Chengdu has undergone tremendous changes over the past century. An American living in western Sichuan lamented: Chengdu, a city with a long history, is developing rapidly, but the buildings of the past are gone, and the ancient style is gone! In fact, there are still very few old buildings remaining in some side streets and narrow alleys in Chengdu. Although they are rare, they vaguely reveal the story of old Chengdu and preserve the history of the city. This is difficult for "foreigners" to do. Known. Not far behind the commercial mall built in the late Qing Dynasty, in ancient Huayang County, the Ben (read bi, four tones) library in the staff dormitory of the Sichuan Provincial Library at No. 16 Heping Street, Jinjiang District, the current capital, is an example.
The Biyuan Library was built by Yan Ao, a bibliophile in the Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, and was completed by his stepson Yan Gusheng, who devoted his life to running it. His fame is inseparable from the Yan family and his son and their book collection. Yan Ao (AD 1855-1918) was originally named Zuxin and nicknamed Deyu. Later, he was given the nickname Yanfeng and his nickname was Biyuan. His ancestral home is Weinan, Shaanxi. His ancestor was a wealthy businessman in the salt industry and lived in Sichuan. Yan Ao entered Chengdu Zunjing Academy and studied under Wang Luyun. "As soon as he failed to pass the provincial examination, he gave up and ignored him." He was indifferent to fame and wealth, and "traveled all over the north and south in search of rare books and old books" (Lin Shan's words). Yan Ao took collecting books as his lifelong career, and also engraving and printing selected classics, reading and writing, and became a great bibliophile, scholar and poet.
As a poet, Yan Ao has "Biyuan Poetry Notes" handed down to the world, and he has collected 59 poems in his "Jiguan Collection" and "Taihua Return Collection" (Pitan Collection). Volume 2 Attached are "The Life of Mr. Lao Yanfeng, a Relic of the Qing Dynasty" written by Hezhou Zhang Senkai, "Combined Preface to the Epitaph of Literary Officer Yan Jun" written by Fushun Song Yuren, "Family Biography of Literary Officer Yan Jun" written by Jingyan Liaoping, and "Yan Jun's Family Biography" written by Guiyang Jin Zhengwei. "Mr. Biography" can show its far-reaching influence. Yan Ao had passed away when "Responsible Garden Poetry Notes" was published.
Yan Ao had no heirs in his life, and no heirs to his family business or career, so he adopted a son from his old family and named him Gu Sheng. When Yan asked to find a stepson, he said, "I only want to protect my collection of 50,000 volumes. "His wish to collect books is beyond words."
?Yan Gusheng (1899-1976 AD), formerly known as Shihai, also known as Gusun. Collection of books, edition catalog He is a scholar and a connoisseur of epigraphy, calligraphy, and painting. His name comes from the Book of Songs: "There are beetles in the Central Plains, and the common people pick them. Bottles and flies have children, and the beetle wins and loses. To teach Haier's son, the form of rice is similar to that of the beetle." (Slender-waisted bee) raised the son of a caterpillar (green insect) on his behalf, and advised the people of Chongqing to educate their descendants and inherit the virtues of their ancestors. This contained Yan Yao's painstaking efforts, and his wishes were realized. His stepson Yan Gusheng inherited his clothes and carried them forward. His career.
When Yan Gusheng first arrived in Chengdu, he was already over school age. Yan Ao named his son's study "Shiguo Xuezhai" and encouraged him to immerse himself in learning and never stop studying. At the time of his death, Gu Sheng was only 20 years old. However, he maintained his ancestral business, had a rich collection of books to read, and was smart and studious. He had learned from his father and Zhang Senkai, who taught him knowledge since he was a child. After a few decades, the collection of books he inherited doubled. Years of immersion in the study enabled him to have a thorough understanding of ancient book catalogues, versions of ancient laws and regulations, local customs, anecdotes of famous people, and the authenticity of calligraphy and paintings. Answering questions. In the 26th year of the Republic of China (1935), when he and Zhang Daqian met in Peiping, Mr. Daqian was also impressed by his knowledge.
Yan Gusheng inherited his father's business, collecting books, reading, and engraving books. The number of books in the collection reached its peak, with more than 300,000 volumes in the early days of the founding of New China.
The Ziyuan Library was the place where the Yan family collected books. During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty (1723~1735 AD), there were more than 300,000 books here. Jingxun Tower was the residence of General Yue Zhongqi, a famous general in the Qing Dynasty, in Chengdu. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, Yan Ao bought Jingxun Tower and modeled it on the style of the Royal Archives. ) built the Biyuan Library.
The Yan House located on Luogongci Street (now Heping Street) is a three-entry courtyard with three elegant and spacious gardens. Surrounded by bamboo. At the beginning of the founding of New China, Yan's book collection was donated to the state and the house became the Chinese Department of the Sichuan Provincial Library.
Mr. Tian Yichao, the late researcher of the Provincial Library, once wrote: "The Yan family's former residence was full of flowers and trees. It was spread over several acres with wonderful flowers and beautiful trees. The name of its former owner was Riben Garden, which was taken from the Book of Changes." "Ben Yu Qiu Yuan" means "Ben Yu Qiu Yuan."
