Reading Place of Crown Prince Zhaoming

Reading Place of Crown Prince Zhaoming

Located on the west side of Wuzhen’s ancient town. It earned its name because Xiao Tong, the crown prince of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty during the Southern Dynasties, once set up a study here. It is a key cultural relic protection unit of Tongxiang City. Crown Prince Zhaoming, named Xiao Tong, was made crown prince at the age of two. According to the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong-era “Wuqing Town Annals,” in the second year of the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty (503 AD), Xiao Tong came to Wuzhen with his tutor Shen Yue to study, and had a study hall built here. Later, the study hall collapsed, leaving only ruins. During the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, Quan Tingxun, the deputy prefect of Wuzhen, built a stone memorial archway in front of the site of the former study out of admiration for Xiao Tong’s literary talent. A local scholar, Shen Shimao, inscribed the plaque above the archway with the words “Relic of the Six Dynasties” and “The Place Where Liang Crown Prince Zhaoming and Minister Shen Studied.” The archway is made of granite, styled like a gatehouse, about 5 meters high and 3.8 meters wide.

Due to long-term weathering and damage, in 1984 local residents raised funds to restore it, adding new drum stones and square pillars under the crossbeam. Xiao Tong was diligent and well-read from an early age, known for his broad knowledge of both ancient and modern times, and famous for compiling the first “Selections of Refined Literature” (Zhaoming Wenxuan). The people of Wuzhen cherish this cultural heritage deeply. In 1977, Mao Dun, upon hearing that this ancient site in his hometown had survived disasters, wrote in a poem dedicated to his home town: “The Tang-era ginkgo still stands, the Study of Crown Prince Zhaoming faintly remains.”