Mudu Ancient Town Guide Words

Welcome everyone to travel to Mudu Ancient Town! Mudu is located ten kilometers southwest of Suzhou City and five kilometers away from Taihu Lake. It is one of the thirteen scenic spots in Taihu Lake. It is characterized by Wuyue ruins, mountain forest stone scenery and Mudu Ancient Town. It has both the beauty of mountains and forests and the beauty of gardens.

Now, let’s go to Mudu Ancient Town for a walk and take a look.

First of all, let’s take a look at this stone archway. The four words "Ruimen enters the victory" are written on the upper archway. That is to say, when we step into this auspicious gate, , and walked into the long historical picture of the ancient town. Speaking of the "ancient" nature of Mudu, let me tell you about the origin of the name Mudu. It is said that at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, King Wu Fu Chai built a large-scale construction project here in order to please the beautiful girl Xi Shi, including the Gusu Terrace and the Guanwa Palace. Timber came in a steady stream and blocked all the rivers and harbors in this area, which was called "building blockage". This is where the name "Mudu" comes from.

Although this river is not amazing in appearance, it is famous in the history of the Spring and Autumn Period. In order to conquer the Chu State, the King of Wu dug this artificial canal with a total length of more than 230 kilometers from the land. He sent troops through the waterway and won a surprise victory. He achieved the brilliant results of "five battles and five victories", which laid the foundation for the Wu State. The status of the Spring and Autumn Overlord. Because this canal was proposed and dug by Wu Zixu, later generations called the river "Xujiang" in memory of him.

This promenade by the river is called the river shed, with a total length of 175 meters. The river shed leans on the river on one side and is integrated with the residential houses on the other side. It provides convenience for vegetable farmers selling vegetables on the street, boat people and passers-by. It is protected from the sun in summer and rain on rainy days, so it is very popular. Viewed from a distance, the 100-meter-long river shed appears to be well-proportioned with different heights, like a water-lined corridor in a Suzhou garden. It is graceful and graceful, adding a bit of beauty.

Look, there are two bridges here, one is called "Xie Bridge" and the other is called "Luxiang Bridge". The two bridges, one horizontal and the other strong, are built side by side. They are dependent on each other, so they are also called "Double Bridges". Please take a look. The Xujiang River from Taihu Lake and the Xiangxi River from Guangfu Tongkeng merge into one under the inclined bridge, one clear and one turbid, forming an obvious watershed. This is the famous "Xieqiao" one of the ten ancient sceneries in Mudu. Divide water”.

Mudu is not only an ancient water town, but also has the reputation of "Garden Town" due to the large number of private gardens in the town. What we want to visit now is the private garden "Bangyan Mansion" famous for its "Jiangnan Three Eagles".

The owner of the second-place mansion, Feng Guifen, was a famous Enlightenment thinker and political commentator in modern times. Because he passed the first and second place in the Gengzi Division in the 20th year of Daoguang (1840) , that is, second only to the number one scholar, so people call his former residence the second place.

Bangyan Mansion covers an area of ??about ten acres. Its layout is the front house and the backyard, facing south and north, with a screen wall, a foyer, a hall, a hall, and a garden, forming a vertical axis. It is a typical garden style of Jiangnan residences in the mid-Qing Dynasty.

The owner Feng Guifen was named Guifen because the sweet-scented osmanthus was in bloom when he was born. He had read a lot of books since childhood, was proficient in classics and history, and was famous in his hometown for his talent and learning. In the twelfth year of Daoguang, when Lin Zexu was appointed governor of Jiangsu, he recognized Feng Guifen, a stranger he had never met, and called him "the only talent seen in a hundred years" and recruited him to Fuzhou. Sign up to study and be accepted as a student. This year, Feng Guifen was just twenty-three years old.

This is the Feng residence hall. Named "Xianzhitang". It is a place where the host entertains distinguished guests. The name of the hall was inscribed by the owner when he was proud of the spring breeze, which shows the grand ambition in his heart. The furnishings in the hall are simple and elegant, reflecting the elegant style of the owner.

