Danzhou Dongpo Cultural Tourism Area

Danzhou Dongpo Cultural Tourism Area, located in the eastern suburbs of Zhonghe Town, Danzhou City, is the place where the great Northern Song Dynasty literary giant Su Dongpo lectured and met with friends during his three-year residence in Danzhou. The original site of Zaijiu Hall was the residence of a local, Li Ziyun. One day, Dongpo visited Li Ziyun with Zhang Zhong, the envoy of Changhua Army (i.e., Danzhou), and gathered with local people. It was proposed by the crowd that, to facilitate Dongpo’s lectures and friendships, and to enlighten the local area, a lecture hall should be built at Li Ziyun’s place. Dongpo gladly approved and named it ‘Zaijiu Hall’, taking the meaning from ‘Han Shu · Yang Xiong Zhuan Zan’ which translates to ‘carrying wine and dishes, following the pursuit of learning’. According to the ‘Record of Zaijiu Hall’ by Xu Zhi, the chief clerk of Danzhou during the Yuan Dynasty, Zaijiu Hall was first built in the fifth year of Shaosheng in the Northern Song Dynasty (1098), which was more than half a year after Dongpo arrived in Danzhou in July of the fourth year of Shaosheng.

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From July of the fourth year of Shaosheng (1097) when Su Dongpo was demoted from Huizhou to Danzhou, until June of the third year of Yuanfu (1100), Su Dongpo began to return north after being pardoned. During his three years in Danzhou, the literary master personally farmed, advised agriculture with dedication, transformed customs, promoted culture, wrote books, and established doctrines, earning the respect of the world. At that time, under the inspiration of Dongpo’s spirit, the atmosphere of reading and learning in Danzhou and the entire Hainan gradually developed. Jiang Tangzuo, a scholar from Qiongzhou who had been educated by him, became the first juren of Hainan the year after he returned north. In the ninth year after his return north, Fu Que from Changhua Army (Danzhou) passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, ending Hainan’s history of having no Jinshi and becoming the first Jinshi of Hainan. Therefore, in the history of Hainan, Su Dongpo has always been regarded as an important contributor to the enlightenment of Hainan’s cultural development, and his enlightening contribution to Danzhou’s culture is particularly celebrated by generations. ‘The scholars of Qiong began in Dan, and the scholars of Qiong are also most prosperous in Dan’, which is the immortal contribution of Su Dongpo to the development of Danzhou culture. Today, Dongpo Academy has become a cultural holy land for people from all walks of life and the people of Danzhou to look up to through the ages. Dongpo Academy was also designated as a key cultural relics protection unit in 1996, and it is one of the important cultural tourism attractions in Hainan.

Since its construction in the Northern Song Dynasty, Dongpo Academy has experienced the Southern Song Dynasty to the early Yuan Dynasty, with the hall being abandoned for a long time and no records of renovation. In the spring of the fifth year of Tai Ding in the Yuan Dynasty (1328), Peng Ying Lei, the viceroy of Danzhou, rebuilt it on the original site. Since then, through the Ming and Qing dynasties to the early Republic of China, there have been multiple renovations, additions, and reconstructions. In the twenty-seventh year of Jiajing (1548), it was renamed ‘Dongpo Academy’. Since the liberation of Hainan in 1950, Dongpo Academy in Danzhou has been cared for by the party and government leaders of various sessions, and has been effectively protected through management and maintenance. In 1982, it underwent a large-scale renovation and reconstruction, and its appearance was completely renewed. Especially under the drive of the Hainan International Tourism Island construction plan, as a cultural protection unit, the construction of Dongpo Academy has become one of the key tourism projects in Danzhou City and has seen greater development in recent years.

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From 2012 to 2014, the Danzhou Municipal People’s Government carried out extensive repairs on the academy, including the main hall, Zaijiu Hall, two side corridors, side rooms, Zaijiu Pavilion, main gate, lotus pond, railings, Qinshuai Hall, and more. In 2014, a service reception center was added (which has since been changed to the Dongpo Fragrance Culture Museum), and related tourism service facilities were improved according to star standards.

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The Dongpo Academy, after generations of repairs and expansions, has formed a construction scale of 25,040 square meters. Inside the academy, there are structures such as the main gate, Zaijiu Pavilion, Zaijiu Hall, main hall, side rooms, eastern and western side corridors, exhibition hall, Qinshuai Hall, Huaixian Pavilion, reception service center, Wangjing Pavilion, and Dongpo Private School, all in an antique style.