Mr. Tao Liangsheng, who taught Yan's children, further recorded the Ben Yuan library and its surrounding environment: "The library is built in the garden, with a tall nanmu structure. It is wide and scattered, with a stone outside and a door leading to the door. It is in the shape of a stone warehouse, surrounded by ginkgo and bamboo trees. It is warm in winter and cool in summer, fresh and elegant."
The library in the garden is a small building in the shape of a stone warehouse. , the entire small building is simple in shape and has a strong charm. It is built in the innermost courtyard of the three-entry courtyard. The two seal characters "Yile" are carved on the gate shed of the small courtyard. The small building is a two-story blue brick building with a gabled roof, double-story eaves and rough eaves. There is a carved stone on the upper end of the third floor with the word "Bookstore" inscribed on it. There are small square windows around the library. The floor windows are symmetrical, small and exquisite, with a balcony in the middle. The walls are a foot and a half thick, and all windows are equipped with baffles. There are waist eaves under the eaves, and transom windows above the small windows. , moisture-proof, fire-proof and sun-proof are all carefully considered. There are some reliefs on the base of the building, carvings of curly grass and white clouds, green lions and elephants.
Times have changed, and the three-entry courtyard of the past is no longer there. Behind the cement buildings, fortunately, the Biyuan Library has been preserved, but it is imprisoned in a small piece of heaven and earth, between two majestic branches and Under the ancient ginkgo tree that reaches straight into the clouds. In terms of library function and book collection size, within China, the Biyuan Library in western Sichuan can be compared with the distant Tianyi Pavilion in Ningbo and Jiaye Hall in Hangzhou. However, compared with the current situation, the Biyuan Library does not seem to be lucky: As an independent cultural relics institution, Tianyi Pavilion’s scale and circumstances are needless to say; Jiaye Hall is now a branch of Jianjiang Provincial Library, with gardens outside and books inside, but its style remains the same; Dubenyuan Library is used and never abandoned. Awkward situation. Fortunately, in 2001, the Chengdu Municipal Government announced that the Garden Library was among the first batch of cultural relics buildings in Chengdu, thus avoiding the bad luck of being demolished and destroyed.
Yan Yanfeng once wrote a couplet for Bi Yuan, which was written by Yu Youren, a master calligrapher. If you understand this couplet, you will understand the spiritual ethics of Yan and his son, which is also the pride of Benyuan on the first day: Self-respect without being a noble, being noble without being an official. The room is full of strange books, and his wealth is Mo Jing.
?"Reading is difficult, and collecting books is especially difficult. If they are kept for a long time without being scattered, it is even more difficult." This is the motto of Fan Ruan, the founder of Jiangnan Tianyi Pavilion Library. The origin of Yan's book collection is not as early as that of Tianyi Pavilion. Tianyi Pavilion was built in the Ming Dynasty, while the Jiyuan Library was built in the early Republic of China. Yan Yao's collection of books began in the Qing Dynasty, much earlier than the time when the library was built, but still late. It has been in Tianyi Pavilion for hundreds of years. However, the largest collection of books in Tianyige in the early Qing Dynasty was more than 70,000 volumes. In the early period of the Jiyuan Library, Zhang Senkai compiled a brief compilation of the catalog of the Jiyuan Library (after the volume "忿LU", which was collected from "Yan Chushi" written by Yuren of the Song Dynasty by Fu Shun). "Zi Yuan Shu Ku Ji", "Bi Yuan Shu Ku Ji" written by Jingyan Liao Ping, and "Zi Yuan Shu Ku Ji" written by Huayang Lin Sijin. The end of the volume is Yan Gu Sheng's postscript four days after the cold dew of Yichou), which records the four collections of Bi Yuan. There are 14,145 kinds of books, 45,982 volumes, and 115,232 volumes. Longfujia was in Shuzhong; from the end of the Republic of China to the time when the Yan family had the largest collection of books, it exceeded 300,000 volumes.
?The Yan Collection is more comparable to the Jiaye Hall in Hangzhou. They were both built in the early Republic of China. Although the Jiaye Hall was built a few years later, its collection of books reached a maximum of 610,000 volumes, almost as much as the Yan Collection. At most, it was double that in the period. However, by the founding of New China, its classics were far less preserved, with only 110,000 volumes remaining, lagging behind the Yan collection.
The Biyuan Library contains all four volumes of classics and histories. It is especially famous at home and abroad for its rare books, exquisitely carved rare books, and unique books. Among them are the unique Song editions of "Huainanzi" and "Chunhua Pavilion Double Hook Calligraphy", as well as manuscripts of letters to and from Hu Linyi, Yan Shusen, and Zeng Guofan, and maps of mountains and rivers used by soldiers, Liu Yongfu's staff's "Diary of the Envoy to Yue", etc., as well as a large number of cultural and medical , economics and other collections. Both Yan's father and son were proficient in traditional Chinese medicine, but they "aimed at curing medicine, not treating diseases." They hoped to provide doctors with more documentary evidence through the collection of medical books. Therefore, the Biyuan collection has a rich collection of traditional Chinese medicine classics. The great scholar Liao Jiping was proficient in medical books and said that Biyuan was "rich in collection of books, especially in the medical department." The Song version of "Shengji Zonglu", the Ming version of "Yi Tong Zhengmai"), and the Japanese book "Tanbo Shutang Series" are "all ordinary and rare books". Yan Gusheng compiled and engraved these books into 5 categories, totaling 34 volumes, with millions of words. Among them, "Jin Gui Treatise on Febrile Diseases" and "Ben Jing Feng Yuan" are all rare books.