This is the name of Feng Guifen's study room, "School House". After being ranked second in high school, Feng Guifen stayed in the capital to serve as editor of the Hanlin Academy. Dissatisfied with the corruption in the officialdom, she soon resigned and returned to her hometown. During this period, Feng Guifen wrote his masterpiece of political commentary "Xiaobinlu Protest". He put forward forty reform suggestions in response to the national conditions of internal and external troubles during the Opium War, the most famous of which was "adopting Western learning and making foreign wares." It became the forerunner of the Westernization school's thought of "Chinese learning as the body and Western learning as the application", and was regarded as the forerunner by the later bourgeois reformists.

Feng Guifen has a strong character and hates evil as much as he hates evil. This couplet "Only after a long period of time as an official will he know that the book is meaningful, and only then will he know how to do things without difficulty." This is a summary of Feng Guifen's career as an official.

The architectural structure of the neighboring houses in the suburbs is more unique, and it brings together the essence of wood carvings in Bangyan House. First of all, the roof is connected with three pavilions, which is rare in the south of the Yangtze River. Secondly, it is unique in terms of structural load-bearing. The two step pillars do not fall to the ground, and are replaced by short pillars and decorated with upside-down flower baskets. It is commonly known as the "Flower Basket Hall", which not only increases the number of Space and convenient lighting, this architectural style that integrates technology and art, practicality and beauty is the embodiment of the superb wisdom of local Xiangshan craftsmen.

This stone sculpture "Picture of Prosperity and Growth" is the second treasure in our second place. This painting, also known as "Prosperity of Suzhou", was painted by Xu Yang of the Qing Dynasty in the 24th year of Qianlong's reign (1759). It is 1,225 centimeters in length. It mainly depicts the prosperity of Suzhou during the heyday of Kangxi and Qianlong. The specific content is "A "A city, a street, a town, a village", and Mudu occupied a village or a town. Therefore, there is an auspicious saying among the people: "Half of the prosperity of Gusu is in Mudu." Mudu's prosperity at that time It can be seen.

Entering the inner house, we can see the third treasure of the second place: the brick-carved gate tower. This brick-carved gatehouse was built during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. The brick carvings are all theatrical patterns, such as "Fishing, Woodworking, Farming and Reading", "Taibai Drunk and Spreading", etc., which express the state of life advocated by the owner. The four characters in the middle are "Tongde Gaofeng", which means high moral integrity and integrity. It was written by Pan Shien, another mentor of Feng Guifen.

The name of the inner hall is Furong Tower, which means the hibiscus "comes out of the mud but remains unstained" to express the noble character of the owner. In addition, the hibiscus flower has strong vitality, so it also means that the family will prosper.

The back garden is very large. There are pavilions, corridors and pavilions in the garden, dotted among the red flowers and green trees. The most distinctive thing is that our Hanshan Pavilion on the top of the mountain can Climbing high and looking into the distance, the handsome and graceful Lingyan Mountain, "the first mountain in Wuzhong", jumps into your eyes, arousing your endless reverie about the story of King Wu and Xi Shi.

There are two "double bridges" in Mudu Town. What we are coming to now are Xi'an Bridge and Xiaorihui Bridge, which are known as "small double bridges". Standing on the Xi'an Bridge and looking eastward, you will see the Dong'an Bridge a hundred steps away. The two bridges, one exquisite and the other majestic, echo each other from a distance and are commonly known as "sister bridges". Standing on the bridge and looking to the west, you will see the famous "Jiangtan Fishing Fire", one of the "Ten Scenes" of ancient Mudu. Whenever night falls, the thousands of lights on the shore, the twinkling stars in the sky and the fishing fires in the river complement each other, making people linger and forget to leave.

This is Hongqiao, which was built in the Song Dynasty. Whenever the sun sets in the west, looking to the west, you can see that the setting sun forms a line with Xiangxi and Hongqiao. The late sunlight dyes the water of the fragrant stream into a piece of colorful silk, and covers the pink walls and black tiles on both sides with red gauze. It is extremely gorgeous. This is the famous "Hongqiao Evening Photo" among the ten sceneries of Mudu.