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The academy also features attractions such as the bronze statues of Dongpo wearing a hat and straw sandals, the Spring Ox sculpture, Dog Flower, Qinshuai Spring Well, and artificial hills. The lush vegetation, blooming flowers, exquisite calligraphy and paintings, and antique charm all exude a rich ‘Dongpo Legacy’.

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The Dongpo Academy has a rich collection, including more than 400 pieces of famous calligraphy and paintings, 13 couplets from various dynasties, 10 famous plaques, 13 steles from different periods, one Ming Dynasty pottery jar, and one Yuan Dynasty stone carving. In addition, there are classical and modern books and materials.

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The Dongpo Academy has a permanent exhibition: The Life and Deeds of Dongpo (Exhibition Hall); Dongpo Historical Materials Exhibition (Main Hall); Exhibition of Steles and Woodcuts from Various Dynasties (Zaijiu Hall). Temporary exhibitions include: Photos of Domestic and International Leaders and Experts’ Care (East Corridor) and Dongpo’s Calligraphy Exhibition.

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The Dongpo Academy, with its numerous exhibits, comfortable environment, rich cultural atmosphere, and abundant and elegant song and dance performances, is an ideal place for sightseeing and tourism.

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The historical evolution of the Dongpo Academy: The Dongpo Academy was a place where the great Northern Song Dynasty writer Su Dongpo lectured and met friends when he was exiled to Danzhou. It is located in the eastern suburbs of Zhonghe Town, Danzhou City, Hainan Province, 18 kilometers away from Yangpu Port.

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The Dongpo Academy has experienced many vicissitudes and, after repeated repairs, expansions, and protections by successive dynasties, it has formed the current scale. The historical evolution is summarized as follows: The Dongpo Academy, originally named Zaijiu Hall, was first built in the first year of the Northern Song Dynasty Yuanfu (1098 AD). Initially, it was a thatched cottage.

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In the third year of the Yuan Dynasty’s Tai Ding period (1326 AD), a Dongpo Temple was built behind Zaijiu Hall, and the statue of Dongpo was moved from Guanglang Temple into the temple for worship. In the fourth year of Tai Ding (1327 AD), the military judge Peng Ying Lei explored the old site, expanded the foundation, and rebuilt the wine hall, which was still a thatched cottage.

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During the Ming Dynasty, it was repaired many times. In the seventh year of Yongdong (1409 AD), the thatched cottage was replaced with a tile-roofed house, and during the Zhengde years (1506-1521 AD), a gatekeeper was appointed to serve the temple. In the twenty-third year of the Wanli period (1595 AD), the Zaijiu Pavilion, Qinshuai Hall, Qinshuai Spring, and the stele of Qinshuai Spring were added.

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During the Qing Dynasty, there were also many repairs.
In 1893 (the nineteenth year of Guangxu), the front gate, veranda, and side rooms were added. In 1934 (the twenty-third year of the Republic of China), it was renovated again, and Dongpo Park and Dongpo Highway (which was a dirt road at that time) were newly built. Since scholars began to give lectures in Zaojiu Hall during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (1522 – 1566 AD) to carry forward Dongpo’s legacy, it is called ‘Dongpo Academy’. After the liberation of the whole country, the people’s government has allocated funds for renovation many times. Although it was ‘almost completely destroyed’ during the ‘Cultural Revolution’, from 1983 to 1996, the government successively allocated large sums of money to renovate Zaojiu Pavilion, Pan Pool, main hall, Zaojiu Hall, front gate, east and west corridors, side rooms, Qinshuai Spring, and the academy wall. The east and west garden constructions were improved. A bronze statue of Dongpo wearing a bamboo hat and clogs was erected, and exhibition halls, welcome halls, Wangjing Pavilion, and Qinshuai Hall were built. In 1984, a full-time cultural relic protection institution – Dongpo Academy Management Office was established to be responsible for the protection, management, and scientific research of Dongpo’s cultural historical sites. On November 20, 1996, Dongpo Academy was announced as the fourth batch of key national cultural relic protection units. Scale of Dongpo Academy: The area within the current wall of Dongpo Academy is 25,040 square meters, and the Dongpo Square in front of the outer front gate is 10.6 mu. Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:30 to 17:30. Preferential policies: Children: Free for those under 1.2 meters (inclusive). Elderly: Free for those aged 70 years old (inclusive) or above with ID cards; discounted for those aged 60 (inclusive) to 70 (exclusive). Active servicemen: Free with military officer, soldier or disabled military personnel certificates. Disabled people: Free with disability certificates. College, high school and primary school students: Discounted with student ID cards or certificates organized by schools. Supplementary note: The above information is for reference only. Discount tickets must be purchased on site. Specific details are subject to the announcements of the scenic area.

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