Suzhou Dongshan Xishan has carved buildings, but Dongshan is far better than Xishan. We traveled to many places all over the country and found that all historical sites could not escape all kinds of destruction. Needless to say, the destruction of Wenge alone was extremely shocking. However, it is a miracle that Dongshan Carved Building is still so well preserved after a hundred years! It may be difficult to find a similar situation in the whole country. Search on Baidu and get the following introduction, which is worth knowing.
Dongshan Carved Building is a mansion built by Jin Xizhi and Jin Zhi's brother, who made a fortune in cotton yarn business in Shanghai, to honor their mother. It was designed by Chen Guifang, a famous craftsman of Xiangshan Gang, and employed more than 25 craftsmen, costing 17, silver dollars. It was started in 1922 and completed in three years.
the carved building faces east from west, protected by a black wind-fire wall more than 2 meters high, and flanked by a horse-headed wall of Huizhou style, which makes the carved building in Dongshan look like a mysterious castle from a distance. The ground in front of the gate is paved with colored stones. A big vase with three halberds in it and a sheng on the side, which means "level three". Opposite the gate is a curved ruler-illuminated wall with the word "Hongxi" carved on it, which is a metaphor for going out to see happiness. The bronze carved handles on two dark doors are called golden sculptures, which are composed of chrysanthemum petals, Ruyi and six ancient coins, which means that the hand is rich. (it's really hard to think of these lottery things! )
Next is the beautiful brick-carved gatehouse. People in China pay attention to appearance. This gatehouse is just like the owner's face. Can we not pay attention to it? The brick carving of the front gatehouse is divided into three layers, with four Chinese characters of "Tianxi Chunxi" in the middle square, which means God-given blessings, and the story of the ancient city meeting and dispelling doubts in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which means loyalty, filial piety and benevolence; Carve designs such as Ganoderma lucidum, peony, chrysanthemum, orchid, bergamot and auspicious clouds in Shangfang; Xiafang is the four gentlemen of Mei Lan, Zhu Ju and all of them are auspicious. After entering the gate, I went back to watch the brick carving upstairs, which was more complicated and wonderful than the front. Corresponding to "Tian Xi Chun Tuo", the four words "Yu Xiu Jue De" were written in the middle workshop here, which was inscribed by Yin Lixun, a calligrapher in the Qing Dynasty, meaning to cultivate virtue, and the stories of Yao Shun's abdication and Wen Wang's visit to the virtuous were carved on the left and right sides, implying virtue and virtue; Shangfang is a scene where the Queen Mother makes a flat peach festival and the Eight Immortals celebrate their birthday, which means "longevity". In the next column, 1 sika deer are carved, which means "perfect" and "Lu"; Xiafang is a scene where Guo Ziyi, a general of the Tang Dynasty, celebrated his birthday and his seven sons and eight sons-in-law came to celebrate his birthday. Many children are blessed, which means "blessing". Coupled with the cornucopia in the middle of the top ridge and the double happiness word above the lintel, together, they account for all the five words "Fu, Lu, Shou, Xi and Cai". This brick-carved gatehouse alone cost 3,5 silver dollars. It is said that one of Suk Kim was anxious to hear the quotation at that time and said, "What a shame!" In fact, everything has just begun. In order to carve and build beauty, a lot of silver dollars continue to be spent. (In any case, if you don't lack anything, you will be complete. )
After enjoying the brick carving gatehouse, turn around and you will find the lobby in front of the carved building. Don't rush in yet, but look at the doors and windows of the hall. They are carved with 24 filial piety pictures such as "Huaiju to serve the mother" and "Playing color to entertain the relatives" and inspirational stories such as "Reading at night with a balloon firefly" and "Grinding the road". There is a bat-shaped pin eye embedded in the threshold, which is called "blessed with feet". Stepping into the lobby of the front building, this is the main hall of the whole carved building, which is called the Phoenix Hall, because there are always 172 phoenixes carved in the hall, that is, 86 pairs. In the local dialect, "86" and "Baile" are homophonic, which means a hundred years of happiness; There are four pairs of black hat wings carved on the top of the four hall columns, which symbolizes "there is an official back", so it is also called the official hat hall. Boxwood carving on the beam in Baotou, the hall, tells the stories of 48 Romances of the Three Kingdoms, such as "Peach Blossom", "Three British Wars against Lyu3 bu4" and "Three Visits to the Cottage". The pictures focus on depicting the majestic momentum and majestic and brave demeanor of the martial arts figures, which are vivid and very interesting. The hall is decorated with 2 flower baskets along the corridor, which are carved with four seasons of flowers: Chunlan, Qiuju, Xiahe and Dongmei respectively. Seeing this, I can't help but admire the designer! )
