The ancient lotus pond is located in Baoding city, with the main entrance facing south. The total area is 24,000 square meters, of which the pool water area is 7,900 square meters. The water in the pond is two ponds, north and south, and two winding canals connect the two ponds. Nantang is half-moon-shaped, surrounded by cliffs and green pines and cypresses. The North Hall is an irregular rectangle, surrounded by jade piles and weeping willows. The Shui Xin Pavilion is also among them. Since ancient times, the lotus pond has been surrounded by water, taking water as the victory and named after lotus. The landscape system in the park is small and exquisite, elegant and unique, ingenious in clumsiness and strange in simplicity, which brings together the essence of the garden style of ancient buildings in the north and south of China. Lianchi is really a pearl in ancient gardens in northern China, and its predecessors once described it as "Penglai in a few cities". The ancient lotus pond, formerly known as Xiang Xueyuan, was excavated by Zhang Rou, the king of Runan in Yuan Dynasty, and was built between 1227 and 1234. A.D. 1284 was destroyed by an earthquake, leaving only a pool of clear water and lush lotus flowers. After the Ming Dynasty, local chronicles did as the Romans do, and they were called "Lotus Pond". A large-scale reconstruction and expansion was carried out in the late Ming Dynasty. Cha Zhilong, the magistrate, regarded Lianchi as a "water guide" and ordered people to open a door with the word "water guide" hanging on it, so as to motivate people and themselves: learn from politics in clear water. Since then, Lianchi has become a place where dignitaries gather, and "Shuijianfu" has also become another name for Lianchi. Lianchi Academy was established in Qing Dynasty, when talents were abundant and famous at home and abroad. Lianchi was also turned into the emperor's palace, and the emperor traveled and stayed many times. After several constructions, the ancient lotus pond reached its peak. Jade Pavilion in Qionglou Garden, ancient cultural relics, pearls and precious flowers, exotic flowers and herbs, fairy birds and animals, boats and lotus flowers are all intertwined into paintings and poems. Mountains, water, buildings, terraces, pavilions, halls, pavilions, and uneven terrain constitute the famous twelve scenic spots of Lianchi, which has won the reputation of "City Penglai". 1900 10 The invading troops of Britain, France, Germany and Italy invaded Baoding and plundered the ancient lotus pond garden for three days. Precious cultural relics were looted, pavilions and pavilions were reduced to ashes, and walls and tiles were broken. After the disaster, although it was repaired, it was difficult to restore its original appearance. It was not until the founding of New China that Lianchi gradually recovered its charming and gorgeous scenery after many repairs. Walking in the lotus pond, you can meet good things everywhere. The largest rockery in the garden is surrounded by the East Canal connecting the north and south ponds. There are many strange rocks on the mountain. From a distance, some are like exquisite pagodas, some are like cranes holding their necks, some are like apes holding their ears, and some are running with horses. There is Guanlan Pavilion at the top of the mountain. From below, the uneven lotus leaves in Beitang are like blue waves. There is a hole in the mountain, which is made of finely stacked stones. In the light of lights and candles, you can see overlapping visions. Inside the cave and on the shore in the cave, there are stone carvings of impromptu poems by Emperor Qianlong. At the foot of the mountain, there is a white marble bridge, formerly known as "Lvye Ladder Bridge", which was built in the Yuan Dynasty and has the same effect as Zhao Zhouqiao. Along the bridge to the east, you can cross the Hanbixuan deep in the bamboo forest; To the west, you can go to the algae pavilion on the central island. Visiting Jinzhuo Pavilion, Gaofenxuan, Zaopo, Buge and Liuting, as well as Qinxiangxi, Qinxiangting and Qinxiangqiao, all have their own wonderful stories. "Lotus leaves holding peaches" is the unique shape of the pavilion top in the garden. Among the big green lotus leaves, there is a big red peach. This structure is novel and natural. Legend has it that when Eight-Nation Alliance went to Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi disguised as a village woman and fled overnight. An old craftsman designed the pavilion roof style of "lotus leaves holding peaches" in Lianchi, which was in harmony with the sound of "overnight escape" to expose the ugly behavior of Empress Dowager Cixi who lost power and humiliated the country. Empress Dowager Cixi returned to Beijing and passed Baoding. She was furious when she saw "Lotus leaves holding peaches" and immediately ordered the old craftsman to be killed. Gentleman Longevity Pavilion, adjacent to the west bank of Beitang, is built by water. It is elegant, clean and extraordinary, like a palace in the water. The plaque