A donation ceremony is held on Nov 11 at the Jin Cangjiang Memorial Hall in Nantong. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

A ceremony was held on Nov 11 for the donation of belongings left behind by Jin Cangjiang (1850-1927) to the Jin Cangjiang Memorial Hall in Chongchuan district, Nantong.

Jin was one of four literary giants in South Korea and was forced to leave his home country for China in 1905.

A statue of Jin Cangjiang is erected at the Jin Cangjiang Memorial Hall in Nantong. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

Kim Seung-ho, Republic of Korea consul general in Shanghai, thanked the Nantong municipal government for its construction of the Jin Cangjiang Memorial Hall.

He said that Jin Cangjiang received a warm welcome during his stay in Nantong and his many poems inspired the patriotism of South Korean people in China.

Kim expressed hope that the peoples of China and South Korea will pass this true friendship on to future generations.

An introduction to Jin Cangjiang at the Jin Cangjiang Memorial Hall in Nantong. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn]

Following the introduction of the donation, Jin Guisheng, great-grandson of Jin Cangjiang, said that the memorial hall has become a bridge of friendship between the Chinese and South Korean people and expressed hope that the friendship between the two countries' people will be passed down through generations.

The Jin Cangjiang Memorial Hall, which was renovated from the former residence of Jin Cangjiang, opened to the public in early 2021.

The memorial hall reproduces scenes from Jin's life in Nantong and teaches people about his 22-year stay in the city and his friendship with Zhang Jian (1853-1926), a renowned industrial magnate, educator, and scholar in Nantong, through an exhibition.