We are now walking on Shantang Street, a century-old street along which Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong climbed Lingyan Mountain. Because Shantang Street is backed by Lingyan. Facing the Xiangxi River and surrounded by mountains and rivers, many high-ranking officials and nobles lived here in ancient times. Next we visited Gusongyuan, the old residence of Cai Shaoyu, one of the four richest men in Mudu in the late Qing Dynasty.

Cai Shaoyu, the owner of Gusongyuan, ran a foreign goods business in Shanghai in his early years. After he became prosperous, he returned to his hometown to build houses and land, and owned thousands of hectares of fertile land. As can be seen from this "Bird View of Gusongyuan", it can be seen that Gusongyuan is small and exquisite. It is a typical Qing Dynasty residence garden with its twists and turns.

Go through the foyer and enter the patio. Looking back, you can see a brick-carved gatehouse. The upper and lower gates of the gatehouse are respectively engraved with "Laozi traveled to the west and entered the pass", "The mad monk swept the Qin Dynasty", "The general and the prime minister made peace", and "Jiejiang". A set of historical stories such as "Seizing the Fight", "Zhang Yu's Biography", "Ning Qi Fanniu", etc. The character Fang is "Ming De Wei Xin", and the doudou on both sides are respectively "Zhang Liang Picks Up Lu" and "High Mountain Flowing Water". The gate tower is deeply carved and decorated, and has a unique shape and spirit. Especially the arch bridge in "Zhang Liang's Gathering of Shoes" and the water ripples in "Mountains and Flowing Waters" are vivid and lifelike, with strong texture, fully reflecting the exquisiteness of carving skills.

This is a beam-carrying hall, where the owner receives distinguished guests and holds weddings and weddings.

The main hall is a Ming Dynasty-style building. There are four pairs of wooden beams on the steps and the beams on the four inner sides, which are shaped like the wings of an ancient official hat. It is commonly known as the Shamao Hall. Various opera stories are carved on the wood. The mountain mist clouds in Liangtou and Baoliang clouds are the pattern of "Crane Ming Jiugao", which is vivid and exquisite. The most interesting thing is that there are eight pipa engraved on a square rafter in the middle of the beam frame in the Ming Dynasty, which is called "Bayin Lianhuan", which means celebration and joy.

This is a pavilion with only five rooms and wing rooms on both sides. Because there are sixteen upside-down flower baskets at the bottom of the eaves and canopies, and there are sixteen phoenixes carved on the beams above, Therefore, it is also called "Flower Basket Tower" or "Phoenix Tower". Phoenix Tower is the early work of Dongshan Carved Building. The architectural style is exactly the same as the sculpture art. All the carvings here are auspicious patterns, which are called "Taikoucai" among the people. For example, the eaves of the Ming Dynasty are engraved with paintings and calligraphy from east to west. , letters, and ingots, it is called "the house of gold in the book"; the eaves of the second room are engraved with flower baskets, boxes, swords, gourds, etc., commonly known as the "Eight Immortals of Darkness"; the eaves of the wing are engraved with conches, hot wheels, corals, etc. , bronze drums and other eight treasures, known as the "Eight Treasures". Downstairs is the "Mudu Hall of Fame", which introduces 66 historical and contemporary celebrities in Mudu town, with pictures and texts. After reading it, everyone will have a deeper understanding of the history of Mudu. Understand that upstairs is the "Calligraphy Art Museum", which displays the masterpieces of more than 100 local calligraphers in Mudu, the "hometown of calligraphy". If you are interested, you can go upstairs to visit.

Now, we have arrived at the back garden of the Ancient Pine Garden. On the east side of the garden, there is a Podocarpus pine, more than ten meters high, which is a relic of the Ming Dynasty. According to "Wu County Chronicles" , this tree is more than 500 years old, and Cai Shaoyu’s name “Ancient Pine Garden” comes from this tree. Not far away, there is a ginkgo tree, which is as thick as a hug, with tall and straight branches. In autumn, the branches are full of fruits, and in early winter, the tree is full of golden color, bringing joy to the front and back yards.

