Xingyuan contact information: 0354-2636533
Introduction to Xingyuan attractions:
About Xingyuan:
Enter the garden style of Jiangnan With the rolling shed and overhanging eaves type quiet garden gate, we came to the apricot grove, the earliest garden of the Chang family. This is the earliest garden area built by the Chang family. Apricot trees are widely planted in the ten-acre park. From a mental point of view, the Chang family built the apricot grove to express their feelings. There are three levels of allusions and meanings: First, the Chang family advocates Confucianism and respects Confucius as his sect. Confucius first lectured in the Apricot Altar and created Confucianism. Secondly, apricot blossoms bloom in February, which is the earliest sign of spring. It is also the time when sons from all over the country go to Beijing for examinations, so apricot blossoms are also called Ji Di flowers. As a cultural family, the Chang family naturally prefers this auspicious flower and tree. Thirdly, according to legend, Dong Feng, a famous doctor in the Wu Kingdom in the late Han Dynasty, did not charge a penny for treating patients, but only asked the patients' families to plant apricot trees in front of his door in return. The trees grew into trees over time, and Dong Feng was revered as an immortal for his medical skills and ethics. Chang's establishment of apricot grove also shows his respect for those with noble moral character. The Chang family advocated Confucianism, and many of their descendants went to Shandong Confucius Temple to worship in the past dynasties. Finally, when the North Ancestral Hall was completed in the fifth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty, an apricot altar was built, and a statue of Confucius was returned to the apricot altar to express the admiration of his descendants.
Architectural structure
From the architectural structure of the entire apricot garden, we can see that the owner built it with unique ingenuity. After entering the gate, the two small courtyards on both sides are respectively dedicated to pine masters and plum friends, which means that the owner of the garden admires the tall pines and cypresses and the nobility of plum blossoms; there are 28 long corridors on the east and west sides, with 56 famous figures from the Qing Dynasty inlaid on the corridor walls. Famous couplets are for tourists to practice chanting while walking. There is a pavilion at each end of the corridor, which echoes the small pavilions at the four corners of the apricot forest, reflecting the elegant and fresh taste of the owner. The four small pavilions at the four corners of the garden are respectively inlaid with plaques inscribed with the names of Cloak, Zhenxia, ??Jingxing and Qingyun. The cloak and pillow reflect the owner's attachment to the landscape and yearning for an indifferent and peaceful life; the starry sky represents auspicious constellations. According to legend, when Shun ruled the world, a star appeared in the sky. Qingyun refers to colorful auspicious clouds; it is said that during the reign of Emperor Yao, Qingyun appeared in the sky; the above two words are the wishes of the saint king to govern the country and the people's hope for prosperity and peace.
Tiger Skin Stone:
This cute-shaped boulder under the flower stand is called Tiger Skin Stone. It has eight words written on it: those who know it will not speak it, and those who speak it will not know it. This is a motto in Laozi's "Tao Te Ching". To explain it in today's popular terms, it means that a real person should not show his image, and if he shows his image, he is not a real person. It expresses the literati complex and character of Chang's children, as well as their pursuit of a kind of transcendent moral rest.
Coupled posts in the verandah:
Coupled posts in the verandah, among which the well-known ones include Liu Yong, Zuo Zhongtang, Ji Xiaolan, Lin Zexu, Zeng Guofan, Zeng Guoquan, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, etc. , as well as works by famous Shanxi celebrities such as Fu Shan, Qi Junzao, and Zhao Tieshan. Here, we would like to mention another feature of the Chang family manor architecture. As a Confucian businessman family, the Chang family widely collected calligraphy works by celebrities from past dynasties and incorporated them into the architecture. For example, when we entered the fort gate, we saw the double pavilions of Ouyang Xiu and Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty, as well as the postscripts of Yun Shouping, a famous calligrapher and painter in the early Qing Dynasty in the Lama Temple. There are eight famous inscriptions on Ke Yuan and Tang Dynasty poems.
Xingtan:
It is said that Confucius lectured and discussed the classics under the apricot grove. In order to encourage the younger generations to study Confucian culture and comprehend Confucian thought, the ancestors of the Chang family stayed in the pagoda shade of the apricot garden. An apricot altar was built under the tree. The elders often came here to teach the younger generations tirelessly. Later, there was a story about Chang Wei's dream and his great ambition. (See the description of Xingtan for details) There are four exquisite stone reliefs around the base of the altar, which are allusions about Confucius traveling around the world, discussing Mu Gongshuang, lectures at Xingtan, and Xiang, a piano master. Traveling around the world During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, China was divided into many small countries. At that time, some accomplished scholars, in order to use their talents and knowledge to gain recognition from the kings of various countries, lobbied among the countries and talked about their knowledge among the people or the royal family. Among the more successful ones are Han Fei, Li Si, Su Qin and others. Confucius was no exception and also led his disciples. Give lectures everywhere. But unfortunately, his teachings have never been appreciated by the monarchs of various countries. Xingtan lectures Confucius traveled around the world, but failed to be reused; after returning to the state of Lu, he was still not taken seriously. So he simply no longer wanted to be an official. He talked about music and Taoism in Xingtan every day, and told his disciples about poetry, etiquette, music, and Yi. Therefore, Xingtan is revered as the first holy place where Confucius taught and established religion. Because the place where Confucius lectured was full of apricot trees, people called it the Apricot Altar. Later, the Apricot Altar became a synonym for people's pursuit of knowledge and ideals.
