Yiyang Dacheng Hall

Yiyang Dacheng Hall

Yiyang Dacheng Hall is a cultural heritage site protected at the prefectural level of Ziyang City.

A short walk eastward along the riverside from under Zijiang First Bridge will bring you to Dacheng Hall, a municipal-level protected site. It is now called Wenchang Pavilion, but is actually the foyer of a theater. The main hall has been remodeled into a 0-shaped structure, though the carvings on the beams are still quite exquisite. The door is closed, but you can enter the courtyard through the main gate of the adjacent Wenchang Pavilion Theater, and then go inside the theater where you’ll find a group of people rehearsing — they’re preparing for the play “Yi Qian Tai Shou.”

Dacheng Hall was first built during the Song Dynasty and was initially called the Xuegong (Academy). Later, it was renamed Shengmiao (Sacred Temple). At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Shengmiao was destroyed in war. In the 13th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1380), the Shengmiao was restored. Starting from the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, Dacheng Hall underwent multiple renovations. In the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign (1907), it was decreed to elevate the site to a grand sacrificial status, and the shrine was converted into a pavilion — hence the name Wenchang Pavilion. In the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924), the renowned revolutionary martyr Xiong Henghan, influenced by the democratic ideals of the May Fourth Movement, founded the progressive publication “Zijiang” at Wenchang Pavilion to promote new culture and ideas. In the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929), the authorities of the time repurposed Wenchang Pavilion as an educational office, later adding a public library. During the Anti-Japanese War, the middle and rear halls were converted into a memorial shrine for loyal martyrs. In the 33rd year of the Republic of China (1944), the public library was moved back in, and Yiyi Affiliated Primary School was subsequently established. In 1963, Yiyang County demolished the memorial shrine and built the County Huaguxi (Flower Drum Opera) Theater. From then on, only the outer shell of Wenchang Pavilion remained as the theater’s foyer, with the rest completely gone. It was designated a county-level protected site in 1993 and a municipal-level protected site in 1997.