Li Keran Art Museum

Li Keran Art Museum

The Li Keran Art Museum is a National AAA-level Tourist Attraction.

The Li Keran Art Museum consists of the New Hall of the Li Keran Art Museum, the Former Residence of Li Keran, and the newly built West Wing Courtyard. It covers a total area of 7.2 mu (4,810 square meters) with a total floor space of 3,029 square meters. It is currently a National AAA-level Tourist Attraction, a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a Jiangsu Provincial Patriotic Education Base, a Jiangsu Provincial Social Science Popularization Demonstration Base, the Xuzhou Sub-Center of the Jiangsu Provincial Art Talent Training Center, a Xuzhou Municipal School Moral Education Base. The new hall was awarded the 2009 China Architectural Society Creation Grand Prize.

The original "Former Residence of Li Keran" was built in 1922, consisting of 12 rooms in a traditional Chinese courtyard structure with blue bricks and clay tiles. On April 19, 1985, the Li Keran Former Residence Management Office was established with the approval of the Xuzhou Municipal Compiling Committee. On October 1, 1985, the renovated "Former Residence of Li Keran" was officially opened to the public. The residence covers an area of 300 square meters with a floor space of 120 square meters. The west room was the living quarters of Mr. Li Keran’s father, Li Huichun, his mother, and his elder brother Li Yongping. The north room was where Mr. Li’s sisters Li Xuan, Li Yongzhen, Li Yongshu, Li Wan, and Li Juan lived. The south room was Mr. Li Keran’s own living quarters, where he resided for nearly 30 years. The east room was the living space of Mr. Li’s younger brother Li Yongxiang (also known as Kepeng) and also served as Mr. Li’s reception room. In practice, this space often became the hub for artistic activities among Mr. Li’s colleagues, students, and artist friends—all key figures in Xuzhou’s cultural scene at the time.

On March 28, 1994, the second phase project of the Former Residence, the "Li Keran Artworks Exhibition Hall," was completed and opened to the public. This building covered an area of 280 square meters with a floor space of 320 square meters, featuring a two-story structure that combined Chinese and Western architectural styles. It was demolished during the construction of the third phase project.

The new hall is located south of the Former Residence of Li Keran. Construction officially began on December 5, 2006, and was completed in December 2007. It covers an area of 4,810 square meters with a floor space of 2,829 square meters. The new hall consists of four parts: the exhibition hall, academic lecture hall, multifunctional hall, and outdoor courtyard. The first floor of the new hall houses two exhibition spaces for various exhibitions; the second floor includes the "Li Keran Life and Achievements Exhibition Hall" and the "Li Keran Artworks Exhibition Hall." The "Li Keran Life and Achievements Exhibition Hall" displays a large amount of textual and pictorial material, systematically introducing Mr. Li Keran’s 82-year artistic journey. The "Li Keran Artworks Exhibition Hall" showcases dozens of artistic masterpieces created by Mr. Li, including iconic works such as "Spring Rain over Jiangnan," "Ten Thousand Blossoms of Plum," and "Herding Cattle," which were donated by Mr. Li during his lifetime. The academic lecture hall is located on the third floor of the art museum and can accommodate around 100 people for academic seminars, lectures, and art talks. The multifunctional hall includes a multimedia screening room, reception room, Yunlong Painting Studio, audience lounge, art creation studio, storage rooms, offices, and other related facilities. The outdoor courtyard features the "Shiniutang" (Hall of the Ox), an ornamental shallow pool courtyard, landscaped gardens, parking lots, and a visitor center.

Since its completion and opening in 2007, the new hall has hosted nearly 30 fine arts, calligraphy, and photography exhibitions each year, along with multiple art lectures and seminars. It fulfills various functions such as art exhibitions, multifunctional presentations, literary salons, art training, and cultural product sales. It has become one of the leading art museums in scale, taste, and class among nearly 30 celebrity memorial halls and art museums in China. It has fully leveraged the cultural influence of Li Keran to promote the development of Xuzhou as a strong cultural city, marking the best period of development in its history since 2007.

Opening Hours

Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:00 (last entry at 16:00); closed on Mondays (except national holidays and during exhibitions).