Ruins of Jinsu Nunnery

Ruins of Jinsu Nunnery

The ruins of Jinsu Nunnery is a cultural heritage site protected by Suzhou Municipality.

The ruins of Jinsu Nunnery are located in Chuodun Village, Zhengyi Town, Kunshan City. In the late Yuan Dynasty, the renowned scholar Gu Aying (also known as the Hermit of Jinsu) established Jinsu Nunnery within his family ancestral hall, making it the birthplace of Kunqu Opera. Originally, the site featured structures such as an ancient theater stage and the Chuo Mountain Pavilion, but these were later destroyed. What remains today includes an ancient stone arch bridge (Guangling Bridge) and an ancient ginkgo tree. In 1997, it was announced as one of the second batch of cultural heritage protection units in Kunshan City.

Gu Aying (1310–1369), originally named Gu Ying, with "Aying" being a nickname given by his friends, also known as Zhongying, with the courtesy name Dehui (1310–1369), styled himself the Hermit of Jinsu. According to Cihai (The Sea of Words), he was a literary figure of the late Yuan Dynasty who exchanged poems with Yang Weizhen and others. His poetry followed the styles of the Tang and Song dynasties, characterized by an antique charm. His works include Jade Mountain Rough Drafts and others.

According to the Loujiang Gu Family Genealogy Branch, housed in the Suzhou Library, the ancestors of Gu Aying can be traced back to the Xia Dynasty over 3,000 years ago, around 3000 BCE. After the Xia revival leader Shao Kang ascended the throne, he enfeoffed his sons, and his son ?m was granted the territory of Gu (present-day southeast of Tang County, Henan… More detailed information on Gu Aying ++