Anlu Li Bai Memorial Hall

Anlu Li Bai Memorial Hall

The Anlu Li Bai Memorial Hall is located on Mount Baidu in Anlu City, Hubei Province, a national 4A-level scenic area. It is a three-tiered, hip-and-gable roof-style building designed in the Tang Dynasty architectural style. The structure stands 32.5 meters tall and covers a construction area of 6,370 square meters.

It faces the Yuanshui River to the east, borders Jingshan Mountain to the west, connects to Xiangyang to the north, and overlooks Jingzhou to the south, presenting a grand and majestic appearance. The scale of the individual structure ranks among the top of similar commemorative buildings in China. The seven large characters of the hall's name, “Anlu Li Bai Memorial Hall,” were inscribed by the renowned calligrapher Qi Gong. The Anlu Li Bai Memorial Hall has been developed into a comprehensive Li Bai-themed museum that integrates cultural relic collection, academic research, exhibition and education, cultural exchange, and tourism services.

In the 15th year of the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (727 AD), the 27-year-old poet Li Bai “took up his sword, left his homeland, and journeyed afar” to arrive in Anlu. Historically, this period is referred to as his “ten years of wine-soaked seclusion in Anlu.” During his time here, he married the granddaughter of the former prime minister Xu Yushi and had a son and a daughter. Over the decade, with Anlu as his base, he traveled west to Chang’an, east to the regions of Wu and Yue, south along Dongting Lake, and north to Taiyuan, composing over a hundred widely celebrated works. As a result, Anlu became the poet’s second hometown. To commemorate Li Bai, the people of Anlu have built the Taibai Tower west of the city since the late Tang Dynasty. Major renovations were carried out during the Wanli and Tianqi eras of the Ming Dynasty. By the Qing Dynasty, the Taibai Tower was relocated to the western city gate tower, designed in a hip-and-gable three-story style. However, these historic sites were eventually lost to the ravages of war and the passage of time, leaving behind deep regret for future generations.

To inherit the nation’s outstanding cultural heritage, in December 1984, the 10th People’s Congress of Anlu County passed a resolution to establish the Li Bai Memorial Hall and restore Li Bai-related historical sites. The memorial hall site was chosen at Dawo Mountain in the western suburbs of the city. It faces the Yuanshui River to the east, borders Mount Baidu to the west, looks toward Shoushan Mountain to the north, and is backed by Yunmeng Marsh to the south—nestled between hills and waters in an elegant setting. Designed by the Wuhan Architectural Design Institute and constructed by the Fourth Construction Company of Anlu, the architectural complex includes a gate tower, stele corridor, Taibai Hall, exhibition halls, pavilions, waterside kiosks, and more, covering an area of over 100 acres (66,960 square meters). The main structure, Taibai Hall, is a Tang-style, double-eaved, hip-and-gable roof building that is simple, elegant, harmonious, and dignified, reflecting Li Bai’s free-spirited and romantic style. The main hall of the memorial displays four stone steles from the Ming and Qing dynasties related to relics of Li Bai, among which the stone engraving of Li Bai’s poem “To Liu Wan,” written by the Ming Dynasty scholar He Yudu from Anlu, is particularly precious. The collection also houses over 20 versions of the Complete Works of Li Taibai from the Ming and Qing periods, along with more than 200 specialized studies on Li Bai. Among them, editions by Guo Yunpeng, Liu Shijiao, and Xu Zichang from the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era are rare even internationally.

The Li Bai Memorial Hall is themed “The Eternal Poet Immortal, Li Bai Forever.” The exhibition is divided into three major sections: the first floor features the overall introduction and “Li Bai in a Prosperous Age,” the second floor focuses on “Li Bai in Anlu,” and the third floor showcases “The Charming Li Bai.” The layout follows a clockwise flow, balancing density and openness. The exhibition makes extensive use of various forms, including images, cultural relics, paintings, scenes, sculptures, and multimedia interactions. In terms of style, it preserves the classic, grand architectural design, while the display methods incorporate high-tech effects such as sound, light, and electricity, providing a highly condensed overview of the life of the Poet Immortal. The exhibition space integrates the Four Treasures of the Study as thematic elements throughout, combined with a richly Tang-style Chinese aesthetic, presenting the image of the Poet Immortal as bold, unrestrained, and noble. This creates an engaging, dynamic, rhythmic, well-guided, and diverse exhibition environment. The entire layout is thoughtfully adapted to the site, achieving a harmonious unity among people, architecture, displays, and the surrounding environment.