1. Introduction to the Yexian County Government
The Yexian County Government was first built in the second year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1369 AD). It is the only existing ancient government office in China. County government buildings in the Ming Dynasty. Located on East Street, Ye County, Henan Province. The Ming Dynasty county government in Ye County was not only large in scale and majestic, it was also a fifth-grade county government. The county government office faces south and covers an area of ??16,848 square meters. The entire building consists of 41 units and 153 houses on the central axis and auxiliary lines on the east and west sides. The main buildings include the lobby, second hall, third hall, prison room, kitchen courtyard, magistrate's house, Daxian Temple, Xushou Hall, Sibu Zhai and other buildings. In 2006, it was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. 2. History of Yexian County Government
According to historical data, although Yexian County has had Hanguang, Jiancheng, Xiangzhou, Nan'an, Xianzhou, Yexian, Kunyang, Xianfu, There are more than 20 prefecture, state, and county-level institutions in Wuyang, Rufen, Heshan, and Hongyang, but they are always dominated by Kunyang (now the county seat of Ye County) and Ye County (now the old county village). When Ye County and Kunyang were merged into Ye County in the Tang Dynasty, the county seat was in the current old county village. According to the stone culvert unearthed in Jiuxian Village of Ye County in 1998 from the second year of Song Zhidao (AD 996), Jiuxian Village was the seat of Ye County at that time.
The "Ye County Chronicle·Building·City" written by Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty records that today's Ye County was "founded in the seventh year of Fuchang in the Northern Qi Dynasty", which always makes subsequent continuators fall into mystery. Looking up the year number on the Northern Qi Dynasty, this record cannot be found. In fact, the Fuchang reign was the title of Jin Taizong Wanyan Sheng's conquest of the Central Plains. At that time, in order to stabilize people's hearts, Jin Taizong named Han Liu Yu as the puppet emperor in the eighth year of Tianhui (1130 AD). Liu Yu's founding name was Qi, and his reign was Fuchang. At that time, there was a continuous war in the south. To facilitate management, the Jin people moved the county seat of Ye County, which was on the edge of the southern battlefield, from the old county village to the current county seat. Because Liu Yu was the son of the puppet regime and the Jin people, future generations were ashamed of him and refused to record events with his reign name. According to various data analysis, the county seat of Ye County during the Puppet Qi Dynasty was located near the county government office, and the central axis was on the east side of the county government office.
According to "Henan Tongzhi", the preserved Yexian County Government was first built in the second year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1369 AD). Under the gate of the county government office, there was an inscription that King Zuo, the magistrate of Ye County at that time, repaired the second hall of the county government office during the Tianqi period of the Ming Dynasty (1621-1628 Yuan). However, this stone tablet was destroyed during the "Cultural Revolution". In the "Ye County Chronicle·Office" written by Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, there are detailed descriptions of the location and main building facilities of the Yexian County government: The seat of Ye County is in the east of the city. The main hall, curtain hall, and pavilion storehouse are in the west of the hall, the storehouse is in front of the curtain hall, and the official rooms are on the left and right in front of the hall. The Jieshi Pavilion is inside the Yimen, the Drum Tower is outside the Yimen, the Yamen Temple is inside the Drum Tower, and the Dongluan Storehouse is in the west of the Drum Tower. The magistrate's house is in the north of the hall, the county magistrate's house is in the east of the hall, the chief bookkeeper's house is in the east of the magistrate's house, and the dianshi's house is in the east of Yimen. The second area of ??the official residence: one is in the south of Dianshi's residence, and the other is in the south of the prison. The prison room is in the southwest of the hall, and the stable room is in the northwest of the hall. Shenming Pavilion is to the east of the gate, and Jingshan Pavilion is to the west of the gate. Although this architectural pattern has been adjusted frequently, the overall layout has basically not changed much. Over the past hundreds of years, Ye County's government offices have experienced wars and disasters many times, and successive officials had to frequently add or rebuild some facilities.
