Former North Bank Ming Dynasty Nanmu Hall

Former North Bank Ming Dynasty Nanmu Hall

The Former North Bank Ming Dynasty Nanmu Hall is located at the western end of the Former North Bank area in downtown Changzhou.

Originally known as the Sun Family Residence at Gutang Bridge, it was the dwelling place of Su Dongpo, the great literary master of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the first year of the Jianzhong Jingguo era (1101) during the Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo came to reside in Changzhou after being released from his exile on Hainan Island, and he passed away here on the 28th day of the seventh lunar month of the same year at the age of 66. During the Qing Dynasty, the area of the Sun Family Residence was divided between the residences of the Fang and Tang families. Under the Tang residence, a wisteria plant was grown downstairs, while the Fang residence had a fragrant crabapple tree — both said to have been planted by Su Dongpo himself. Beneath the wisteria there was originally placed a white stone inkstone-washing pool, three feet long and 45 centimeters deep, with an unadorned, plain surface. The renowned Qing Dynasty scholar Hong Liangji wrote in his poem “Song of the Ancient Wisteria”: “When the purple wisteria blooms, the inkstone pool overflows; ancient hues contend with one another,” referring to this very spot. In the 22nd year of the Qianlong reign (1757), during the Emperor’s second southern inspection tour, local officials moved the inkstone-washing pool to the Wan Shou Imperial Traveling Palace (now within Yizhou Pavilion Park, though later modified) in February. The wisteria had withered by the time of the liberation. The Sun Family Residence was destroyed during the warfare of the Yuan Dynasty. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, locals rebuilt the structure on the original site, and it became known as the “Old Wisteria Flower Hall.” The existing main hall consists of three rooms, featuring a traditional eight-rafter post-and-lintel wooden structure with fine craftsmanship. Massive nanmu (phoebe nanmu) columns are erected on mushroom-shaped stone bases, topped with lotus-leaf capitals, and spanned by large crescent-shaped collar beams. The central ridge beam on the facade is adorned with painted patterns. The overall appearance of the building is dignified and stable. The roof is gently sloped with upturned eaves, and the front hall under the corridor is fitted with six wooden lattice windows, while the rear space is divided into front and back sections by six screen doors supported by the rear inner columns, reflecting the characteristics of classical southern Chinese architecture. The gatehouse is a six-bay single-story structure with a stone-framed gate on the facade and a stone stele embedded in the wall. The lintel bears a seal script inscription reading “Old Wisteria Flower Hall.” In March 1982, it was designated as part of the third group of Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units by the provincial government. Su Shi (1037–1101), from Meishan, Sichuan, courtesy name Zizhan, also known as Dongpo Jushi, was a renowned literary figure of the Northern Song Dynasty. He shared an enduring bond with Changzhou, having visited the city eleven times in his lifetime. In the first year of the Jianzhong Jingguo era (1101), when Emperor Huizong ascended the throne and issued a general amnesty, Su Dongpo returned northward from his place of exile on Hainan’s Danzhou. He stayed temporarily at the Sun Family Residence and soon passed away here due to illness.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units