Yanshan Garden went through three stages from its completion by Tang Yue to the founding of New China, namely Yanshan Villa during Tang Yue's period, Xilin Garden during Cen Chunxuan's period, and Yanshan Park during the Republic of China.
Yanshan Villa during the Tang Yue period (1854-1907) Tang Yue (1821-1873), whose original name was Qihua, had the courtesy name Zhongshi and the nickname Zushi. He was born in a scholarly family in Dagangbu Village, Lingui County on February 12, the first year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty (1821). As for the time and circumstances when Tang Yue built Yanshan Garden, "Guilin Ancient Architecture Research" pointed out: "At the age of forty-four, Tang Yue used his family's money to build a private garden for his own enjoyment. He fell in love with Yanshan. A piece of wasteland next to Shanxia Village surrounded by mountains and rivers. After repeatedly studying "A Dream of Red Mansions" and referring to the Grand View Garden and Shanghai Yu Garden, we hired famous gardeners, painters, and architects to carefully design it, and mobilized Lingui, A large number of civilians and skilled craftsmen in Lingchuan worked hard on the construction and built the gardens, which took four years to build. "According to descendants of the Tang family, the construction of Yanshan Garden was first built with the Hantong Tower, Chengyan Pavilion, and the Chengyan Pavilion. Gates, roads, river embankments, Xuanzhu Bridge, etc., and then other buildings such as the management of Taoyuan Cave and the construction of Biyun Lake Boat. Tang Yue selected and bought a treasure land next to Yong'an Village (today's Yanshanxia Village), 24 kilometers southwest of Guilin, surrounded by mountains and rivers and only four kilometers away from his hometown. After several years of conceiving, he repeatedly studied "A Dream of Red Mansions" and referred to the styles of Grand View Garden and Yu Garden to create Yanshan Garden. This statement is more consistent with relevant records in history.
Tang Yue once studied under Chi Chunsheng, and later studied at Xiufeng Academy in Guilin, where he studied under Lu Huang, a disciple of Yao Nai of the Tongcheng School. In 1851, after the Taiping Rebellion broke out in Guiping, Guangxi, the Qing government ordered all provinces to hold local league exercises, which were presided over by famous local squires. Tang Yue assisted his father Tang Ren in presiding over the league exercises in Dabu Township. However, the Taiping Army was overwhelming, and the regiment headed by Tang Ren was unable to resist. The Tang family's old residence was also burned down by the flames of war. After the Taiping Army marched north, the Tang family asked the authorities for a sum of money to rebuild their home on the pretext that their home had been burned down by the Taiping Army.
The Daoguang, Xianfeng and Tongzhi years were the heyday of garden construction in Lingnan. Tang Yue began to pay attention to and study garden construction very early. In the 20th year of Daoguang (1840), Tang Yuezhong Daoguang Gengzi Kejie Yuan. From the 26th year of Daoguang (1846) to the 27th year of Daoguang (1847), he visited gardens in Guangzhou, Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai, and gardens in Suzhou and Hangzhou. In addition, Tang Yue often went to Guilin to check out the famous manors in Lingxi: Li Zonghan, the Minister of Industry of the Jiaqing Dynasty in the Qing Dynasty, built Zhe Garden and Huxi Garden on the edge of Rong Lake in Guilin in the 21st year of Jiaqing (1816) (today's Rong Lake in Guilin City). Hotel), as well as the Huanbi Garden (today's Mulong Lake in Guilin City) built in the Jiashen Year of the Qing Dynasty (1824). It should be said that before the construction of Yanshan Garden started, Tang Yue already had considerable experience in garden construction.
After purchasing Fangzhushan from Yanshan Yongan Village (today’s Yanshanxia Village), Tang Yue built his own building, Chengyan Pavilion, on the northern slope of Fangzhushan, close to the mountain and water. A private library, Hantong Building, was built opposite the Qingluo River in front of the Yan Pavilion, and was surrounded by short gables. It formed a small garden based on the situation. In the eighth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1869), Tang Yue started work again to build Yanshan Garden. It took four years to complete the garden. Tang Yue named the garden "Yanshan Villa". Not only that, Tang Yue also rebuilt his ancestral home, the Tang Manor, in Dagangbu in the ninth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1870), which lasted two years. Yanshan Garden and Tang Manor were completed almost at the same time. Tang Yue asked Chen Li, a famous essayist and calligrapher from Panyu (Guangzhou), Guangdong, to inscribe a plaque for the gate of Yanshan Garden - Yanshan Villa. He also asked Wang Zheng, an ancient writer and one of the five great masters in Lingxi, to inscribe a plaque for the gate of his ancestral home - Yanshan Villa. —Down's Manor.
Tang Yue, who had no intention of pursuing an official career, focused on the mountains and rivers, built gardens, built pavilions and pavilions, and carefully laid out the layout. By the eighth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1869), many exquisite buildings were built in Yanshan Garden. In the garden, there are exquisitely carved boats and waterside pavilions connected by exquisite corridors, as well as Daoxiang Village with "small bridges and flowing water and people's homes"; there is both the solemn and vigorous "Hantong Academy" and the small and exquisite "Linlang Fairy Pavilion". . Tang Yue also planted various exotic trees and grasses at the transition points between the various building groups in the garden, changing the scenery as he moved, naturally integrating the "garden" and "forest" into one, demonstrating its unique charm.
The Yanshan Garden during the Tang Yue period was the garden's heyday. The entire garden was surrounded by mountains and rivers, with pavilions and pavilions built. Its land area and building scale were ranked among the largest in Guilin according to historical records at the time. The most, and also the most in Guangxi.
There is a record saying that "Yue has built a villa with a large number of crowns and canopies, and there is no time for banquets and performances." It is "mighty and majestic." During this period, Yanshan Garden took on the aura of a "private garden" and glowed with a dreamy and romantic color like a paradise.
Tang Yue