In September 1997, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the relevant departments hosted a demonstration meeting on the restoration work of Yexian County Government in Zhengzhou. More than 20 experts on ancient architecture who attended the meeting agreed that there were more than 20,000 government offices at all levels in ancient my country, but only 7 remain in the world, of which only 3 are county offices. It ranks at the forefront of similar buildings in the country in terms of construction integrity and other aspects. It is an important physical basis for studying feudal society, especially county-level political institutions during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. On December 8, 1997, the first phase of the emergency repair project of Ye County County Government officially started. In October 1999, the main project was restored and partially opened to the outside world. 3. The cultural connotation of Yexian County Government
Corresponding to "Gongsheng Ming", the plaque on the rolling shed in the lobby clearly reads "The Righteousness of Heaven and Earth" written by Yu Youren, a talented scholar in the late Qing Dynasty.
The plaque in the lobby reads "The mirror hangs high". Ge Hong, a native of Jin Dynasty, recorded in "Xijing Miscellaneous Notes": There is a square mirror in Xianyang Palace. When people have diseases, they can use it to shine and know where the disease is.
People have evil intentions, and they can be discerned with a single glance. Qin Shihuang often used this mirror to look at the people in the palace and kill those who had different intentions.
Hanging this plaque in the lobby of the government office shows that the officials have good intentions. On the one hand, it advertises that officials enforce the law strictly, judges cases fairly, and has clear insight; on the other hand, it warns officials that they must do the same in handling cases. See everything clearly. Above the screen door of the second hall is a large plaque with gold characters "Qing Shen Qin".
"Qing Shen Qin" comes from Lu Benzhong of the Song Dynasty. This is a royal letter written by Zhu Yuanzhang, Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty, and the order was hung in all prefectures, states, and counties across the country. The purpose is for the plaques and couplets to set off each other and to always warn government office staff to be honest and diligent in serving the public.
In addition, there is also a theory that "Qing Shenqin" comes from the imperial letter of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. With the bright mirror hanging high and the purity and diligence, there will naturally be three plaques inscribed "Clear as Mirror Water".
But this plaque can reflect the appearance of officials, but it is difficult for them to harmonize their words and deeds. Some officials appear to be honest and upright under such plaques, and they also show that they love the people as their own children and do not bend the law for personal gain, but they are doing shady deals behind the scenes.
Yamen couplets are used to express aspirations. Couplets are a kind of culture, but when placed in the county government, they become a very special culture, a political culture.
Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, attached great importance to and advocated the promotion of Chinese culture, and the art of couplets was one of them. He also personally created a trend of couplets, which played a great role in the development of couplets in the Ming Dynasty and even later. It is called the "Couplet Emperor". As an integral part of society, yamen naturally followed the trend.
However, its own characteristics give Yamen couplets its own characteristics. No matter what they do, no matter how corrupt and perverted the law is, on the surface, ancient officials attach great importance to their reputation among the people, and they also like to be known as "honest and honest".
How to obtain such a reputation? Expressing yourself through the unique culture of couplets is an important way. "Yanzi Chunqiu·Miscellaneous" points out that integrity is the fundamental issue of being an official and governing. "Integrity is what an official relies on." Due to the emphasis of the past dynasties, integrity and integrity gradually evolved into an ideological form of culture and became a moral category. widely accepted by people.
In order to achieve the goal of stabilizing and rejuvenating the country, rulers attach great importance to the function of moral culture to educate people. As officials, the parents of the people, they naturally have the role of setting an example. As the saying goes, "If ministers are not honest and cannot govern the people, the customs will be corrupted; if minor ministers are not honest and cannot govern the people, the customs will be bad."
In this historical background, yamen culture is among them. In the form of "official admonitions and covenants", they are hung up and posted as warnings or self-encouragement, becoming an important part of the huge social and cultural system. . The couplet on the gate of Yexian County Government Office is "Heaven listens to the people, heaven sees the people, people drown themselves, others drown others and they are hungry", which was written by Ouyang Lin.
