Tang Xianzu Cultural and Artistic Center

Tang Xianzu Cultural and Artistic Center

Located southeast of Linchuan city proper, at Quejiashan, two kilometers from the city center, it was built to commemorate the great playwright and literary figure Tang Xianzu — an outstanding talent nurtured by “Linchuan culture,” a distinguished representative from the “hometown of gifted scholars,” and hailed as the “Shakespeare of the East.” Covering an area of 180 acres, it mainly consists of three major parts: the “Four Dreams Village,” the “Guest Welcoming Village,” and the “Entertainment Village.”

The center features an ethnic-style classical garden complex with exquisite design and natural layout. The three villages stand in harmony, each presenting distinct scenes — some delicate and refined, others bold and majestic, still others richly elegant and graceful. The overall effect is harmonious and richly varied. Hills, rocks, flowers, pavilions, terraces, and towers are interspersed with varying density, height, and distance, creating a scattered yet orderly composition.

The “Four Dreams Village” is a scenic sightseeing area centered around commemorative facilities, covering 80 acres. It includes attractions such as the Peony Pavilion, the Mao Zedong Calligraphy Stele, the Plum Blossom Hermitage, the Tomb of Liniang, the Yellow Millet Tavern, the Money Corridor, the Shengye Lane, the Jade Terrace, the Screen Wall, the Dream Spring, the Tea House by the Spring, and exhibition halls. These are complemented by murals, sculptures, poetic inscriptions, and couplets, bringing to life the artistic charm and mood of Tang Xianzu’s masterpieces, the “Four Dreams of Linchuan”: The Peony Pavilion, A Dream Under the Southern Bough, The Story of the Southern Pavilion, and The Purple Hairpin.

The “Guest Welcoming Village” is a leisure and accommodation area, covering 20 acres. Here, grass-roofed cottages and villas are tucked among beautiful bamboo groves and fine trees, offering warmth in winter and coolness in summer, with spring-like weather all year round. Nearby, the lake ripples, willows cast shadows, rocks create secluded nooks, fragrant grass is lush, and farmhouses stand neatly amid fields, ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo — a true rural idyll.

The “Entertainment Village” is an entertainment and commercial zone, covering 80 acres. It houses a cinema and theater troupe that performs the local Linchuan tea-picking opera known as “Triangle Troupe,” along with a children’s playground, games and acrobatics, and trade and business shops.

The Tang Xianzu Cultural and Artistic Center embodies the artistic conception of Tang Xianzu’s masterpiece, the “Four Dreams of Linchuan,” integrating commemoration, research, and tourism.

Jiangxi Fuzhou City

Tang Xianzu (September 24, 1550 – July 29, 1616), a late Ming dynasty Chinese playwright and literary figure. His courtesy name was Yirong, and he used the pseudonyms Haibo and Qingyuan Daoren; in his later years, he went by Ruoshi and Jianweng. He was a native of Linchuan, Jiangxi. He holds an important place in the literary history of both China and the world. From childhood, he was exceptionally intelligent and dedicated to rigorous study. “Beyond classical literature, he mastered yuefu poetry, songs, and five- and seven-character verse; besides the various histories and the Hundred Schools of Thought, he was well-versed in astronomy, geography, medicine, divination, river management, the Mohist canon, military science, esoteric texts, and strange chronicles” (from Zou Diguang’s “Biography of Mr. Tang of Linchuan”). He not only loved reading “non…” More details on Tang Xianzu ++