Yangzhou Su Dongpo Memorial Hall

Yangzhou Su Dongpo Memorial Hall

Su Dongpo Memorial Hall

Su Dongpo was a distinguished disciple of Ouyang Xiu. In the second year of the Jiayou era during the reign of Emperor Renzong of Song, Ouyang Xiu, already renowned as a “literary sage throughout the land,” presided over the imperial examinations. He greatly admired the writings of the young Su Shi. Even before Su Shi’s exam results were announced, Ouyang Xiu had already paved the way for his official career. Although Su Dongpo later faced repeated setbacks in his political career, he achieved everlasting fame in the history of Chinese literature.

In the second year of the Yuanyou era, middle-aged Su Dongpo passed through Yangzhou and ascended the Pingshan Hall, composing “West River Moon – Pingshan Hall” in memory of his late mentor, who had passed away ten years prior: “Three times I’ve passed Pingshan Hall below, / Half a lifetime slips by in a finger’s toll. / Ten years since I last saw the old immortal sage, / On the wall his dragon-like calligraphy still rages. / To mourn the literary prefect I would cry, / Still singing of willows in the spring breeze’s sigh. / Don’t say all things turn to emptiness when turned away, / Before you turn, they’re all dreams anyway.”

In the seventh year of the Yuanyou era, February—twenty years after Ouyang Xiu’s death—56-year-old Su Dongpo was appointed Prefect of Yangzhou. He left office that August, serving for half a year. Behind the main hall of Pingshan, Su Dongpo built the Gulin Hall. On the day the hall was completed, Su Dongpo composed the poem “Gulin Hall.” The name “Gulin” is taken from Su’s own verse: “In deep valleys where beauty lies concealed, / Tall woods together in rich foliage shield.” It deeply reflects Su Dongpo’s reverence for his mentor.

Like “Pingshan Hall,” “Gulin Hall” was later destroyed in war and was also rebuilt by Salt Transport Commissioner Fang Junyi after the Taiping Rebellion. The current plaque for “Gulin Hall” in the hall was inscribed by renowned Yangzhou shallow-carving artist Huang Hanhou, using characters from Su Dongpo’s calligraphy models. On the eastern wall inside the hall hangs a cursive script version of Su’s poem “Gulin Hall” by contemporary Yangzhou calligrapher and painter Li Yaru; on the western wall is a collective painting titled “Red Cliff Night Tour” created by artists from the Yangzhou Academy of Traditional Chinese Painting.

The Su Dongpo Memorial Hall, located within Gulin Hall, opened at the same time as the Ouyang Xiu Memorial Hall to commemorate the two shining stars of the Northern Song literary scene. The side halls feature photo exhibitions on the life and deeds of Su Dongpo, while the central hall displays a wax figure of Su Dongpo. The handsome and graceful wax figure of Su Dongpo, seated at his desk, exudes enduring character, seemingly lost in thought crafting timeless masterpieces.