The biggest feature of the back garden building is the double-layered corridor that connects the pavilions and pavilions into a whole. Standing on the double-layered corridor, you can enjoy the green emerald green of the ancient pines. And with the view of Lingyan Mountain, even though the ancient pine garden is small, it can appreciate the beauty of the landscape and the interest of nature in the cramped situation. It can be regarded as an exquisite work of private gardens in Suzhou.

We continued to roam along Shantang Old Street, surrounded by the quietly flowing Xiangxi River. Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn Period of Wu and Yue, Xi Shi lived in Guanwa Palace on Lingyan Mountain Here, I bathed with spices every day. The lotion flowed into the river at the foot of the mountain, filling the river with fragrance, so it was named Xiangxi. Walking along the Xiangxi River, we felt like smelling the fragrance of flowers and plants in Wu Palace 2,500 years ago.

Now we are coming to the largest private garden in Mudu - Hongyin Shanfang.

Hongyin Shanfang is a famous garden in the suburbs of Suzhou during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Because it faces the Xiangxi River and is backed by Lingyan Rock, its "beauty of the wind and moon in the streams and mountains, and the beauty of the flowers and trees in the ponds and pavilions" are far superior to other gardens. Gardens, so every time Emperor Qianlong went to Mudu in the south of the Yangtze River, he would go to Hongyin Mountain House, where he would visit gardens, watch plays, taste tea, and recite poems. Until nightfall, he would reluctantly leave and walk along the mountain in front of the door. Tang Street, go to Lingyan Mountain Palace. Therefore, Hongyin Shanfang is also known as the "private palace" of Emperor Qianlong in the local area.

This is the Royal Pier and the Royal Stele Pavilion. In the spring of 1751, the 16th year of Qianlong's reign, Qianlong made his first southern tour. The royal boat passed through the canal, turned to Xujiang River, and turned into Xiangxi River, where he left the boat and landed.

Qianlong liked to travel around mountains and rivers, dance and write, and he would compose poems and inscriptions wherever he went. When he saw this ancient road on Shantang Street, he was inspired by poetry and immediately composed a verse of seven rhymes. Later, this seven-character poem was engraved on a stele by local officials and placed in the pavilion. It mirrored the Ming Dynasty Yiquan Pavilion opposite and became a major landscape of the ancient town.

Probably because Qianlong wrote too many poems such as "A Visit Here". It is said that during his 60 years in power, he wrote 41,800 poems, an average of 41,800 poems per day. There are up to 2 poems. Therefore, later generations have different opinions on his poem titles and calligraphy. He himself also felt that there were too many poems, saying that "Five collections make up forty thousand poems, and there are too many words to earn a little money." However, later generations highly praised the calligraphy of Liu Yong, an important minister of Qianlong and Tihongke scholar, calling him the "prime minister of thick ink" and the top calligrapher of his generation.

The plaque on Hongyin Shanfang that we see now was inscribed by Liu Yong himself.

At that time, Emperor Qianlong lived in the Lingyan Mountain Palace, while the Ci ministers and his retinue lived in the Hongyin Mountain House. According to official records: Liu Yong stayed at Hongyin Shanfang twice and had a tacit understanding with his owner Xu Shiyuan. The four characters "Cheng Zi's Four Admonitions" were specially given to Xu Shiyuan by Liu Yong. The word "Cheng" refers to the Neo-Confucianists Cheng Xi and Cheng Hao of the Northern Song Dynasty. They were brothers and classmates of Yu Zhou Dun. They were the founders of Neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty and were known as "Er Cheng" in the world. When the official went to the Chongzheng Hall to tell stories, he opposed Wang Anshi's new policies and advocated "people's desires and natural principles". He was like a widow remarrying, which he considered to be treason. Defend the feudal rulers. The so-called "Four Precepts of Cheng Zi" require scholars to abide by their duties and be loyal to the court.

This is the garden treasure of Hongyin Shanfang: the dragon chair. It is not an ordinary chair. It was the seat used by Emperor Kangxi when he visited the palace on Lingyan Mountain during his southern tour. Later, Qianlong also sat on it when he visited Mudu. It is made of thousand-year-old red sandalwood, with nine golden dragons entwining and flying around, showing the supreme emperor's dignity. This dragon chair was originally kept on Lingyan Mountain. It was taken down by the people during the Cultural Revolution. It was recently collected from the people during the restoration of Hongyin Mountain House.

