The vast Han River, crystal clear and winding, flows through the thousand-year-old ancient city of Xiangfan. On the bank of the Hanshui River in the center of the city, there is a simple and elegant courtyard. This is the Mi Gong Temple built in memory of Mi Fu, a famous calligrapher and painter in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Who knows something about calligraphy and painting but doesn’t know Mi Fu’s name? This genius in the history of Chinese calligraphy and painting, with his achievements in calligraphy, painting, collection, appreciation and academic studies, has influenced generations of calligraphy and painting lovers since the Northern Song Dynasty and made outstanding contributions to Chinese culture. Xiangfan is the hometown of Mi Fu. His ancestors moved here from Shanxi to settle. Mi Zhuang, now in the north of Xiangfan City, is where his descendants live. From Mi Fu's birth in 1051 to when he went to Bianliang, the capital, with his mother at the age of 16, Mi Fu spent his childhood and youth in Xiangfan. The clear green of the Han River, the smoke and clouds of Xian Mountain, and the beauty of the ancient city all left a deep impression on him. Although he made a living outside for a long time and settled in Zhenjiang (Runzhou) in his later years, he still has deep feelings for his hometown. After he became famous, he called himself "Xiangyang Manshi" and "Lumen Lay Scholar", and people also called him "Mi Xiangyang". The folks in my hometown are even more proud of Mi Fu. Since the Yuan Dynasty, people have built temples to commemorate him. After the Ming and Qing dynasties and the expansion in recent years, the temple we see today has seven courtyards and three large corridors. The courtyard is a large-scale Mi Gong Temple covering an area of ??16,000 square meters.
Mi Gong Temple faces the Han River. The gate is a tall stone archway. Climbing up the steps, you will see a stone landscape painting painted by Mi Fu, which is more than one meter high and three meters long. Through the delicate stone carvings, you can feel the charm of this painting: the misty rain in the distant mountains, the simple trees, and the huts living in the wilderness are wonderfully influenced and give people a strong artistic appeal. According to the tour guide, Mi Fu's painting style is called "Mi Fu's Yunshan". He uses few pens, but he can express his emotions and has a great influence on later painters. It is a pity that none of his original paintings have been handed down. They were all copied based on the history books of later generations. This is a pity.
The entrance is a large courtyard with winding paths of green trees and dense shades of flowers. On the left side of the courtyard, there is a unique octagonal pavilion with red pillars and green tiles, with the two characters "Jie Pavilion" written on it. The tour guide told us that Mi Fu is called a calligraphy and painting wizard not only because of his achievements in calligraphy and painting, but also because of his distinctive personality. According to historical records, Mi Fu was not a steady and profound old scholar, but a scholar who was open-minded, unconventional, unconventional, and independent. There are many legends about this, such as the famous "Midian Worshiping Stone". It is said that when Mi Fu saw strange mountains and rocks, he would put his hands together and worship. When he was the magistrate of Wuwei County, he had a strange stone statue erected in the courtyard. Every day when he went to court, he would hold the hut in his arms and bow before him, and murmur something in his mouth. He was addicted to inkstones as much as his life. Every time he got a strange inkstone, he would hold it and sleep for several days, in order to win his love. The inkstone was taken from others at the table; what's more, fraud on Dharma posts and forged paintings also happened from time to time. He was born with a mysophobia and liked Tang Dynasty clothes. This clean pavilion is a reflection of his personality in life. He claimed to be unbridled, wild and unrestrained, so the world called him "Mi Dian", and later generations wrote: "Bian can't be reached", which may be because of his reputation as a compliment to his personality.
Going through the Jie Pavilion, you will come to the worship hall in memory of Mi Fu. This is a gray and white building in the style of a mountain gate temple. It is a place where his people worship him. In the worship hall hangs a frontal portrait of Mi Fu, with a horizontal plaque on it: Unreachable; on both sides hangs a couplet: The clothes are in the Tang Dynasty system, and the characters are elegant, which vividly depicts Mi Fu's image as a chic and extraordinary art master. In the worship hall, there are inscriptions commemorating Mi Fu's various dynasties.