After Confucius passed away, his student Zigong planted many regular script trees around his mausoleum. At that time, the tomb of King Wen of Zhou in Henan was filled with regular script trees. Because both of them were models representing Chinese culture, later generations Therefore, role models are used as synonyms for the objects that people admire and learn from.
On Mu Gongshuang Qi Jinggong and Yan Ying went to the state of Lu and met Confucius. Jinggong asked: Qin used to be a small country and its geographical location was so remote, but why did Duke Mu of Qin become the hegemon? Confucius replied: Although Qin was weak in the past, it had great ambitions, strict laws, and was able to know people and do their jobs well. For example, it can redeem Baili Xi with five sheepskins and then entrust him with important tasks. From this point of view, it is possible for Qin to become king. After Jinggong heard this, he was convinced. In the nineteenth year of Zhaogong Xianglu's reign (523 BC), when Confucius was 29 years old, he learned to play the piano from Shixiang. Shi Xiang taught Confucius a piece of music and asked him who composed it. Confucius practiced playing repeatedly for a long time until he understood the connotation of the music, and then realized that its author was King Wen of Zhou. Shi Xiang was very impressed and told him that the music was indeed composed by King Wen and was called Wen Wang Cao.
Xinglin Screen Wall: The five-sided screen wall inlaid on the north wall, with fine carvings and profound meaning.
Bagua Screen Wall: The unity of nature and man, advocating nature is the fundamental principle of the Book of Changes ; The Bagua diagram is the primary subject of Chinese metaphysics; in China, it is very rare to use the Tai Chi Bagua diagram as a screen wall. The Bagua screen wall in the middle of the north wall has Bagua pictures in the middle. The Bagua are respectively
Qiankangenzhenxunlikundui
It is opposite to the main entrance of Xingyuan, with profound meanings. For hundreds of years, generations of people have been unable to exhaust its profound connotation. But its location clearly expresses the owner's purpose of gardening, which is to observe the phenomena and reason, and to understand the philosophy and changes of all things from the changes of the four seasons in nature. The true meaning of life.
Flower wall screen:
The four beautifully crafted brick wall hangings on both sides have exquisite composition, vivid images and delicate workmanship; they are commonly known as flower walls. The flower wall consists of flowers, grass, birds, insects, trees, clouds, moon, etc. as the basic picture, supplemented by the poem "Four Seasons Reading Joy" inscribed in four different fonts: regular script, cursive script, zhi, and li, forming four pictures with perfect composition. , freehand brushwork paintings of great appreciation and reading value. While we admire these ingenious screen wall works that can be called fine works of art, it is not difficult to appreciate the elegant sentiment and artistic appreciation level of the owners who made them.
Of these four screen-type wall hangings, one pair has a Kui dragon pattern and one pair has a grass dragon pattern; the brick carvings are carved with peonies, green lotuses, chrysanthemums, and plum blossoms respectively. , represents the four seasons of the year; so we also call it the four-season flower arrangement screen wall. The four-season screen wall and the Bagua screen wall in the center echo each other and are integrated into one, making the cultural atmosphere of the Apricot Garden suddenly vivid. Folk garden screen walls are often made with corresponding local folk cultural implications. For example, in this autumn scene, the pattern of chrysanthemums is engraved with an exquisitely crafted cat and a butterfly spreading its wings. I wish the owner of the manor a long life. In this summer scene, the patterns of lotus, egret and calamus are carved, which is homophonic to the meaning of continuous success and success in official career.
It is said that this screen wall was brought back from Yangzhou by its owner during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, so it also shows the bright and beautiful characteristics of the Jiangnan water town.
Poetry of the Four Seasons Shadow Wall: (The Four Seasons Reading Music Song Dynasty. Weng Sen)
Spring Scenery Book (Italic Style) Summer Scenery Book
Mountains illuminate the threshold and water surrounds the corridor, dancing The fragrance of Wing Chun comes when I return home. Hsinchu is surrounded by mulberry trees, and the small studio is bright and bright. Good birds are also friends on the branches, and fallen flowers and water are articles. The cicadas chirp in the trees during the long day, and the fireflies fall into the curtains at night. There is a short coat near the bed, which will double your reading skills. The couple of Emperor Xi and his wife lie high above the north window, just for the sake of reading. What a joy it is to read, the green grass in front of the window is not weeded. The joy of reading is endless, and the music of the Yao Qin soothes the wind.
Book of Autumn Scenery and Book of Winter Scenery
The leaves in front of the court made noise last night, and the bean flowers bloomed on the fence, and crickets chirped. In the sky above the river, trees have fallen and thousands of cliffs have dried up. However, I also see others who are different from me. Unexpectedly, the business interest is thin in the forest, and the sound of everything is empty and clear. Sitting facing the moving wall with Wei weaving lanterns, singing loudly as the snow falls on the hut in the middle of the night. Don't waste your time by reciting memoranda. Reading is the only good thing in life. The earth stove, the tea cauldron cooks the fire, and a light foot calls the reader. The joy of reading is so great that the sky will be frosty and high tomorrow. Where can I find the joy of reading? Count the plum blossoms in the heart of heaven and earth.
Xingyuan Qing Dynasty celebrity calligraphy calligraphy (with author introduction)
Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the imperial court has placed great emphasis on imperial examinations in order to ease class conflicts. Both Confucianism and calligraphy reached another peak after the Tang and Song Dynasties.
In the corridors on the east and west sides of the Apricot Garden, there are 52 works by representatives of the calligraphy circles in various stages of the Qing Dynasty, which has become another highlight of the profound cultural heritage of the Changjia Manor