Xu Shiyuan, the owner of Hongyin Shanfang, is a failed scholar. He has no desire for fame in his life, but likes to study at home. Xu Shiyuan had a habit of drinking. He often enjoyed poetry and wine with his friends in the garden, and he drank a lot. It was known as "Hongyin" and because the garden was adjacent to Hongqiao, the name "Hongyin Shanfang" came from this. Xu Shiyuan was fond of drinking but never dissolute. He followed the rules throughout his life and was especially filial to his parents. He was known far and wide as a filial son. In order to please his two elders, he specially built this ancient stage in the garden. On good days in spring and autumn, he invited a theater troupe to sing for his two elders, so as to please them and enjoy their old age. When Qianlong came to Mudu, he must visit Hongyinshanfang and watch a play here. It is said that once, Qianlong was so happy watching a play that he even went on stage in person to dance with his sword to cheer up the show. This was really a bit of fun with the people.

However, ordinary people do not have such treatment when watching a play with Emperor Qianlong. Those who can accompany the emperor to watch a play on this terrace are all officials of fourth rank or above. Other local officials and squires can only watch from the watchtowers on both sides of the stage, and the stage is surrounded by imperial guards and officers and soldiers, and ordinary people are not allowed to enter.

On the corridor walls on both sides of the stage, there are 65 couplets written by famous people in Wudi from the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the Republic of China. They are called the "Wuzhong Couplet Calligraphy Mirror". Most of the selected celebrities are related to Mudu. Moreover, they are all great masters in the calligraphy world and have profound artistic attainments. Nearly a hundred plaques from the Qing Dynasty are also displayed in the gallery. Most of them are inscribed by important officials and Jinshi candidates. The calligraphy is exquisite, the styles are different, and they are carefully carved. They are full of fun and have great aesthetic value for collection and appreciation. Interested friends can browse and taste it carefully.

Now, we come to the East Garden, which was originally the Xiaoyin Garden of the Li family in the Ming Dynasty. It is famous for its old trees, strange rocks and lush bamboo forests. In the early years of Qianlong's reign, this garden was purchased by Xu Shiyuan, who built four halls and four halls, mainly for living. He also sparsed the pond and opened paths in the back garden, stacked stones and planted flowers, making it an exquisite and elegant residence garden. It is connected to the ancient stage entertainment area, but it can also be integrated into itself, very quiet and leisurely.

This is the sedan hall, called "Lici Hall". It was the place where Xu Shiyuan welcomed guests and parked his sedan chair. The word "Li Ci" comes from "Li Sao". There is a sentence "Ci Lu Shi makes the room full, and he is judged to be alone and refuses to accept it." "Ci Lu Shi" are all bad weeds. Xu Shiyuan used it as a metaphor for a villain and warned himself to be close to a gentleman. , far away from the villain, so this is the name of the sedan hall.

This is the hall, where the owner holds weddings, ancestor worship ceremonies or entertains distinguished guests. In the middle hall is the "Picture of Loving Birds on Ancient Wood". It expresses Xu Shiyuan's gratitude to his parents for their upbringing. The calligraphy and paintings on both sides are worth reading. Among them, "Visiting Friends in Spring Mountain" is Xu Shiyuan's only poem that has survived to this day. The poetry is fresh and refined, expressing the poet's feelings of seclusion and seclusion.

Another poem is "Reading at Night in Shanfang". The author talks about Rulong, who was also from Mudu. When Kangxi visited Mudu in the south, Tan Rulong, as a talented scholar in Mudu, presented a poem to Kangxi in person. He was deeply appreciated and was admired by the emperor. He came to Beijing and served as editor in the inner court, which is equivalent to the current secretary of the General Office of the Central Committee.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Xu family was declining, and the East Garden was purchased by the Chen family. Shen Shou, the granddaughter of the Chen family, grew up here. She studied female embroidery with her grandmother and sister Shen Li. She worked hard and eventually became the "Queen of Embroidery". This building is the embroidery building of Shen Shou, named "Xuehuan Building". Now, we have set up the Shen Shou Memorial Hall here, which introduces Shen Shou's life, artistic achievements and awards in more detail. For those who are interested, You can go and have a look.