Behind the worship hall is the famous Baojin Zhai. It is said that after Mi Fu got the ink of Wang Xizhi's "Wang Lue Tie", a great calligrapher of the Jin Dynasty, he was so happy that he named his study Baojin Zhai. This yard is larger than the front yard. There is a ginkgo tree from the Ming Dynasty, with a trunk diameter of more than two meters and luxuriant branches and leaves. In front of Baojin Zhai is a full-body bluestone statue of Mi Fu, with long beard and bright eyes and elegant clothes. On both sides of the courtyard is a gallery of calligraphy inscriptions, engraved with more than 40 masterpieces by calligraphy masters of the past dynasties, among which Su Shi, Cai Xiang and Huang Tingjian, who together with Mi Fu are known as the "Four Great Calligraphers of the Song Dynasty", have the majority of works. A large number of Mi Fu's calligraphy works are displayed in Baojinzhai, including original works and rubbings. Mi Fu's greatest achievement is his calligraphy. He inherited the essence of calligraphy from his ancestors, with truth, line, and grass each showing their own style. Calligraphy experts say that his brushwork is advanced, has extraordinary charm, has the grace of ups and downs, and is fast and flying. Magical, innocent and natural, without any sense of artificiality. Su Dongpo said his calligraphy was like "horses in a formation with a sword in the wind, so relaxed and enchanted, calm and joyful"; Huang Tingjian commented that his calligraphy was like "a quick sword cutting an formation, a powerful crossbow shooting thousands of miles".
As a calligraphy layman, I dare not make any comments, but when I see his cursive and running script works, the brushwork is indeed smooth, giving people the enjoyment of beautiful calligraphy art.
The "Shu Su Tie" on display is one of the representative works of Mi Fu's calligraphy. Shusu is a kind of Sichuan silk. Because of its rough texture and sluggishness, it is difficult to write on it, so people who are not very skilled in it dare not bother with it. Mi Fu, on the other hand, "does his job" and writes freely and vigorously, as if he is like a fish in water. The pen used in this post is changeable, with the front and sides exposed, length, thickness, and body shapes. It shows a dynamic beauty and fully embodies his unique style of "brush calligraphy", leaving a rare legacy for future generations. calligraphy art treasures.
Mi Fu's calligraphy and painting works were already very famous at that time. "History of the Song Dynasty" records: "People compete to sell the numbers on inch paper, thinking they are rare." It was passed down to later generations and became even more rare. Mi Fu's "Mountain Inscription" is an example. This work is Mi Fu's thirty-nine running script inscriptions for the painting of Empress Li of the Southern Tang Dynasty studying mountains and inkstones. Later, his son Mi Youren wrote inscriptions in running script. This work was collected by celebrities and literati, and then stayed in Japan. In recent years, it has returned to China after many twists and turns. The famous calligraphy master Mr. Qi Gong saw it when he was 90 years old. He was so excited that he wrote the poem "I am envious of Xiangyang, but eight hundred exquisite pens describe the depth of autumn." This work was sold at a domestic auction for 30 million yuan. It is said that the price abroad is much higher than this amount. This shows the artistic value of Mi Fu's works today.
Mi Fu's success in calligraphy and painting is, on the one hand, his talent, and on the other hand, the result of his long-term diligent study and practice, as well as his obsessive love for calligraphy and painting. His son Mi Youren said that he "doesn't touch the pond every day, and if he doesn't read for a day, he will feel dull", and he doesn't even take a break on the first day of the new year. It is precisely because of his unremitting efforts that he has made many achievements in the history of calligraphy and painting. Mi Fu's works on display include "History of Calligraphy", "History of Painting", "Haiyue Quotes", etc., and many of his "predecessors have ridiculed" , but will never follow the ancient sayings." He has unique insights in various fields of calligraphy and painting, and has been respected by calligraphers and painters of all ages.
After walking out of Baojinzhai, we came to the Yanggao Hall in the backyard. This is the tallest building in the entire Mi Gong Temple. It has three floors. It is a table-style mountain-style structure with double eaves, cornices, carved beams and painted buildings. It is impressive. The magnificent palace. In recent years, with the prosperity of culture and art, people have conducted more and more in-depth research on Mi Fu's calligraphy and painting. In order to expand Mi Fu's influence, this antique building Yanggaotang was built. Exhibited in this hall are the works and results of studies on Mi Fu's calligraphy and painting by scholars at home and abroad in recent years, especially in recent years, as well as calligraphy and painting works about Mi Fu by some calligraphy and painting masters, some of which are also very precious. In the courtyard, there are towering trees, rustling green bamboos, green grass and strange rocks, and the chirping of birds and insects. People can feel the infinite charm brought by the art of Chinese calligraphy and painting in this natural and tranquil beauty.
Another important place to go to Mi Gong Temple is the "Stone Garden". Surrounded by green bamboos and pines and cypresses, along the green brick path, you can savor the calligraphy stone carvings of your ancestors and the smooth ink marks. , the momentum of flying dragons and phoenixes makes people realize the beautiful artistic conception of calligraphy art. There are more than 80 stone inscriptions with inscriptions from past dynasties, with different styles. You can see calligraphy enthusiasts coming from time to time, reciting them silently in front of the stele, and forgetting to leave.
Migong Temple, a palace of calligraphy and painting art that has lasted for more than 400 years, constitutes a cultural attraction in the ancient city of Xiangfan with its rich connotations and elegant and quiet natural environment. It is indeed worth coming to taste and appreciate. .