The second floor of the carved building is the living room, study and bedroom. There is a plaque hanging in the center of the living room, "Spring is in the Building", which is the original name of the Carved Building, meaning "Spring is always at the door to the sun". Behind this plaque, there is also an entrance and exit of a secret passage, which once stored the most valuable things of the Kim family. In those days, the robbers in Taihu Lake robbed the carved building three times, but they didn't find the mystery of this secret passage. On the second floor, in addition to exquisite mahogany carved furniture, the painted evergreen cornucopia on the girder and the colored glass imported from the west on the window of the young master's study are also quite distinctive. Luckily, it was not burned by robbers! )
after turning to the back floor of the second floor, I thought I had finished reading it and was about to go downstairs, but I found a narrow staircase leading to the third floor. This is a structural feature of the carved building, which is called the second floor and the third floor. Because the third floor is two purlins lower than the second floor, and covered by gables and wind and fire walls on both sides, people standing outside the building or in the patio can't see the third floor at all. This third floor is a treasure house built by the owner to avoid war and bandits' harassment. On the third floor, there is a floor well surrounded by carved columns, which is designed for delivering goods upstairs and downstairs. After the manhole cover plate is put away, you can't see any traces from the downstairs. How clever! So it will last forever. )
after reading these, go inside and you will get to the dining room, and the kitchen is at the end. It's not luxurious here, but like the pattern of ordinary people living. Maybe this part is newly built, and the original one has long gone.
there is no need to go back here. (But there is a small garden on the right side of the entrance, which is also exquisite. You can turn left into Zhuangyuan Building and visit from the back.
Those who are interested in the imperial examination system in China will certainly gain a lot here. For example, when did the imperial examination start and end, how many champions there are in one * * *, and how many hurdles it takes to get the champion, etc., all of which are explained. What are the famous champions in history, and how many champions have been produced in Suzhou (Wuxian) are also introduced. If you want to look carefully, it will take a lot of time.
The first scholar in Suzhou who impressed me deeply was Shi Cong, a child prodigy. My mother died young, and she studied in the county for less than three years. It is extremely rare to complete the triple jump from Gong Shi to the top scholar, and at the age of 23, she was the top scholar! It is said that there are 4, students taking the imperial examination all over the country. It is a miracle to win the first prize, not to mention that he is still so young!
It is said that on the eve of attending palace examination, Shi Yun dreamed of a coffin. He walked in front of the coffin, holding the lid, and hundreds of people wailed behind him. The next day, as expected, he became an official (coffin), and there were 1 scholars. He was the leader, so there were 1 people crying. This dream is mixed with good luck and bad luck, and the bad luck appears less than a year later. Shi Yun died suddenly, which shocked the whole country! At this time, his wife was pregnant, and her husband had a sad and excessive abortion when he was at the funeral, so he committed suicide. It's really sad! Of course, this legend means fatalism and superstition. Don't envy talents so much?
After visiting the Diaohualou and Zhuangyuan Mansion, go to a nearby farmhouse restaurant for dinner. I ordered four dishes, peasant chicken, fried reed root, water chestnut with scallion oil, gluten stuffed meat, and farm-style rice, each of which was very delicious, and you can't eat it in Shanghai. After dinner, we set off for Qiyuan, only 7 meters away.
Qiyuan Garden is similar to many gardens in Suzhou, but it is near Taihu Lake, and the scenery is good, so you can visit it for more than an hour.