Nanjing Wenxin Diaolong Memorial Hall

Nanjing Wenxin Diaolong Memorial Hall

Nanjing Wenxin Diaolong Memorial Hall

The Nanjing Wenxin Diaolong Memorial Hall is located within Dinglin Mountain Villa at the southern foot of Zhongshan Mountain in Nanjing. The memorial hall is divided into three exhibition halls: front, middle, and back. The establishment of the "Wenxin Diaolong" Memorial Hall as a tourist attraction in Nanjing fills a historical gap in this ancient capital of the Six Dynasties and fulfills the wishes of researchers of the "Wenxin Diaolong" and enthusiasts of Chinese culture both domestically and internationally.

The memorial hall not only displays various cultural relics from the Six Dynasties period unearthed in recent years on the southern foothills of Zhongshan Mountain, such as porcelain, bronze ware, bricks, tiles, pottery figurines, and stone carvings, but also reveals to visitors the archaeological discoveries of the ruins of the Dinglin Temple on Zhongshan Mountain during the Southern Dynasties.

During the Qi and Liang dynasties of the Six Dynasties period, the renowned scholar Liu Xie completed the "Wenxin Diaolong," known as "China's first encyclopedia of literature," at Dinglin Temple on Zhongshan Mountain in the eastern suburbs of the capital Jiankang (present-day Nanjing). This influential masterpiece has evolved into a specialized field of study both in China and abroad, known as "Wenxin Studies" or "Dragon Studies." The "Wenxin Diaolong" has been translated into five languages: Korean, Japanese, English, Italian, and German. Scholars from over ten countries around the world have conducted research on it, publishing nearly 3,000 academic papers and over 210 monographs.

The Wenxin Diaolong Memorial Hall reveals the close relationship between Liu Xie, the "Wenxin Diaolong," the Six Dynasties capital, Zhongshan Mountain, and Dinglin Temple through three exhibition units: "Zhongshan Mountain and the Six Dynasties Capital," "Dinglin Temple on Zhongshan Mountain," and "Liu Xie and the Wenxin Diaolong." Liu Xie lived at Dinglin Temple on Zhongshan Mountain for about 20 years. With access to the temple’s rich collection of books, he devoted himself to study and research, eventually completing the monumental literary theoretical work, the "Wenxin Diaolong," which marked his brilliant achievements. Dinglin Temple on Zhongshan Mountain has also been immortalized in history due to Liu Xie’s scholarly accomplishments.

The memorial hall also highlights the rich body of research on Liu Xie and the "Wenxin Diaolong" from both domestic and international sources to date, including materials on Liu Xie’s life, different editions of the "Wenxin Diaolong" from various periods, and related treatises. These exhibits showcase the cultural significance of Liu Xie and the "Wenxin Diaolong" from multiple perspectives.