Memorial archway, different from either houses dwelled by humans or temples where gods are worshiped , is a unique kind of memorial architecture.

牌坊又称牌楼，它不同于民居，民居是住人的；也不同于寺庙，寺庙是供神的；它是一种门洞式的、纪念性的独特的建筑物。

Memorial archway derives¹ from the Ling star Gate. The first emperor of the Han Dynasty stipulated² that the Ling stare should be honored first when worshiping the heaven. Ling Star Gate, first built in 1028, was rebuilt in the Confucian temple later in honor of Confucius. It is considered that people offered sacrifice to the Ling Star in the Han Dynasty in order to pray for a fruitful year which has nothing to do with Confucius and then the Chinese character "灵" was turned into "棂" again. From the South Song Dynasty on, especially in Ming and Qing dynasties, the Ling Star Gate was not only built near the suburb⁴ altar and the Confucian temple, but also near ordinary temples, tombs, ancestral shrines⁵, office buildings, gardens or beside the streets and cross. It is not only used to worship heaven and Confucius, but also in praise of noble acts and chastity. The purpose of the construction of the memorial archway con³ be classified into three types: symbolic⁶ archway, archway of credit and morality,

and archway of achievement.

牌坊是由棋星门衍变而来的。提星原作灵星，灵星即天回星。汉高祖规定：祭天应先祭灵星。到宋仁宗天圣六年(1028)，筑郊台(祭祀天地的建筑)外垣，设置灵星门。后移置于孔庙，用祭天的礼仪来尊重孔子。后来人们认为汉代祭祀灵星，是为了析求丰年，与孔庙元关。又改灵星为梗星。宋(南宋)元年以后，尤其是明清，这种建筑不仅置于郊坛、孔庙，还建于庙宇、陵基、祠堂、衙署和园林前或街旁、里前、路口。也不仅用于祭天、祀孔，还用于褒扬功德，施表节烈等等，于是灵星门不仅一变成为棋星门，而且再变为牌坊。牌坊就其建造意图来说，可分为兰类：一类为标志坊；二类为功德坊；三类是标志科举成就的。

Memorial is a symbol of lofty honor in the feudal⁷ society. As act of archway an promotion⁸ of render of immortal⁹ fame the construction of memorial virtues¹⁰ and is the highest in people's lives. history of archway pursuit With a time-honored building up southern Anhui has many well-preserved memorial archway，archways enjoying equal reputation with the ancient shrines folk houses.

在封建社会牌坊是崇高荣誉的象征。树牌坊是彰德行，沐皇恩，流芳百世之举，是人们一生的最高追求。在安徽省南部有着悠久的修建牌坊的历史，许多牌坊至今保存完好。牌坊是当地古代建筑的"三绝"之一，与古祠堂、古民居鼎足齐名。