Yuan Haowen Memorial Hall

The Yuan Haowen Memorial Hall is located in downtown Guanxian County.

Yuan Haowen (courtesy name Yuzhi, art name Yishan) was a native of Xinzhou, Shanxi Province. He was the preeminent poet, litterateur and historian in northern China during the Jin and Yuan dynasties. His poetic achievements were comparable to those of Lu You of the Southern Song Dynasty who lived in the same era.

In 1234, Mongolian troops captured Bianjing, bringing the Jin Dynasty to an end. Yuan Haowen, then a junior official in the Ministry of Administrative Affairs of the Jin court, and his family of ten members (including the son of his close friend, Bai Pu, who later became one of the Four Great Masters of Yuan Opera) were captured and detained in Liaocheng. They were rescued by Zhao Tianxi, Magistrate of Guanshi County, who arranged a residence for them in Guanxian.

Zhao Tianxi was a native of Baoyili in Guanshi County (the exact location is now unidentifiable). Amid the wars among the Jin, Song and Mongolian forces, he and his elder sister, known among the locals as the "Queen" for her outstanding military command, raised troops to safeguard the territory and protect the people. Later they submitted to the Yuan Dynasty. Zhao was appointed Vice Marshal of the Left, Military Governor of Daming Circuit, Military Commander and Magistrate of Guanshi County. Though a military officer, he cherished talented people and spared no effort to help intellectuals.

Thanks to Zhao Tianxi’s protection, Yuan Haowen spent the most perilous four years of his life in Guanshi County. He composed more than a hundred poems here, most of which rank among his finest works.

The memorial hall displays Yuan Haowen’s portrait, his life story, records of his activities in Guanxian, and the whole course of his friendship with Zhao Tianxi. It also exhibits calligraphic works by famous artists featuring poems and essays that Yuan Haowen wrote during his stay in Guanshi