Zhou Ruchang Memorial Hall

Dates: 2018 to present

Location: Peony Garden

Zhou Ruchang (1918-2012), born in Tianjin, is a renowned scholar, poet, calligrapher, and classical literature researcher. After graduation from Yenching University in Beijing with bachelor's degree in Western languages and master's degree in Chinese literature, he taught at West China University and Sichuan University, worked as an editor at People's Literature Publishing House, and served as a tenured research fellow at the Chinese National Academy of Arts and honorary president of the Cao Xueqin Society.

Throughout his life, Zhou devoted himself to the study of Chinese culture, literary and artistic theory, and the annotation and translation of Chinese and foreign works. He won high reputation at home and abroad for his Dream of the Red Chamber research. His landmark work, New Evidence on Dream of the Red Chamber, is considered the definitive achievement of the evidential research school of redology or Hongxue*, laying a solid foundation for contemporary new redology and bearing landmark significance in the field.

In 2012, upon his passing in Beijing, Zhou's family honored his wish to donate more than 20,000 items from his personal collection — including manuscripts, letters, books, and other documents — to Prince Kung's Palace Museum. On the centenary of his birth in 2018, the museum established the Zhou Ruchang Memorial Hall in its garden to commemorate his extraordinary life and contributions.

The memorial hall presents Zhou's life, academic journey, and scholarly achievements in four fields — poetry, calligraphy, redology, and his research on Prince Kung's Palace — through a rich display of texts, photographs, documents, and artifacts. It offers visitors vivid insights into the enduring legacy of a master scholar whose work helped bridge the past and present of Chinese culture.

*Redology or Hongxue refers to the study of Dream of the Red Chamber (also translated as Dream of Red Mansions).