Book Collection Story
Gong Zizhen was not only a thinker in the late Qing Dynasty, but also a well-known bibliophile and bibliographer. Committed to reform throughout his life, he wrote "Ming Liang Lun" and "Comments on the occasion of Yi and C" and other articles in his youth, which exposed and criticized the long-standing disadvantages of feudal autocracy. The collection of books is extremely sophisticated, with more than 20 types of manuscripts and copies from the Song and Yuan Dynasties. He once asked Niu Shuyu, He Yuanxi and others to help him search, and borrowed copies from everywhere. He has written collection notes, collection poems, and book prefaces and postscripts for many well-known bibliophiles. His "Preface to the Ciyunlou Collection of Books" is a profound and unique explanation of classical bibliography: the study of bibliography began with Liu Xiang, and then descended, and is divided into three branches: one is the official records of the imperial court, and the other is the private records. , one is the historian's record, the three styles are different, and the actual facts are useful and cannot be neglected. You like to collect inscriptions, stone carvings, and seals. The rich collection of cultural and museum items is called "incomparable" by Chen Yuanlu. The collection room is named "Baoyan Pavilion" and "One Jade House in the World". Its collection is "Crown of Two Thousand Species". Friends such as Lin Zexu, Wei Yuan and He Shaoji are invited to share the appreciation. There is also "Jin Mo Zhai". He has written several monographs and articles on the collections, such as "Shuo Yin", "Preface to the Records of Shang and Zhou Yi Wares", "Preface to the Records of Stone Carvings of Qin and Han Dynasties", and "Preface to the Records of Walu". The collection of books was later destroyed by fire. He was rich in poetry and prose during his life, which was compiled into "The Complete Works of Gong Zizhen" by later generations. His son Gong Cheng compiled one volume of "Renhe Gong's Bibliography of the Old Collection", a handwritten copy, which records more than 700 kinds of books.
Famous Father·Nizi
Gong Cheng is the eldest son of Gong Zizhen. His courtesy name is Xiaogong and his nickname is Banlun. He loves nothing but his little wife, so he calls himself "Banlun", and he is so "frank" that people admire him. Although Gong Banlun was bohemian, he was not unlearned and unskilled. On the contrary, he was intelligent since he was a child. He "had a very rich collection of books, located in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, with many uncollected books in the four treasuries." He was "immersed in them" when he was young. Xiaogong studied deeply in Gongyang and wrote extensively. He didn't take care of himself, he was bold, unkempt, and arrogant because of his talent, which made the world hate him. In his later years, his family's fortunes declined and he sold off all his ancestors' inscriptions, calligraphy and paintings. Li Hongzhang loved his talent and gave him a monthly salary of 200 gold to prepare for his lack of rice. When Xiao Gong was living at sea, he served as the shogunate of the Britishman Wetoma, with a monthly salary of several hundred dollars. Later, his funds dwindled and his life became increasingly difficult, so his two beloved concubines went to work in the kitchen.
Some people even attacked him for giving his daughter to Witoma as a concubine. When Gong Xiaogong served as an aide to the British Parkes, he led the British and French forces to burn down the Old Summer Palace. It is said that the British wanted to attack the Forbidden City directly at that time, but Gong Xiaogong tried to stop them. He said that the Old Summer Palace was a mountain of treasures and the essence of China, and destroying it would be enough to vent his anger. The British listened to his words and the capital was saved. [8]
In sharp contrast to Gong Banlun is his father Gong Zizhen. The father and son are both patriotic and traitorous, one will go down in history and the other will be infamy for eternity. Zhao Yi of the Qing Dynasty said that the sons of famous fathers often have bad morals. Although this is not an inevitable rule, it is unfortunate that famous fathers have rebellious sons. According to the saying "it is the fault of a son who fails to teach his father", Gong Zizhen cannot escape the blame. In addition to being proficient in Gongyang studies, Xiao Gong was also proficient in history and primary school. He is the author of "Fifty Volumes of Yuanzhi", "Three Volumes of Yanzu Stirrup Examination", and "Three Volumes of Sloppy History of the Qing Dynasty".
