Zhou Chu's Reading Platform

Zhou Chu's Reading Platform

Zhou Chu's Reading Platform is a cultural relic protection unit of Nanjing City.

Zhou Chu's Reading Platform is located on the west side of Jiangning Road in Qinhuai District, Nanjing, commonly known as Zhou Chu Platform. It is a slightly elevated mound surrounded by flat land, resembling an earthen platform, where Zhou Chu once studied diligently.

In fact, this site was originally the residence and hall of Zhou Chu when he served as the Left Assistant of Dongguan in the Wu Kingdom, named "Ziyin Hall." Historical records from the Tang, Song, and earlier dynasties make no mention of a "Reading Platform." By the Ming Dynasty, it may have become popularly known as such due to an error by the Jinling scholar Gu Qiyuan in his book *Kèzuò Zhuìyǔ* (*Idle Talk from a Guest’s Chair*), where he mistakenly referred to the place as "Zhou Xiaohou’s Reading Platform." As a result, the name passed into folklore. It is said that in ancient times, the main hall of Zhou Chu Platform once displayed a portrait of Zhou Chu—fierce-eyed and lion-maned, full of heroic spirit—beneath which was a spirit tablet inscribed with nineteen characters: “The Seat of Zhou Chu, Courtesy Name Ziyin, Posthumously Named Xiaohou of Jin, General of Pingxi, and Colonel of the Cavalry.” After enduring the vicissitudes of time, only a stone gate tower inscribed with “Zhou Chu's Reading Platform” and over ten houses now converted into residences remain.

Zhuǎnlóng Lane Community: Located at the southeastern corner of the eastern Qinhuai Gate area, it starts from Madao Street to the north, borders Xiaoxin Bridge to the east, connects to Renhou Li to the south, and adjoins the Qinhuai Foreign Languages School to the west. The community includes three residential areas: Zhuǎnlóngchē, Fēngqínjū, and Renhou Li. The total area of the community is 98,000 square meters, with 3,190 households and a population of 7,134. There is currently a senior teachers' apartment within the community. The community office is located at 20-1 Zhuǎnlóng Lane. Historical sites in the community include Guangzhái Temple and Zhou Chu's Reading Platform. … Zhuǎnlóng Lane Community detailed information++