Memorial Hall of Liu Yong

Memorial Hall of Liu Yong

The Memorial Hall of Liu Yong is located in the middle section of the Ancient Street of Wuyi Palace in the Wuyishan Scenic Area, on the north bank of the First Bend Creek. It is a three-story pavilion-style building modeled after traditional Song Dynasty folk architecture, covering an area of 300 square meters. Facing south and situated to the north, it houses exhibition halls as well as offices, storage rooms, and a tea room. The style is simple, elegant, and rich in local flavor.

In front of the Liu Yong Memorial Hall, lush trees stand gracefully. Looking up, you can see the stone gate of the memorial engraved with the inscription “Gradually Entering a Fine Situation” (taken from the Biography of Gu Kaizhi in the Book of Jin). On both sides of the stone gate are two famous couplets: “Among such a famous mountain, which rank shall it claim?” and “Along this winding stream, there are but few like this.” Inside the gate, two crape myrtle trees stand tall, as if attuned to one’s inner thoughts.

In front of the main gate of the memorial stands a full-body bronze statue of Liu Yong. Beside it, a huge rock is inscribed with an introduction to Liu Yong’s tomb: “Record of the Earth Returned Home. In September 2004, upon the completion of the new hall of the Liu Yong Memorial Hall in Wuyishan, a portion of earth from Liu Yong’s tomb on Beigu Mountain in Zhenjiang was relocated here. A wanderer for a thousand years has now returned home; the soul of a master of ci poetry comes back to his native land.” The bronze statue of Liu Yong holds a scroll in one hand, dressed in a Confucian cap and robe, with an elegant and serene demeanor.

Upon entering the memorial hall, the wall facing you features a large calligraphy piece of Liu Yong’s famous ci poem “Watching the Tidal Bore” written by Mao Zedong. Behind the wall are two exhibition halls, east and west, each covering 54 square meters.

The east hall is the “Life of Liu Yong” exhibition hall, divided into eight sections: Born into a Scholarly Family, A Happy Childhood; A Frustrating Youth and Adulthood; Disillusioned in Officialdom, Drifting Life; Painstaking Composition Leading to Fame, “Musical Chapters” Handed Down Through Generations; The Beauty of Liu’s Ci Poetry, Widely Acclaimed; Mao Zedong on Liu’s Ci Poetry; Timeless Musical Chapters Passed on to Posterity; Research on Liu’s Ci Poetry, Promoting Wuyi Culture. With 23 display panels, numerous images, and concise texts, it showcases Liu Yong’s life, the significant influence of his ci poetry, and the high praise it has received through the ages.

The west hall is the “Liu Yong’s Ci Poetry and Calligraphy Painting” exhibition hall, displaying over 30 paintings and calligraphy works related to Liu Yong. The display cabinets and cases in both halls showcase books and artworks from ancient to modern times, both in China and abroad, related to Liu Yong’s ci poetry, including “Records of Colored Chicken,” “Miscellaneous Notes from the Capable Revision Studio,” “Songs of Ci Poets of the Song and Yuan Dynasties,” “Mao Zedong’s Handwritten Calligraphy of Classical Poems,” and “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.”

The rear hall of the memorial is the gallery for the pictorial interpretations of Liu Yong’s ci poems “A Section of Clouds Over Mount Wu” and “Song of Boiling the Sea,” covering a total of 34 square meters. Each features the full text of the ci poem along with 11 pictorial illustrations. On the third floor of the ci poem illustration gallery is a tea room, where visitors can overlook the clear waters of the Nine-Bend Stream and peaks such as Jade Maiden Peak, Great King Peak, Curtain Shed Peak, Iron Plate Peak, Bridle-Reining Peak, and Lion Peak. It combines sightseeing with tea tasting, offering a refreshing and intoxicating experience. The back of the memorial hall is adjacent to a small bamboo forest and borders the Nine-Bend Stream, making it a perfect leisure spot for visitors to enjoy tea, watch tea ceremonies, and appreciate the art of tea.

Address: Middle Section of the Ancient Street of Wuyi Palace, Wuyishan Scenic Area, Wuyishan City, Nanping, Fujian Province

Liu Yong (c. 984–c. 1053), originally named Sanbian, courtesy name Jingzhuang, later changed his name to Liu Yong, with the courtesy name Qiqing. Known also as Liu Qi because he was the seventh child, he was from Chongan, Fujian. He was a renowned ci poet of the Northern Song Dynasty and a representative figure of the delicate and restrained ci style. Liu Yong was the first poet to comprehensively reform Song ci poetry and the one who created the most ci tune patterns in the Song Dynasty. He vigorously composed slow-tempo ci poems, transplanting the rhetorical methods of fu (rhapsody) into ci poetry. He also made extensive use of colloquial language, employing accessible imagery, vivid and thorough descriptions, and unadorned, straightforward writing styles. His unique artistic personality had a profound impact on the development of Song ci poetry... More detailed information about Liu Yong ++

Wuyishan Scenic Area

Da’an Yuan Ecological Tourism Zone

Dahongpao Scenic Area

China Wuyi Tea Expo Park

Nine-Bend Stream

Qinglong Waterfall

Wuyi Crape Myrtle Self-Drive Theme Park

Wuyi Water Curtain Cave

Great King Peak

Wuyi One-Line Sky

Wuyi Palace

Tiger Roaring Rock

Cloud Nest

Wuyi Jade Valley

Site of the Imperial Tea Garden

Yulong Valley

Chengcun Han City Ruins

Wuyi Baiyun Rock