In the 13th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1874), when the sweet-scented osmanthus was fragrant, Shen Shou was born in Wu County, which is now Qiao Sikong Lane, Suzhou. When Shen Shou was 7 years old, he began to live at his grandmother's house in Mudu, working for his sister Shen Li and learning embroidery skills. The first work was "Picture of Yinghong", and he embroidered "Picture of Autumn Rain and Moon" when he was 12 years old. Alarming the elders, he became famous in Suzhou for his embroidery skills at the age of 15.

In the 20th year of Guangxu (1894), 20-year-old Shen Shou married Yu Jue, a Shaoxing scholar, calligrapher and painter, and lived in front of Fanzhuang, Suzhou. Five years later, he moved to Shanghai with Yu Jue.

In the 30th year of Guangxu's reign, Empress Dowager Cixi celebrated her 70th birthday. Shen Shou, his sister Shen Li, his student Yu Jingfen and others embroidered the "Eight Immortals' Longevity Picture" and "Infinite Life Buddha" Two longevity screens were presented to Cixi and were called "unparalleled masterpieces" by Cixi's concubine. They were awarded the fourth-class "Four Dragon Treasure Stars" by the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, and had the words "Fu" and "Shou" personally written on them. Distributed to Yu Shen and his wife. Shen Shou's original name was Shen Liyun. After receiving a letter from Cixi, he changed his name to Shen Shou and changed his title to "Xue Huan". At this time, the imperial court adopted the recommendation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce and established the Embroidery Engineering Department, also known as the Royal Embroidery Engineering School, with Shen Shou as the chief instructor and Yu Jue as the general office of foreign affairs. In November, Yu Chen and his wife went to Japan to inspect art school teaching. In January of the following year, they returned to China and brought back 87 various picture albums and a small embroidery screen as well as gold thread, paint, etc., and began to try to use Western prints and photography pictures as embroidery He created the "simulation embroidery" technique, and his contribution is of epoch-making significance.

In the 32nd year of Guangxu's reign, Shen Shou used "simulation embroidery" technology to embroider my country's first portrait embroidery work "Portrait of Queen Alina of Italy" to participate in the Dulan, Italy He won the first prize at the expo and was awarded the "Certificate of Excellence, the highest honor in the world", and was known as the "Magic Needle".

When the Revolution of 1911 broke out, Shen Shou’s embroidery engineering department for female workers was disbanded. Yu Chen and his wife went to Tianjin to establish an independent embroidery training institute. In 1914, at the invitation of Zhang Qian, Shen Shou went to Nantong to serve as the director of the female embroidery training institute. Trained more than 150 embroidery girls for Nantong. In February of the following year, the United States held an exposition in San Francisco to commemorate the opening of the Panama Canal. Shen Shou's "Statue of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World" won the first prize at the expo and became famous far and wide, and was known as the "Embroidery Saint."

In October 1917, Shen Shou fell ill. While he was ill, Shen Shou dictated the empirical and theoretical key points of his life's embroidery skills, and compiled them from Zhang Qian's notes into "Xuehuan Embroidery Book", which was the first book on Chinese crafts. During this period, Shen Shou was still ill and embroidered the last work in her life, "Portrait of Actress Becker". On June 8, 1921 (the third day of the fifth lunar month), Shen Shou died of illness at the age of 47 and was buried in Huangmin Mountain, Nantong.

As a generation of embroidery queen, Shen Shou has cultivated a large number of embroidery art talents for our country and won great honors for Su embroidery in the world. This is Jin Jingfen, Shen Shou's eldest disciple, the first director of the Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute after liberation, and a representative of the third National People's Congress. This is Shen Shou's niece Shen Cuizhen, who is Zou Taofen's wife. This is their family portrait, with Zou Jiahua in the middle. Shen Shou is the pride of Su Xiu and Mudu.

Dear tourists, now we have come to the West Garden, which was originally the villa of Wu Xinyi, a member of the Donglin Party in the Ming Dynasty. It was built in the fourth year of Chongzhen, that is, 1631. At that time, Wu Xinyi was deported and sent back because of the impeachment of the eunuch Wei Zhongxian.

