Bada Shanren Memorial

Bada Shanren Memorial
八大山人纪念馆

Address: Qingyunpu Taoist Temple, Nanchang, Jiangxi province
Opening hours: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Last entry at 4:30 pm)
General admission: Free
Tel: (+86-10) 85273565

The memorial is dedicated to the art of Bada Shanren, or Zhu Da (ca.1624-1705), a descendant of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) imperial lineage. Born in Nanchang, East China's Jiangxi province, Zhu Da was ordained as a Buddhist monk after the Ming Empire was overthrown. He was a master painter in China and was celebrated for his spontaneous ink paintings of living creatures and monumental landscapes. He has become more popularly known by the sobriquet Bada Shanren.

The Bada Shanren Memorial is one of the major public facilities that house the works of this monk artist (though he converted to Taosim in his late 30s). It was established in 1959 and its design was inspired by the architectural complex of the Qingyunpu Taoist Temple where Bada Shanren practiced Taoism. An exhibition building and a research center were more recently constructed.

Located on the bank of Meihu Lake, the Qingyunpu Taoist Temple was built and laid out following the Taoist doctrines and infused the Jiangxi folk dwelling style popular from the 14th to the early 20th centuries. It has been repurposed as a venue for visitors to learn about Zhu Da's life and artistic achievements.

With the expansion of the museum completed in 2009, the memorial now covers an area of 2.67 hectares and boasts two modern structures. The architectural complex is surrounded by water that is connected with Meihu Lake, constituting a modern waterscape in the city. An online virtual tour is available at the official website of the memorial. It takes you through the entire facility with English-language narration.

The exhibition hall, known as the Hall of Bada Shanren's Authentic Works, displays not only his artistic creations but also those by other painters and calligraphers from the past dynasties of China, including Shitao (a contemporary of Bada Shanren and also a painter monk), Xu Wei (1521-93), Zheng Xie (1693-1766), Wu Changshuo (1844-1927) and Qi Baishi (1864-1957).