Yangshan Han Yu Memorial Hall

Yangshan Han Yu Memorial Hall

The Yangshan County Museum (Han Yu Memorial Hall) is nestled at the foot of the picturesque and culturally rich Xianling Mountain, presenting itself as a garden-style memorial. Spanning approximately 10 acres with a built-up area of more than 2,200 square meters, it houses exhibition halls including “Traces of the Virtuous Magistrate,” “Results of the Cultural Relics Survey,” “Museum Collections,” “The History of Yangshan’s Revolutionary Struggles,” and “Intangible Cultural Heritage.” It has been designated by city and county authorities as a “Patriotic Education Base,” “National Defense Education Base,” “Chinese History Education Base,” and “Red Resources Education Base,” serving as an excellent window for exploring Yangshan’s history and culture and commemorating Han Yu’s contributions to the region. Other attractions include “Han Yuan,” “Han Gong Well,” and the “Han Yu Culture Comic Strip Gallery,” all set amid lush green lawns and an elegant environment, earning the site its reputation as a garden-style memorial.

Han Yu Memorial Hall

Han Yu Memorial Hall

Throughout his life, Han Yu was demoted several times, and his first exile was to serve as the magistrate of Yangshan. Though his tenure here was brief, its impact was profound. The New Book of Tang states that he “had love for the people” while in Yangshan: first, by introducing Central Plains culture to the region, advancing local education; and second, by bringing advanced agricultural techniques from the Central Plains, transforming the hunting-based lifestyle and boosting the local economy.

Han Yu Memorial Hall

Xianling Mountain was named after Han Yu for being a “virtuous magistrate.”

Han Yu Memorial Hall

Han Yu Memorial Hall

The “Traces of the Virtuous Magistrate” exhibition hall displays 23 poems written by Han Yu during his time in Yangshan, along with the “Portrait of Lord Han Wen” and samples of his calligraphy left in Yangshan. Each poem in the hall is engraved on stone tablets based on the work of modern calligraphers. Here, visitors can learn about the reasons behind Han Yu’s demotion to Yangshan, interpret the emotional shifts in his poetry during his exile, and appreciate various styles of calligraphy art. In the winter of the 19th year of the Tang Zhenyuan era (803 AD), Han Yu served as an Imperial Censor in the imperial court, responsible for evaluating the performance of officials and impeaching misconduct in government affairs. That year, a drought struck the Guanzhong region of the capital area, leaving no rain from January to July. Farmers faced failed harvests and had no food. According to court regulations, disaster-stricken areas should have been granted tax relief, but the Prefect of Jingzhao, Li Shi, reported falsely to Emperor Dezong: “Although there is drought this winter, the wheat seedlings look very healthy.” As a result, not only were taxes not reduced, but officials intensified collection efforts. Desperate, farmers were forced to dismantle their homes, cut down trees, or sell off wheat seedlings to pay taxes. Some even divorced their wives due to poverty, while those without food sold their children to survive. Upon learning of this, Han Yu went to investigate the affected areas himself and witnessed a scene of desolation. Determined, he submitted a petition to the emperor urging tax relief or postponement for disaster victims, pleading “to save these people from misery.” Initially sympathetic after reading Han Yu’s petition, Emperor Dezong said he would take action. However, unexpectedly, the emperor believed slander from treacherous ministers, changed his mind, and the next morning, Han Yu was demoted to be the magistrate of Yangshan.

Han Yu Memorial Hall

Han Yu Memorial Hall

Han Yu’s demotion could be considered a grave injustice, as he himself did not know what wrongdoing he had committed. Later, through his writings such as “Memorial to the Throne on the Drought and Famine in the Capital Region” and the long poem “Sent to Wang the Twenty-Second Supplemental Censor, Li the Eleventh Supplementary Remonstrator, Li the Twenty-Sixth Outer Secretariat, and Three Hanlin Academicians on the Way to Jiangling,” it was confirmed that Han Yu was demoted to Yangshan due to “speaking out against the drought and famine in the Guanzhong region and offending the powerful (Li Shi).” In the first month of the 21st year of Zhenyuan (805 AD), Emperor Shunzong ascended the throne, and in February, issued a general amnesty, restoring all exiled officials to their positions. Han Yu was among those pardoned. Due to the great distance, the amnesty decree reached Yangshan only in March or April, and it was not until the summer or autumn of the 21st year of Zhenyuan that Han Yu finally left Yangshan. He went to Chenzhou in the western circuit of Jiangnan to await further orders. His total time in Yangshan was one year and two months.

Han Yu Memorial Hall

Han Yu Memorial Hall

“Wild Geese Flying, Fish Leaping” is one of Han Yu’s surviving calligraphic works in Yangshan. The stone engraving in the exhibition hall was replicated by Xiao Bingkun, the magistrate of Yangshan County during the Qing Dynasty. The four pictographic characters “Wild Geese Flying, Fish Leaping” evoke a wealth of associations, symbolizing four auspicious animals: monkey, crane, turtle, and snake. As the saying goes, the style of the writing reflects the person. To some extent, the calligraphy reveals the author’s life experiences, serves as a faithful record of his spiritual realm, and also reflects his aesthetic values. The character “Fly” vividly conveys Han Yu’s feelings of “longing to soar but unable to, with unfulfilled ambition,” while the character “Leap” reflects his grand aspiration of “refusing to sink and striving for a comeback.”

