Wang Pizhen Memorial Hall opens in Lijiang

The opening ceremony for Wang Pizhen Memorial Hall was held at 71 Cuiwen Section, Xinhua Street, the Old Town of Lijiang, on the morning of Dec 27, 2012.

Dan Zeng, the former deputy secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and vice-president of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Chinese Writers Association, wrote the name of the hall at the ceremony.

Wang Pizhen was born on Nov 5, 1922 to an ethnic Naxi, literary family in the Old Town of Lijiang. He began his writing career in Lijiang after his retirement and completed 142 historical novels (totaling about 26.73 million Chinese characters) between the age of 62 to 81.

Wang Pizhen Memorial Hall was established where he lived and wrote his works from 1998 to 2003, before his death. He finished 26 historical novels there.

The hall is divided into different sections that record the days of Wang’s late life. Precious records and materials are displayed in the main hall, including his original manuscript, Complete Set of Wang Pizhen’s Works, a chronicle of his writing and remains.

The opening of Wang Pizhen Memorial Hall is also significant to the cultural quality of the Old Town of Lijiang.

Edited by Li Yang and Michael Thai

People at the opening ceremony for Wang Pizhen Memorial Hall.