He first built a pastoral residence in Suzhou, which is now the east garden part of the Humble Administrator's Garden. But he was still dissatisfied with the hustle and bustle of the city, so he built a beautiful wild garden on the bank of Mudu Xiangxi River. He often invited friends from time to time to visit, watch, sing, and relax in the garden. . Soon, Wu Xin Yi Chong was appointed by the imperial court, and he successively served as Tai Puqing (equivalent to the current Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China), Ying Tianfujia (equivalent to the current Mayor of Beijing), and Shaosikou (equivalent to the current Ministry of Justice). Deputy Minister).

Everyone knows that our Mudu is not only the only ancient garden town in the south of the Yangtze River, but also a place where Qianlong visited six times. Therefore, in the process of restoring Hongyin Shanfang, we traveled all over the country and searched for folk treasures related to the imperial culture of the Qing Dynasty. Now, please follow me to appreciate these treasures and rare treasures of the garden.

The first thing we came to was the Imperial Edict Hall, which displays the ten emperors of the Qing Dynasty, namely Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, Guangxu, Xuantong's twenty imperial edicts. Usually, you can often see such a scene in classical dramas and films. A palace eunuch holds a yellow silk in his hand and reads out the imperial edict: "By God, the emperor decrees ------". In fact, these are The props used in the performance, but very few people have actually seen the emperor's edicts and imperial edicts.

So, what is the real imperial edict?

The so-called "imperial edict" is the folk honorific title for the emperor's "edict" and "edict". "Edicts" specifically refer to the emperor's orders and proclamations; while "appointments" are equivalent to the "letters of appointment", "appointment letters", and "employment documents" of current organizational departments. "Edicts" are divided into two types: "imperial orders" and "imperial orders": imperial orders are granted from the first to fifth ranks, and imperial edicts are made of colorful silk; imperial orders from the sixth to ninth ranks are granted using white silk. In the Qing Dynasty, this kind of precious damask and brocade fabrics were woven exclusively in Jiangning. The grandfather of Cao Xueqin, the well-known author of "Dream of Red Mansions", worked as a weaver in Jiangning, and his grandfather Li Xu also worked as a weaver in Suzhou.

Edicts are generally 3 to 5 meters long and 33 centimeters wide. Why is it so long? First, there is a lot of content, including not only the official's title, honors, etc., but also the official's deeds. In addition to the official who was awarded the title, "preferential gifts" were also implemented for his ancestors and wives, and even extended to the official's descendants. The second is that the imperial edicts of the Qing Dynasty were written in the "Manchu and Han Dynasty combined wall": the Manchu script is from left to right, the Chinese script is from right to left, and the "year, month and day" are written in the middle. The year and month are written according to the date of the decree, and the "treasure of making the imperial edict" is stamped on it, which is the emperor's "jade seal".

In order to prevent the forgery of imperial edicts, ancient imperial edicts also had specific anti-counterfeiting signs. Please look at the two ends of these imperial edicts. There are two silver dragons flying up and down, and in the middle are the four extraordinary seal characters "Feng Tian Gaoming", which are both sacred and majestic, dynamic and magnificent. This is the anti-counterfeiting mark of the imperial edicts of the Qing Dynasty.

From the pattern of the imperial edict, we can see the status and level of the recipient. Those below the fifth rank generally use auspicious cloud patterns, and those above the fifth rank use auspicious cranes.

There have been quite strict regulations in the past dynasties regarding the safekeeping of imperial edicts. After officials received the imperial edict from the emperor, they carefully kept it in a secret box and copied the wooden plaque and hung it in the hall to show the family's glory. If damage is caused by accidental encounter with water, fire or theft, supplies will be allowed upon application for reconsideration; if the collection is damaged by insects due to careless storage, the lighter case will be a fine of six months' salary, and the more serious case will be removal from official position; The most serious thing is that pawning the imperial decree violates the Qing Dynasty's criminal law. In addition to recovering and returning it, it will also be handed over to the Ministry of Punishment and punished for the crime of deceiving the emperor.