At that time, Ouyang Lin made this couplet to remind himself that since he became the official of the people, he should care about the sufferings of the people, be upright, dare to be responsible, and serve as an official for a long time to benefit the country. It should be said that Ouyang Lin was a man who kept his words and deeds consistent. According to relevant records of Yexian County, Ouyang Lin served for six years, running free schools, building county offices, establishing eight scenic spots, and compiling county annals, and did many good things for Yexian County.
The couplet in the middle of the scroll shed is: There is no honor in gaining an official position, and there is no disgrace in losing an official position. Do not say that an official position is useless, the place depends on an official. Eat the food of the people, wear the clothes of the people, there is no way. The common people can be bullied, but you are also a common people. The couplet between the two ends of the roll shed reads: The mountains are strong, gold and silver are treasured only by not being greedy; the rivers surrounded by iron and stone actually unite to form a city.
If officials are not greedy, the people will be blessed. There is an allusion here, which comes from "Zuo Zhuan": "The barbarians of the Song Dynasty farmed and got jade, and it was rare for them to offer it to Sicheng, but they rarely accepted it.
He said: 'You regard jade as a treasure, and I If I accept the treasure, you will also lose the treasure, and I will also lose the treasure. '" As a standard for high-level official titles, the roll shed is a symbol of identity and status, and it is also a symbol of official status. The capital of pride, hanging such couplets in the Yexian County Government, has a special meaning. It actually reminds that no matter how high the official position is, he must be strict with himself and love the people.
Only in this way can the relationship between "officials" and the people be brought closer. The couplet in the lobby reads, "I'm confused as to what I'm trying to do, but I dare to deceive someone who knows what I'm doing." The couplet is facing the kneeling stone.
This setting has obvious intentions: on the one hand, it declares that officials strictly enforce the law and uphold justice. If this is not the case, they are willing to accept all punishments; on the other hand, it warns those involved in the case to abide by the law and tell the truth, otherwise God will punish them. Intolerable. The liver and brain are wiped to the ground, and the words come from Liu Xiang's "Shuoyuan·Revenge" of the Han Dynasty: "I will never dare to hide my intention without showing repayment. I wish my liver and brain are wiped to the ground, and I will drench the enemy with blood from my neck for a long time."
The most meaningful is the couplet in the middle of the three halls, which reads: Ancient and modern, ancient and modern, ancient and modern, ancient and modern, ancient and modern. This philosophical and warning couplet was originally lost, but was remembered by an old gentleman in Ye County. .
In the 12th year of the Republic of China, when the old man was only 12 years old, he came to see the county magistrate with his grandfather who was a scholar at the time. He saw this couplet at that time, and his grandfather forced him to memorize it.
Who wrote this couplet? It is difficult to verify now. Looking at the brief list of officials in Ye County, we can see that in the twelfth year of the Republic of China when the old man came to the county government, there were two county officials in Ye County, one was Deng Liangcai and the other was Qin Qizhong, but even these two Are people their own handiwork? Is it the work of my predecessor? Can't tell clearly. In addition, in Xushou Hall, the couplets are: Xu Xin Bamboo has lowered leaves, and Proud Plum has no upward flowers.
There is a couplet in Si Bu Zhai: Confucius and even the sage masters clean themselves three times and reflect on themselves every day. We, the unknown disciples, always reflect too much. Xuhoutang and Sibuzhai are the places where magistrates reflect on their honors when they are praised by superiors. They are also close to the places where local celebrities and squires are received. Such couplets have special meaning. 4. Chaona, Yexian County Government Office, Pingdingshan, Henan
Yexian County Government Office is located in Ye County, Henan Province. It was founded in the second year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1369) and is one of the oldest existing ancient government offices in my country. The only county government building in the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty county government in Ye County was not only large-scale and majestic, but also a fifth-grade county government. According to the official system of ancient my country, the county magistrate generally has an official title of seventh rank, but the magistrate of Ye County has the rank of fifth rank magistrate. According to the Ming Dynasty system, counties across the country were divided into three levels: upper, middle and lower. Ye County has a vast territory, consisting of four counties including Ye County, Kunyang, Hongyang, Wuyang County and Jixian County in the Han Dynasty. It pays more than 100,000 shi in taxes every year; in addition, according to the conditions of Ji, Wang, Qin and Chi, Ye County The county is located on the north-south transportation artery and is in a tight position, so the county magistrate is mostly held by a fifth-rank official with the same magistrate title. Therefore, the standards of county government are also higher than ordinary ones. According to experts from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, the Yexian county government building complex has a reasonable layout and a large scale. Its architectural form integrates the styles of the north and the south. It is of great value for studying the style, genre characteristics and change patterns of ancient Chinese architecture.
