Tao Jingjie Shrine

Tao Jingjie Shrine

The Tao Yuanming Memorial Hall is a historical figure memorial museum established in honor of Tao Yuanming, a poet from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It is located in the northeast corner of Shahe Street at the foot of Mount Lu’s western slopes in Jiujiang County, Jiangxi Province. The hall opened to the public on July 30, 1985.

The site was originally the Tao Jingjie (Yuanming) Shrine. This shrine was originally located at the left front slope of Jingjie’s tomb on Mianyang Mountain, 25 kilometers south of the county. It was renovated between 1533 and 1538 during the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era (1533–1538), featuring the architectural style of traditional southern Yangtze River region homes, covering an area of approximately 250 square meters. In 1982, it was relocated and reconstructed at its current site, preserving its original appearance. The shrine originally housed sculptures, plaques, couplets, and stone carvings, all of which have been fully restored.

The sculptures, plaques, couplets, and stone carvings have been fully restored.

In 2005, on the occasion of the 1640th anniversary of Tao Yuanming’s birth, Jiujiang County invested over 300,000 yuan to restore the memorial hall to its original appearance. The restored Tao Yuanming Memorial Hall now includes attractions such as Tao Gong’s Tomb, Tao Jingjie Shrine, and the Returning Pavilion.

Collection Overview

The museum covers an area of 1,600 square meters, and its architectural style resembles that of the Tao Shrine. Inside, there is an exhibition titled “A Brief Account of Tao Yuanming’s Life,” which displays over 300 items related to Tao Yuanming, including charts, photos, family trees, and specialized studies on Tao Yuanming from various dynasties, as well as calligraphy and paintings by notable figures. There are also over 30 thread-bound editions of the “Collected Works of Tao Yuanming,” the earliest being the 1672 edition by Jiang Xun. The museum also features a section called “Exhibition of Historical Relics from Jiujiang County,” showcasing artifacts unearthed from the sites of Chaisang and Xunyang, where Tao Yuanming lived.

The “A Brief Account of Tao Yuanming’s Life” exhibition room within the museum houses and displays over 300 items related to Tao Yuanming, including charts, photos, family trees, and specialized studies on Tao Yuanming from various dynasties, as well as calligraphy and paintings by notable figures. There are also over 30 thread-bound editions of the “Collected Works of Tao Yuanming,” the earliest being the 1672 edition by Jiang Xun.

Tao Yuanming’s Tomb

The exact location is uncertain. The existing shrine faces southeast and is situated northwest. In 1533 (the 12th year of the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era), imperial censor Ji Xunyi ordered Jiujiang Prefect Ma Ji to allocate official funds and appointed Deputy Prefect Huang Mincai to supervise the construction. The project was completed in 1538 (the 17th year of the Jiajing era), and it underwent several major renovations afterward. The shrine is built with brick and wood, reflecting the architectural style of ancient scholarly residences. It consists of a main hall and a front chamber, with a courtyard in between and side wing rooms. It measures 22.9 meters in length and 10.75 meters in width, with the main hall’s beam height at 6.6 meters, covering an area of over 250 square meters. At the entrance, there is a stone plaque carved with the words “Tao Jingjie Shrine,” inscribed by Xue Yingqi, a Jiajing-era scholar-official and Vice Education Commissioner of Zhejiang. The doors of the side rooms are labeled “Chrysanthemum Garden” and “Willow Lane.” Inside the shrine, there is a shrine niche and statue of Tao Yuanming. The eaves of the main and front halls display two plaques inscribed by Liu Qianchen, a Qing Dynasty Hanlin academician from Jiujiang: “A Man of the Age of Emperor Xi” and “Gazing at the Ancients from Afar.” The hall also houses a memorial stele by Tao Xiang, the 41st-generation descendant of Tao Yuanming and a local scholar of the Ming Dynasty, titled “Prayer Text for Tao Jingjie Shrine,” as well as “Record of Tao Jingjie’s Shrine” by Liu Qianchen and a long couplet written by Li Jinhuan.

Inside the shrine, there is a shrine niche and statue of Tao Yuanming. The eaves of the main and front halls display two plaques inscribed by Liu Qianchen, a Qing Dynasty Hanlin academician from Jiujiang: “A Man of the Age of Emperor Xi” and “Gazing at the Ancients from Afar.” The hall also houses a memorial stele by Tao Xiang, the 41st-generation descendant of Tao Yuanming and a local scholar of the Ming Dynasty, titled “Prayer Text for Tao Jingjie Shrine,” as well as “Record of Tao Jingjie’s Shrine” by Liu Qianchen and a long couplet written by Li Jinhuan.

According to historical records, there were originally six Jingjie Shrines, located at Mianyang Mountain in Chaisang within the Dudu Mansion Lane in Jiujiang, southeast of the Nankang Prefecture School, east of Pengze urban area, south of Rui Prefecture city, and in the southern mountain of Duchang County. Except for the Mianyang Mountain Jingjie Shrine, which has been relatively well preserved, most were destroyed during times of war.

In 1984, Jiujiang County established the “Tao Yuanming Memorial Hall” in Caijiawa, on the eastern outskirts of Shahe. The Mianyang Mountain Tao Jingjie Shrine was relocated and reconstructed next to the memorial hall according to its original design. The new shrine’s main hall features a 3-meter-tall bronze statue of Tao Yuanming, with the poet wearing a scholar’s cap, a solemn and profound expression, and holding a scroll of the “Classic of Mountains and Seas.” The red pillars and beams of the shrine are adorned with many couplets and plaques inscribed by contemporary calligraphy masters. Outside the shrine, along the mountain stream, there are landscaped features such as the “Chrysanthemum Garden” and “Willow Lane,” evoking the noble character of Tao Yuanming.

Attraction Location

Northeast corner of Shahe Street

Tao Yuanming (352 or 365–427), also known as Tao Yuanliang or Tao Qian, was a great poet and fu writer from the late Eastern Jin Dynasty to the early Southern Song Dynasty. Tao Yuanming’s favorite flower was the chrysanthemum. He is the founder of the pastoral poetry school, having written the largest number of such poems with the highest achievements, and he was the first literary figure in history to write a significant number of drinking poems. Tao Yuanming retreated to rural life and immersed himself in nature, earning the title “Sage of Reclusion throughout History.” His representative works include “Returning to Live in the Country,” “The Peach Blossom Spring,” and “Biography of Mr. Five Willows.” In 427, Yuanming passed away in Xunyang, and his friends posthumously honored him with the title “Jingjie,” leading later generations to refer to him as “Tao Jingjie.” ... More details about Tao Yuanming ++

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Jiangxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units