Duan Yucai Memorial Hall

　　Duan Yucai Memorial Hall is located in the South City Scenic Area of Jintan District, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, covering an area of 15,000 square meters. It is a Qing-style ancient building with a brick-and-wood structure, laid out as a quadrangle courtyard and surrounded by water on all sides, featuring lush trees and fragrant flowers. The hall was opened on October 25, 1985, the 250th anniversary of Duan Yucai’s birth.

　　A plaque inscribed with “Duan Yucai Memorial Hall” by the famous calligrapher Shu Tong hangs above the memorial’s gatehouse. Inside the gate is a spacious courtyard with a green lawn covering the ground. Passing through the courtyard leads to the memorial hall, which features upturned eaves and painted beams, exuding an antique charm. Above the main hall’s door hangs a golden plaque inscribed with “Master of Philology” written by calligrapher Sha Menghai.

　　Stepping into the main hall, one sees two pairs of couplets hanging on red-painted pillars in the front and back rows: one was written by Zhao Puchu, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference: “Refined through the Nine Classics, he nurtured talent; from the origin of each word, he laid a foundation for all.” The other was penned by Zhou Zumo, advisor to the Philological Society and professor at Peking University: “His achievements in explaining characters and interpreting classics surpassed Xu and Zheng; his fame in analyzing phonetics and rhymes shook the Qian-Jia era.”

　　In the center of the hall stands a solemn half-length plaster statue of Master Duan. On both sides of the hall are hung calligraphy and paintings by notable figures. The wings and corridors on either side display Duan Yucai’s related works, biography, and chronology in the side rooms, while the corridor showcases the comic strip “Duan Yucai.”

　　Exiting the back door of the main hall leads to a single-arch bridge spanning a small stream. Crossing the bridge takes you to the city museum, with lush green landscaping catching the eye.

　　Duan Yucai (1735~1815)　　Duan Yucai (1735–1815) A Qing Dynasty scholar of Confucian classics, phonology, and philology. His courtesy name was Ruoying and his pseudonym Maotang. He was from Jintan, Jiangsu, and the maternal grandfather of Gong Zizhen. Duan Yucai read extensively and produced a vast body of work, approaching the study of the classics through philology. Within philology, he further explored characters and exegetics through phonology. His foundation was solid, and he grasped the essential principles. His work *Six Categories of Chinese Characters: Table of Phonology* was based on Gu Yanwu’s *Five Books on Phonology* and Jiang Yong’s (1681–1762) *Standards of Ancient Rhymes*, dividing ancient rhymes into 17 categories, marking an epoch-making contribution to the study of ancient phonology. *Annotations on Shuowen Jiezi* is grand in scope and profound in thought, representing a tremendous achievement. Duan Yucai not only provided comprehensive annotations throughout the book... More+