killed, and his body was left abandoned outside the city. Li De Zhao wept inconsolably, recovered and buried Yang Zichong's body. When he arrived in Jiexiu, he approached the rebel army to request handling Yang Zichong's funeral. The general was greatly impressed by him, so he posthumously conferred an official title upon Yang Zichong and designated Li De Zhao as the envoy to oversee Yang Zichong's funeral in Lishi.
Hua Qiu, from Linhe County in Jijun, lost his father at a young age. He has always been devoted to his mother, earning a reputation for his devotion. Coming from a poor family, he supported himself by doing odd jobs. When his mother fell ill, Hua Qiu became so haggard that he was hardly recognizable, with disheveled hair and beard. Everyone in the county felt sorry for him. After his mother passed away, he stopped taking care of himself and eventually lost all his hair. He built a shelter next to his mother's grave, personally building up the burial mound. When others offered to help, he would kneel down to refuse. During the Daye era, the court ordered the collection of fox fur, leading to widespread hunting in the area. A rabbit that was being chased by hunters ran into Hua Qiu's shelter and hid under his knees. When the hunters arrived and saw the scene, they were surprised and let the rabbit go. From then on, the rabbit began to spend the night in the shelter regularly, growing close to Hua Qiu. The townsfolk praised his devotion and reported the incident to the court. Emperor Yang of Sui sent someone to check on him and honored his family. Later, when bandits roamed freely near Hua Qiu's shelter, they would warn each other, "Don't mess with this devoted son!" Many villagers were spared from misfortune thanks to Hua Qiu.
Xu Xiaosu, also from Ji County, Hebei. His family was one of thousands of households, most of whom take pride in their extravagance and luxury, but Xu Xiaosu was known for his frugality and exceptional filial piety towards his parents. He lost his father at a young age and did not know what his father looked like. As he grew older, he asked his mother what his father looked like, then hired a painter to create a portrait in his honor, where he worshipped regularly. He served his mother with great filial piety, and for decades, his family never saw him lose his temper. When his elderly and sick mother needed care, Xu Xiaosu personally took care of her, handling everything from food and clothing to daily necessities, laboring for several years, which brought tears to the eyes of those who witnessed it. After his mother passed away, Xu Xiaosu only ate vegetarian food and drank water; even in the harshest winter, he wore nothing but thin clothes, becoming thin and bony. He personally constructed tombs for his grandparents and parents, resided beside the cemetery for more than forty years, with unkempt hair and walking barefoot, and eventually passed away like that.
His younger brother, Xu Debei, was clever and well-versed in the Confucian classics, and was known as a Confucian scholar in the Hebei region. After Xu Debei passed away, his son, Xu Chumo, also watched over the spirits at the graveside, and their family was known for filial piety for generations.
Historical records say that in the past, the promotion of filial piety relied on the nobles and ministers. However, in recent years, it has been the poorer families who have taken the lead in promoting filial piety. People like Yan Shi and Dao Ze, some of whom hailed from generations of high-ranking officials, and some who have sworn to serve the country, have fallen into disgrace, with some even dying without a proper burial. Though this contradicts the principles upheld by ancient sage kings, it also shows their benevolence and righteousness.
The brothers Lang and Gui almost died trying to save each other, but both ended up surviving; the couple Tian and Yi sacrificed their lives for their country, leaving a lasting legacy. De Rao, with his benevolent and righteous heart, influenced the mountain bandits, while De Zhai's righteous actions impressed the rebel king, which are all commendable. Individuals like Niu Hui, Liu Jun, Zhai Lin, and Hua Qiu either have lush vegetation surrounding their homes or have birds and animals nearby. Doesn't this demonstrate that their filial piety has touched the heavens and the earth?
