Li Shizhen Memorial Hall

　　Li Shizhen Memorial Hall is situated on the scenic shores of Yu Lake in the southeastern part of Qizhou, covering an area of 80 acres. It comprises four parts: the Li Shizhen Memorial Hall, Li Shizhen’s Tomb, the Medical History and Literature Museum of Li Shizhen, and the Herbal Garden. It is a national key cultural relics protection unit. The name of the memorial hall was inscribed by Comrade Deng Xiaoping himself. The architecture is a grand, well-arranged complex built in the style of the Ming Dynasty. The hall displays a large number of precious medical materials, herbal specimens, and inscriptions from figures such as Guo Moruo, Deng Yingchao, and Fang Yi. It also houses over ten versions of the "Compendium of Materia Medica" from China and abroad, as well as ancient and modern medical books, literature, and periodicals about Li Shizhen from both China and other countries. Since its opening to the public in April 1981, it has received an average of over 400,000 domestic and international visitors annually.

　　The national key cultural relics protection unit, Li Shizhen’s Tomb, is located by the beautiful Yu Lake in Qizhou Town. Since the Ming Dynasty, Yu Lake has been one of the “Eight Scenic Spots of Qiyang.” On the shores of Yu Lake stands a magnificent, classic-style Ming architectural complex spanning 6,000 square meters along a 500-meter-long strip. This is the Li Shizhen Memorial Hall. The entire memorial site covers an area of 50,000 square meters and consists of five major parts: the Herbal Stone Gallery, the Commemorative Exhibition, the Herbal Museum, the Hundred Herbs Garden, and the Tomb Garden. The grounds are lush with trees, surrounded by clear waters, featuring rolling slopes and blooming flowers, creating an idyllic paradise-like atmosphere.

　　Li Shizhen loved Yu Lake; he lived by the lake and was buried by the lake. Covering an area of nearly 80 acres, Li Shizhen’s Mausoleum is located on the shore of Yu Lake, facing Woxiaoba, his birthplace, across the lake. As early as the Yuan Dynasty, “Fishing Boats on Yu Lake” was one of the “Eight Scenic Spots of Qiyang.” In 1982, after the State Council designated Li Shizhen’s Tomb as a national key cultural relics protection unit, the mausoleum underwent careful renovation and embellishment, transforming it into a well-planned Ming-style architectural complex with pavilions scattered gracefully, herbal gardens complementing stone galleries, covering an area of approximately 80 acres.

　　Li Shizhen’s Mausoleum consists of five major parts: the Herbal Stone Gallery, the Commemorative Exhibition Hall, the Herbal Museum, the Hundred Herbs Garden, and the Tomb Garden. The name of the mausoleum, inscribed on the antique-style main gate, was personally written by Deng Xiaoping. Upon entering the mausoleum, the first courtyard is the Herbal Stone Gallery, where 96 black marble slabs are embedded into the walls. These slabs feature a portrait of Li Shizhen painted in 1983 by the renowned artist Jiang Zhaohe, the "Biography of Li Shizhen" written by the late Ming and early Qing literary figure Gu Jingxing, the preface to the "Compendium of Materia Medica" by the Ming Dynasty literary master Wang Shizhen, and 128 herbal illustrations excerpted from the "Compendium of Materia Medica."

　　Li Shizhen Memorial Hall was established in 1980. Since its opening to the public, it has received an average of 300,000 domestic and international visitors annually, playing an extremely important role in promoting the spirit of Li Shizhen and the nation’s outstanding traditional medical culture. It has had a profound impact both domestically and internationally. Deng Xiaoping personally inscribed the names for the “Li Shizhen Memorial Hall and Herbal Museum.” More than 10 Party and state leaders, including [names omitted], have visited Li Shizhen’s Mausoleum for inspection and inscribed calligraphy. Many renowned domestic and international experts and scholars, such as Guo Moruo, Joseph Needham, and Yuan Longping, have come to conduct research and leave inscriptions.

　　In February 1982, Li Shizhen’s Tomb was announced by the State Council as a national key cultural relics protection unit (second batch). In March 1995, it was named a Provincial Patriotic Education Base by the provincial government. In October 1996, it was jointly named a National Patriotic Education Base for Primary and Secondary Schools by the Ministry of Education and five other ministries. In June 1997, it was designated as a National Patriotic Education Demonstration Base by the Publicity Department of the Central Committee. In May 2002, it was recognized as an “AA-level Tourist Attraction (Site)” by the National Tourism Administration. In 2006, it was identified as a National Key Museum by the National Cultural Heritage Administration. In December of the same year, it was designated as a National Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Education and Promotion Base (first batch) by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In May 2009, it was recognized as a National Third-Class Museum by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

　　Li Shizhen (1518~1593)　　Li Shizhen (1518–1593), courtesy name Dongbi, was referred to by contemporaries as Li Dongbi. His pseudonym was Binhu, and in his later years, he called himself Binhu Shanren. He was a Han Chinese from Qizhou, Hubei (now Qizhou Town, Qichun County, Huanggang City, Hubei Province). Born in the 13th year of the Zhengde era during the reign of Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty (1518 AD) and died in the 22nd year of the Wanli era during the reign of Emperor Shenzong (1593 AD), he was a great ancient Chinese physician, pharmacologist, naturalist, and author. Li Shizhen extensively inherited Daoist medical knowledge, referencing over 800 medical and academic texts from various dynasties. Combining his own experience and research, he spent 27 years compiling the "Compendium of Materia Medica"... Details+