of "Gentleman's Longevity Hall" hangs high at the main entrance, symbolizing the virtue of a gentleman, such as a lotus flower stained with mud in a pool. The museum is a five-ridged temple-style building, with five rooms wide and two deep, surrounded by cloisters. The partition doors and windows are tapestry patterns step by step, and the Soviet-style painted beams and painted buildings are very beautiful. There are three rooms in front of the main building, which contain Luo Guo Ji Bao Xia, and a platform is built on the water outside Bao Xia. There is a small square pot and a small Penglai in the north and south of the museum, which adds to its antique, elegant and quiet atmosphere. The stone carvings in Lianchi Garden can be described as a great landscape. Only the stele gallery on the north side of Beitang is 33 meters long and embedded with three 82-square stone tablets. Here is a wonderful story about Yilin Hanmo. In the 18th year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty (A.D. 18 13), Nayancheng, the governor of Zhili, collected thousands of words written by Chu Suiliang, Yan Zhenqing's Thousand Blessed Monuments, Huai Su's autobiographical notes, Mi Fei's Poem of Hongxian County, Zhao Mengfu's Song of Shushan and Dong Qichang's Inscription of Yunyin Mountain House. Today, visitors can still appreciate the eternal beauty of these calligraphy treasures with elegant style and superb skills. Lianchi is not only famous for its "quiet nymphs and vast sea of clouds", but also for being in the same place as Lianchi Academy. In the 11th year of Yongzheng in Qing Dynasty (AD 1733), Lianchi Academy, the highest institution in Zhili, was built in the north of Lianchi. Most college deans are knowledgeable people, such as Zhang Xuecheng, Qi Yunshi, Zhang Yuzhao and Wu Rulun. And they set up schools in western languages (English) and eastern languages (Japanese) to recruit foreign students and hire foreign teachers. Make the college "extend in all directions", attract "talents from all directions who are responsible for the work, from toe to toe", and cultivate a group of practical talents. 1On October 22nd, President Mao Zedong came to Lianchi's hometown again. He said, "The reason why Lianchi is famous is that Lianchi Academy is famous, which was the highest in the country in the late Qing Dynasty."
Since its establishment, Lianchi Academy has been highly valued by the rulers. In particular, Emperor Qianlong visited the Academy three times and wrote poems to encourage teachers and students. Lianchi Academy was once famous all over the world. Lianchi Academy, with Confucian scholars as its teacher, became "the highest academy in China and the first institution of higher learning in southern Beijing". In its heyday, Hunan Lianchi Academy and Yuelu Academy complemented each other in the north and south. , Zhang Xuecheng, Huang Pengnian, He, Wang Zhengang, Wang Fagui, Hu, Meng Qingrong, Fu Zengxiang, Feng Guozhang and many other outstanding students have performed brilliantly the historical glory of Lianchi, making it a major political activity place and cultural and educational center in Zhili for two centuries.
At that time, Lianchi Academy had a large collection of books, reaching more than 30,000 volumes at the peak in Wanjuan Building, and many books were quite helpful to students studying here. In addition, Fa Tie Lianchi Academy has 38 square stone carvings, which are precious "stone books" of the Academy. Its calligraphy style is superb and its skills are superb, and it has been well preserved so far.
The college offers western language (English) and oriental language (Japanese) schools to recruit foreign students and hire foreign teachers. The mentoring relationship between Zhang Yuzhao and Japanese student Nobuo Miyashima is also a highlight of the college. In the secluded West Courtyard of Gulian Huachi, there is a "Miyashima Eight Teachers' Monument" by Mo Yu, and the inscription on the front is written by the famous Japanese calligrapher and the third generation descendant of Zhang Calligraphy. The banner of "Friendship and Learning from the Sea" is the inscription of Qi Gong, a famous calligrapher in China. 1887, 19-year-old Japanese student hachio Miyajima admired his studies. After many twists and turns, he finally gave in to Zhang Yuzhao. Miyajima became the first Japanese student enrolled by Lianchi College. The mentoring relationship lasted for 8 years until Zhang Yuzhao died in 1894. For eight years, Hachiko Miyashima followed him in studying Confucian classics, exegetics and calligraphy, and followed pen and ink day and night. In addition to ancient Confucianism, he also got a true biography of calligraphy from Zhang Yuzhao Monument School. After returning to Japan, he continued to study hard and became a master of Japanese calligraphy. Moreover, Hachiko Miyashima also set up a private school at home, teaching Chinese, spreading China's traditional culture and promoting Chinese studies. His book "Set of Nine Articles" was a classic of Japanese Chinese education before the war.