Nanjing Scripture Depository (Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall)

Nanjing Scripture Depository (Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall)

The Scripture Depository, also known as the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, is located in the vast expanse east of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and west of the Linggu Temple. It is a commemorative structure built after the interment of Dr. Sun Yat-sen in the mausoleum, specifically designed to house his belongings. It also displays precious historical materials from the interment ceremony. This classical building imitates the style of a Qing Dynasty temple. The Scripture Depository consists of three main parts: the main hall, monks' quarters, and a stele corridor. Covering an area of over 3,000 square meters, the main hall is a reinforced concrete structure with a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof in the style of an imperial palace. Its roof is covered with green glazed tiles, while the back and eaves are adorned with yellow glazed tiles. At the center of the main ridge stands a bronze-gilded canopy, and the beams, columns, lintels, and brackets are all decorated with painted designs. The entire building is richly carved inside and out, resplendent and magnificent, with an imposing and spectacular presence.

The Scripture Depository was initiated for fundraising by the Buddhist Association of China in November 1934, construction began in March 1935, and it was completed in October of the following year. During the Anti-Japanese War, the depository suffered severe damage and was restored in 1955. It faced further destruction later. In 1982, the Jiangsu Provincial Government and the Nanjing Municipal Government allocated special funds to renovate the Scripture Depository to its original appearance.

The main hall appears to have three floors from the outside but actually includes a mezzanine in between. Originally, the first floor served as a lecture hall, with a central hall surrounded by corridors; the second floor was a quiet room; the third floor was a scripture reading room; and the fourth floor was a scripture storage room, covering a total area of 1,600 square meters. In the central hall on the first floor hangs a large torch-shaped chandelier, and the ceiling is adorned with a gilded octagonal lotus caisson, giving the space a luxurious and grand atmosphere.

Behind the main hall are the monks' quarters, with stele corridors on both sides. The five-room monks' quarters are built along the central axis, and behind them are four side rooms to the east and west. The stele corridors on the east and west are each 125 meters long, symmetrically arranged around the main hall and monks' quarters. Each corridor has 25 rooms, with their walls inlaid with 138 bluestone steles donated by patriotic general Feng Yuxiang. These steles are 1.90 meters high and 0.9 meters wide, quarried from Songshan Mountain in Henan. They feature the full text of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s “The International Development of China,” comprising six lectures across 138 steles totaling over 155,000 characters. Each lecture was inscribed by prominent calligraphers of the time, including Zhang Naigong, Chen Tianxi, Lian Shenghai, Li Qichen, Ye Gongchuo, Zheng Hongnian, Chen Zhongjing, Cai Yun, Hu Di, Peng ChunsHi, Wang Yihan, Li Xuanti, Wang Xian, and Deng Fenweng. This collection represents a set of precious cultural relics with both excellent calligraphy and carving.

The Scripture Depository, along with the stele corridors and inscriptions, is an important commemorative structure within the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum complex. At the center of the third-floor eaves hangs a horizontal plaque inscribed with the characters “藏经楼” (Scripture Depository) in gold on a black background, written by the renowned contemporary calligrapher Wu Zhongqi. On May 7, 1987, with the approval of the Nanjing Municipal People's Government, the Scripture Depository was designated as the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. A horizontal plaque inscribed with the regular script characters “Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall” in gold on a dark background, personally penned by Qu Wu, Honorary Chairman of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, is hung above the main entrance of the ground floor of the main hall.

In front of the depository square stands a bronze statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, which was a gift from his Japanese friend Umetaro Mazuoka during his lifetime. As early as January 1895, when Sun Yat-sen traveled from Honolulu, USA to Hong Kong to establish the headquarters of the Revive China Society, he met the owner of the “Mazuoka Photography Studio” in Hong Kong. He received funding support from Mazuoka on multiple occasions. Not long after Yuan Shikai usurped power and declared himself emperor, Sun Yat-sen went to Japan and stayed at Mazuoka’s home. On October 25, 1915, the wedding ceremony of Sun Yat-sen and Soong Ching-ling was also held at Mazuoka’s residence.

Address: Within the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Scenic Area, No. 7 Shixiang Road, Outside Zhongshan Gate, Xuanwu District, Nanjing

Type: Memorial Hall

Tel: 86-025-84430116

Official Website: http://www.sunyat-sen.cn/?do=Index

Opening Hours:

9:00-18:00

Ticket Information:

No admission fee. The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum combo ticket is 90 RMB (includes Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Linggu Scenic Area, and Music Stage). The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum tomb area (including the Plaza of Universal Love, the Sacred Way, the Mausoleum Gate, the Stele Pavilion, the Sacrificial Hall, and the Tomb Chamber) is open to the public free of charge.

Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), whose given name was Wen, courtesy name Zaizhi, art names Risun and Yixian, childhood name Dixiang, alias Zhongshanqiao, often used the name Zhongshan. Born into a farming family in Cuiheng Village, Xiangshan County (now Zhongshan City), Guangdong Province. In his youth, influenced by the revolutionary traditions of the people of Guangdong, he admired the revolutionary cause of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He was a pioneer of China’s modern national democratic revolution, a great forerunner of the Chinese democratic revolution, the founder of the Republic of China and the Kuomintang, an advocate of the Three Principles of the People, and the creator of the Five-Power Constitution. He was the first to raise the banner of complete anti-feudalism... More detailed information about Sun Yat-sen ++

Further Reading:

· National Third-Class Museum of China