Fan Chengda Memorial Temple

Fan Chengda Memorial Temple

Fan Chengda Memorial Temple is a cultural heritage site protected at the municipal level in Suzhou.

Fan Chengda Memorial Temple is located west of Xingchun Bridge at Shihu Lake and is a municipal-level cultural heritage site. The temple was originally built during the Ming Dynasty's Zhengde era by censor Lu Yong, but was later destroyed. The current structure was rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty's Tongzhi era (1862–1874) and underwent major renovations in 1985. Preserved within the temple are stone inscriptions of Fan Chengda’s “Sixty Poems on Rural Life in Four Seasons,” remnants from the Ming Dynasty. “Sixty Poems on Rural Life in Four Seasons” were written by Fan Chengda in 1186 at Shihu Lake and are hailed by later generations as a model of Chinese pastoral poetry. “By day they hoe the fields, by night they spin hemp, men and women each in their family roles; even children too young to work still learn by the mulberry shade to plant melons.” These lines reflect the industrious spirit of Suzhou’s farmers.

On the slopes of Mopan Islet near Fan Chengda Memorial Temple lies Chaoyin Temple, which was also renovated in 1985.