Those who specialized in writing imperial edicts in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were called "Shujishi", and "Shujishi" must be bachelors of the Hanlin Academy who were born as Jinshi. They were good at calligraphy and had high literary talent. Famous Chinese calligraphers such as Liu Gongquan, Yan Zhenqing, and Dong Qichang once served as "shujishi" and specialized in writing imperial edicts. Therefore, the handwriting of the imperial edicts of the past dynasties is round and elegant, the writing and wording are quite concise, and they have extremely high value for artistic appreciation and academic research.

The quality of the materials used in the imperial edict also reflects the rise and fall of national power at that time.

In the prosperous period of the Qing Dynasty, imperial edicts were very particular about the use of damask. In the later period, the materials used became more and more beautiful. Looking at this Guangxu imperial edict clearly, the silk used is as rough as linen. Puyi, the puppet emperor of the pseudo-Manzhou Empire, simply changed the imperial edict to "Instruction Order", and his jade seal was replaced by "Judiciary Department".

In the late Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi signed many unequal treaties because of her authoritarianism and conservatism, leaving her with an eternal infamy. However, the announcement she issued on December 22, the twenty-seventh year of Guangxu's reign, with the purpose of "treating all people equally", had a very progressive side. The decree states: 1. Abolish the ban on intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese; 2. Discourage the bad habit of foot binding among Han women and restore it to nature; 3. Prohibit the selection of women among Han women.

Millions. The political, economic, and cultural rise and fall of Chinese dynasties are all closely related to this system. The establishment of the Western civil service examination system also originated from the Chinese imperial examination system. The imperial examination system is a major cultural wonder in the history of China and the world.

This is a "license" issued by the Ministry of Household Affairs, which is equivalent to the current letter of introduction. It has the names of the candidate's great-grandfather, grandfather, and father. If the candidate If your family background is not good, you will not be qualified to take the exam. After candidates hold this "Ministry of Household License", they can go to the Imperial College to exchange for this license, which is equivalent to the current admission ticket. Although there were no cameras in ancient times, the examinee's facial features can be described clearly through words: "According to the Ministry of Household Registration, Wen Shishou was from Jiexiu County, Fenzhou Prefecture, Shanxi Province. He was fifteen years old, with a scarf on his body, a white face, and No need------

This is a set of questions for the Henan Provincial Examination in the 20th year of Guangxu's reign. ***It is divided into three sessions. The first session consists of three questions from the "Four Books". The second session contains five questions from the "Five Classics", and the third session contains five questions from the "Five Classics". This is a complete set of rural examination papers, which are the authentic examination papers of Yao Yuxian Township in Henan Province. They are very rare and have strict requirements. The first part is the name, face, age and description of the candidate, followed by the names of three generations, and the official seals of the invigilator, Guanfang and examiner (divided into inner and outer palms), Mi Fengguan, and Eighth Examination Officer. Those who are qualified will be able to go to Beijing to take the Imperial Examination and the Palace Examination after three years.

This is the highest level examination paper for the Imperial Examination - the Palace Examination is the highest level in the country. The examination was personally presided over by the emperor and held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony (later changed to the Hall of Baohe). The first place in the exam was awarded the top prize, the second place was awarded the second place, and the third place was awarded the top prize. Born as a Jinshi, the third-level scholar was born as a Jinshi. This is a palace examination paper, written on both sides, with profound calligraphy skills, relevant content, and wonderful diction. It is a rare study sample.

The feudal imperial examination was a strict examination room, but it still could not stop all kinds of weird cheating methods. This silk ribbon is 45 cm long and 38 cm wide. It can be folded into two parts for writing on both sides, making it easier for candidates to hide it. Inside the shoe. Each character is only 2-3 millimeters, the strokes are as thin as a hair, and the writing is beautiful. There are more than 28,000 characters in total, and it contains the entire content and annotations of the "Four Books". This book is so small. It is obviously to make it easier for the candidates to cheat, but the cunning bookseller wrote on the title page the words "Don't bring me here by mistake". It is really "there is no silver in this place". It is just to prevent the candidates from being implicated if they reveal their secrets. .