The Ye County Government Office restoration project officially started on December 8, 1997, and the main part was opened to the public on October 1, 1999. In July 2001, the county party committee and the county government decided to comprehensively repair the buildings on the east and west side of the county government office. After more than a year of intense construction, the restoration project has now been completed. In order to complete the county government repair project, the county party committee and the county government invested a lot of manpower and material resources; 310 rooms of 112 households around the county government were demolished; 5 unit buildings were demolished; the total demolition area was nearly 7,000 square meters; investment Funding is 6.4 million yuan. The entire restoration work strictly adheres to the principle of restoring the old as before, and better retains the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The restored county government office consists of the lobby, the second hall, the third hall and the associated East and West Class Rooms, the Sixth Section Room and the East and West Wing Rooms, as well as the prison, kitchen, magistrate's house, Xiqun Room, Xushou Hall, Sibu Zhai, North and South Bookstores, and back rooms. Garden, Daxian Temple, etc., with 41 units and 153 houses, it is the most complete ancient government office in China.
Since the Yexian County Government opened to the outside world before the National Day in 1999, it has received more than 100,000 Chinese and foreign tourists, including more than 30 leaders at provincial, ministerial and above levels. The county government of Ye County in the Ming Dynasty has become an important window for Ye County to open to the outside world. In order to increase the connotation of county government culture and improve the ornamental value, Ye County has moved the cultural relics warehouse to the newly completed cultural relics exhibition hall, and selected more than 300 fine products from more than 1,000 cultural relics in stock for exhibition, of which more than 70 cultural relics are The only remaining rare treasure in the country.
On May 25, 2006, Yexian County Government Office, as an ancient building from the Ming to Qing Dynasties, was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.
The gate of the government office faces south 5. The treasure of the Yexian County government office
In order to increase the cultural connotation of the Yexian County government office, the Yexian cultural relics department added a new addition to the original "The remains of Confucius' visit to Ye", "The deeds of Ye Gong", "The story of Huang Tingjian's time as Ye Ren County Lieutenant" and other display contents, and the cultural relics warehouse was moved to the newly built cultural relics exhibition hall of the county government, which is known as the "township government" of the county government. The "treasure" chimes have become a highlight of Yexian County Government to attract tourists.
In the cultural relics exhibition hall of Yexian County Government, there is a set of chimes unearthed in Yexian County in 2002 and cast in the mid-Spring and Autumn Period 2,600 years ago. This set of chimes consists of 8 Fu bells, 9 button bells and 20 Yong bells. The largest one is nearly 60 centimeters high, and the smallest one is 16.8 centimeters high. After being unearthed, each bell can emit two tones of different pitches.
This set of chimes can play a variety of music from ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad. It is the first combined chime from the Spring and Autumn Period discovered in China, and represents the highest achievement of music in the Spring and Autumn Period. In addition to the priceless bells, there are more than 300 other cultural relics in the exhibition hall, including dozens of national first-class cultural relics such as the bronze tripod and the inscription of "Ode to Orchid". , written by Huang Tingjian, one of the four great calligraphers of the Song Dynasty, is the work that best represents his unique artistic style and is a treasure in the treasure house of Chinese calligraphy art.