Liuke Hall

Liuke Hall

Liuke Hall is located in Feiying Park in Huzhou City and was first built during the Northern Song Dynasty. Its original site was in the eastern part of the back garden of the prefectural office, constructed by Li Gongze of the Song Dynasty. It earned the name Liuke Hall (Hall of the Six Literati) because six renowned poets gathered here on separate occasions. The hall was rebuilt in the southwestern corner of Feiying Park in 1996. Historical records identify the six literati as: Su Shi, Zhang Xian, Chen Shunyu, Yang Hui, Li Chang, and Liu Shu. In September of the seventh year of the Xining reign during the Northern Song Dynasty, Yang Hui, then the governor of Hangzhou, was preparing to return to Nanjing and be promoted to Hanlin Academician. Meanwhile, Su Shi was elevated from the position of Transport Commissioner in Hangzhou to become the governor. The two arranged to meet up with Zhang Xian in Hangzhou, Chen Shunyu—who was living in seclusion in Jiaxing—and Liu Shu in Suzhou, and together they traveled to Huzhou to reunite with their old friend, Li Chang, the governor of Huzhou. They gathered at Liuke Hall, composing poetry and lyrics. Legend has it that Su Shi attended this gathering on two separate occasions.