Wu Duxian, the former dean of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a famous doctor, only uses this series of books as teaching books. The reason is very simple: "It is reliable to avoid spreading rumors." Time flies, and the passage of time shows the preciousness of this series of books.
The Yan father and son not only took collecting books as their lifelong career, but were also famous for their exquisite book engraving. The paper quality, calligraphy and engraving are all of the highest quality and are highly praised both at home and abroad. In order to commemorate his father, Yan Gusheng published "Biyuan Shichao" with the inscription "Weinan Yan Family's Xiaoyi Family School Published in Chengdu". It is bound in 5 volumes with yellow paper and thread. A model of engraving.
The collection of phonological classics in the collection of Responsible Garden is vast and extensive. Gong Xiangnong and Xiang Chu went through several winters and summers to organize them and compiled them into the "Phonology Series" in 32 categories and 123 volumes. Experts praised it as the most comprehensive work on Chinese phonology since the Tang and Song Dynasties. The master's study was completed, and Yan Gusheng hired a carver to engrave it. This is Yan's proud work of compiling ancient classics. Yan Gusheng once took his residence to Hangzhou to seek advice from the great Confucian Zhang Taiyan. Mr. Taiyan admired it so much that he personally gave it a preface. This series of books was presented to the International Exhibition in Leipzig, Germany, and won high praise.
Yan Gusheng did not hesitate to spend a lot of money, hiring famous craftsmen, and engraving exquisite leather collections. In addition to giving gifts to domestic libraries and scholars, he also donated books overseas. Many large libraries in Britain, the United States, France, the Soviet Union and other countries have Weinan Yan's fine engravings. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Soviet government received letters of thanks, and Stalin personally signed them. The British Museum, Oxford University Library, and Lenin Library all have printed copies on display. The Library of Congress has a dedicated "Weinan Yan's Rare Book Room".
During the Republic of China, there were many people at home and abroad who coveted the Yan family's collection of books and rare books. Yan Gusheng was not afraid of violence and was not moved by profit. After many disasters, he kept the books until new times. It was founded in China and later donated to the country. Yan's collection has become an important part of the Sichuan Provincial Library collection.
Sichuan local and famous scholars in Sichuan, such as Xie Wuliang, Lin Shanfu, Pang Shibi, Meng Wentong, Zhang Senkai, Song Yuren, Liao Ping, Xiang Chu, Shao Lizi, Zhang Shizhao, Yu Youren, Shen Yinmo, Gu Jiegang , Chen Yinke, Zhang Daqian, Ye Qianyu, Xie Zhiliu, Ma Jiming, Zhu Shaobin, Tao Liangsheng, etc. were all guests of Yanzhai and inquired about the collection of books in Biyuan. Many world-famous literati and poets came to Biyuan to talk about poetry, essays and calligraphy and painting. For example, Zhang Daqian lived in Yanzhai for nearly two years during the Anti-Japanese War. During the Anti-Japanese War, Chen Yinke arrived in Chengdu. After being introduced by a friend, he went to Yan's Mansion to check the catalog of Yan's collection and look through the rare and rare editions of Biyuan.
In the early years of the Republic of China, Lin Shanfu asked himself to be the director of the Sichuan Provincial Library and was a pioneer in Sichuan public library services. The Biyuan Bookstore was built later than the Sichuan Provincial Library, but in terms of serving the society and promoting academic progress, the Biyuan Bookstore is not inferior to the library. Zhang Senkai used Biyuan's collection of books as data to write historical monographs such as "General Historian List of Persons", "Twenty-Four Histories Collation Notes", and "Sichuan Province Geographic Evolution List of Past Dynasties"; Song Yuren compiled provincial and county annals; Liao Ping textualized the ancient texts of Typhoid Han and studied Gongyanggu Liang , all based on Biyuan's collection of books as reference materials... The books in Biyuan's collection later belonged to the Sichuan Provincial Library and became part of its collection. The functions of permanent preservation and social service are further demonstrated, which should coincide with the original intention of the owner of Biyuan. .
The Biyuan Library is now hidden in a corner of a side street in Jinjiang District (Editor's note: It is located deep in Heping Street), standing there alone. But it is not just an old green and gray building that looks inconspicuous on the surface. It has accumulated the efforts of two generations of bibliophiles and preserved rich and precious classics of Chinese culture and Sichuan provincial culture. You can see the figures of Ruo Xu sages.
? (Part 2: "What Duke Yan Lu said about the Guild Hall")