Han Yu Memorial Hall

The “Results of the Cultural Relics Survey” exhibition hall showcases selected findings from the third national survey of immovable cultural relics conducted in our county. Starting in November 2007, our county comprehensively carried out the third national survey of immovable cultural relics. Surveyors braved hardships, enduring severe cold and scorching heat, covering the county’s entire area of 3,418 square kilometers and visiting all 13 towns, 159 administrative villages, and 3 neighborhood committees. They verified more than 300 reported cultural relic leads, ultimately registering 153 survey sites, including 123 newly discovered sites and 30 re-examined ones. According to the classification standards for immovable cultural relics, among the 153 sites, there are 7 ruins, 11 stone carvings, 87 ancient buildings, 7 ancient tombs, and 41 important modern historical sites and representative buildings. Currently, our county has 12 cultural relic protection units at various levels, including: 2 provincial-level units — the Xianling Mountain Cliff Carvings and the Xuefa Ancestral Hall; and 10 county-level units — Beishan Ancient Temple, Wen Tower, Xuefa Ancestral Hall, Han Wen Public Fishing Platform, Yangshan Martyrs’ Cemetery, Gaogong Bridge, Ancient Residences of Shijiaotang Village, Qigong Bridge, Lishi Village Li Clan Ancestral Hall, Baima An Cliff Carvings, and Dibu Stone Fortress.

In February 2011, the Dibu Stone Fortress and Baima An Cliff Carvings were recognized among the Top Ten New Discoveries of the Third National Cultural Relics Survey in Qingyuan City and the Top Hundred New Discoveries of the Third National Cultural Relics Survey in Guangdong Province.

The Historical Relics Exhibition Hall displays historical artifacts from our county spanning over 2,500 years of recorded history. The exhibits are diverse, including stone adzes, stone axes, and stone battle-axes from the Neolithic Age, which mark the beginning of research into ancient human activities in Yangshan and confirm human presence since that era. There are also pottery pieces from the Shang Dynasty, bronze ware from the Spring and Autumn Period such as the “Taotie Frog-Shaped Bronze Gui,” and inscribed bricks from the Eastern Han Dynasty’s sixth year of Yonghe. Notably, the “Double-Dragon Knob Inscribed Bronze Bell” unearthed at the County Supervision Bureau is the museum’s prized treasure. The bell remains intact, and even more remarkably, it bears inscriptions, holding significant research value. The museum also houses ancient coins from the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Republic of China, as well as a selection of revolutionary artifacts, offering insight into the arduous journey of Yangshan’s people as they thrived and developed on this land, the material wealth they created, and the indelible historical and cultural heritage they left behind—all providing solid evidence for understanding and studying Yangshan’s history.

The “History of Yangshan Revolutionary Struggles” exhibition hall narrates how, starting in the 1920s, the people of Yangshan, inspired by the call of the Chinese Communist Party, joined the revolutionary cause in great numbers. These patriots and passionate youths, determined to achieve national independence and liberate the working masses, fearlessly devoted themselves to the revolution, sacrificing their lives to lead an unprecedented anti-Japanese movement and a grueling armed struggle. Their efforts made outstanding contributions to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the liberation of the people, leaving an indelible legacy in Yangshan’s revolutionary and liberation struggles.

The “Intangible Cultural Heritage” exhibition hall displays images and physical items related to provincial-level intangible cultural heritage such as the Phoenix Dance, and municipal-level intangible cultural heritage including Yangshan Xianling, Yangshan Wheat Porridge, and the Spring Ox Dance. Additionally, a collection of modern agricultural and industrial tools is also featured.

Leveraging its elegant surroundings and rich cultural content, the museum (memorial hall) has become an excellent platform for social education. It serves as a patriotic education base, national defense education base, Chinese history education base, and red resources education base at both city and county levels, standing as a key educational and promotional hub for our county.

Han Yu (768–824) was a literary figure and philosopher of the Tang Dynasty. His courtesy name was Tuizhi. A native of Heyang in Henan (present-day Meng County), he was of the Changli clan and thus known as Han Changli. As he once served as Vice Minister of Personnel, he was also called Han Ludai. Posthumously honored with the title "Wen," he is also referred to as Han Wengong.

Biography

Orphaned at the age of three, he was raised by his elder brother and sister-in-law. In his early years, he endured a life of hardship and wandering, yet harbored ambitions of using scholarship to serve society. At the age of 20, he traveled to Chang’an to take the imperial examinations but failed three times. Between the ages of 25 and 35, he first passed the imperial examination, attempted the Broad Learning and Eloquent Eloquence test three times without success, and then served in the military offices of the military governors Dong Jin of Bianzhou and Zhang Jianfeng of Xuzhou. Later, he returned to the capital to serve as a Doctor of the Four Gates. … More detailed information on Han Yu ++