The mystery of the cause of death
The bizarre sudden death and the case of Lilac Flower
When Zizhen was an official in Beijing, she was the guest of the master of Mingshan Hall. The master's sidekick, Gu Taiqing of Jin Dynasty, admires his talent, but they have an affair. Some people say that any confusion in the poems about immortals in Zizhen's collection of poems and the poems such as "Autumn in Guidianqiu", "Recalling Yao Ji", and "Yin Meng Yuren" were all caused by this incident. Later, he was discovered by the owner of Mingshan Hall and had to return home due to illness. In the end, he was poisoned and killed by the owner of Mingshan Hall. There is one more thing to say. In her later years, Zizhen fell in love with a private prostitute named Lingxiao, but Lingxiao had another love. One day, he went to Lingxiao's house and met that man. Zizhen asked Lingxiao to cut off contact with him. Ling Xiaoming responded, but the secret exchanges became closer and closer. Half a year later, Gong Zizhen met that man again at Lingxiao's house. Gong Zizhen went home and took the poison and gave it to Ling Xiao, ordering her to poison the man. This poison was originally produced in the womb. Death does not occur immediately after taking it, and there are no traces of wounds after death. Na Lingxiao took the medicine, put it into the wine, and gave it to Zizhen. Gong Zizhen drank it, felt sick when she returned home, and died a few days later.
Although he lived a hard life, Gong Zizhen’s poems contained many erotic works, which are inseparable from his lifestyle
Gong Zizhen’s handwriting
of. His appreciation for women led him to have many short-lived relationships in his life. The most famous among them is his emotional entanglement with Gu Taiqing, a female poet in the Qing Dynasty. This love story is the most widely known and talked about secret story in the Qing Dynasty, known as the "Lilac Gongan".
This koan originated from one of Gong Zizhen's "Miscellaneous Poems of Jihai". The poem reads: "The disciples wandering in the empty mountains were tired, and dreamed of the spring in Langyuan in the west of the city. A rider passed the note to Zhu Diwan, and passed it to the man in silk clothes in the wind." At the end of the poem, there is a self-note: Recalling the lilac flowers of Taiping Lake in Xuanwu Gate. head. The "Taiping Lake in Xuanwumen" here refers to the residence of Beile Yihui, the great-grandson of Qianlong and a talented scholar of the clan; while "Lilac Flower" and "Man in Onyx Clothes" are attached to Gu Taiqing, Yihui's side blessing.
Yi Hui and Gu Taiqing were both good at poetry and prose, and they were close friends with the literati in Beijing. Gong Zizhen was originally a guest of the couple. It is believed that this poem indicates the ambiguity between Gu Taiqing and Gong Zizhen. Mao Guangsheng, a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, wrote about this incident for the first time in his "Reading Taisu Taoist's "Ming Shan Tang Collection" and Reflecting on Taiqing's Relics and Writing Six Quatrains": "On Taiping Street by Taiping Lake, Nanguchun came to be buried late at night. The person's surname was Qingcheng, Qingguo. Lilac blossoms lingered.
"This "Lilac Flower Case" has been widely circulated, with some supporters, some opponents, and some refuting the rumor. Zeng Pu in the late Qing Dynasty once fictionalized the matter and wrote it into the first chapter of the novel "Nie Haihua". Three or four times, the so-called "love affair" between the two became even more widespread.
Gong Zizhen and Gu Taiqing were one a talented man in the world, and the other a famous talented woman. Their love was really illusory, and they still argue endlessly to this day. However, this incident had a profound impact on the lives of the two parties. Gu Taiqing was expelled from the palace and lived in the market. In 1839 (the 19th year of Daoguang), Gong Zizhen also resigned and returned to his hometown. With lingering fears, he sent his servants to Beijing to welcome his family, but he did not go there in person. Two years later, on August 20, Gong Zizhen died of a sudden illness.