Millennium Mudu Elegant Gusu

? Shake a boat in the south of the Yangtze River, hold an oil-paper umbrella, and go down the famous water in wuyue, Xiangxi and Xujiang, and visit the former residence of Shi, Youganlong Folk Palace, visit the ancient town, taste the history, enjoy gardening, plunge into the embrace of Mudu for thousands of years and taste the elegance of that ancient city. ...

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"Suzhou's bustling map is half in Mudu." Among all kinds of scenic spots in Suzhou, I think the ancient town of Mudu best represents the temperament of the ancient city of Gusu.

Located on the bank of Taihu Lake, this ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River has a history of about 3,000 years. Built on the mountain and living by the water, it is almost the same age as Suzhou City. Apart from its rich history and culture, Mudu is different from other ancient towns in that it has more than 30 private gardens. According to the local chronicles of Mudu, when Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, he collapsed in Mudu ancient town six times. It can be seen that the reputation of "Millennium Mudu, elegant Suzhou" has a long history.

Walking into the ancient town of Mudu with a long history, you seem to be in the bustling streets of Ming and Qing Dynasties. At the foot is Marsh Street, with blue bricks and green tiles on both sides. At present, banners are flying, shops are everywhere, pedestrians are in an endless stream, and shouts and operas are mixed with the hot air of Jiangnan snacks, which pervades the whole ancient city in the early morning or evening. Through the history of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the battle for hegemony in wuyue in the distance has been extinguished, and the scene of the sound of horses and chariots, the sound of hooves and the rolling of wolf smoke no longer exists, leaving only beautiful legends and historical conjectures.

There are many legends about the ancient town of Mudu. First of all, I want to talk about that beautiful woman, Xi Shi. It is said that the origin of the name "Mudu" is closely related to her. The legendary Yue woman walked gracefully through a corner of wuyue's history with an oil-paper umbrella and an awning boat. A gorgeous dress and elegant appearance surprised Fu Cha, the king of Wu, the landscape of wuyue and the whole history of China. It is reported that her appearance originated from wuyue's hegemony in the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, Fu Cha, the king of Wu, defeated Gou Jian, the king of Yue. At the time of national disaster, Gou Jian gave the stone to Fu Cha as a "honey trap". Fu Cha was infatuated with the beauty of Stone. In order to please her, she built many buildings in the city, spared no effort to repair Gusutai and build a baby palace. Huge projects need a lot of wood, and the wood keeps flowing, blocking the ports of large and small rivers, hence the name "Mudu". In the end, Fu Cha, the king of Wu, who loved beauty instead of mountains and rivers, was defeated by Gou Jian, the king of Yue, because his national strength was exhausted.

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Speaking of the tile palace in Guanshi, Xi, it is natural to introduce the scenic Lingyan Mountain. Lingyan Mountain, the first peak in Wuzhong, is182m above sea level. There are many strange stones in the mountains, which look like ganoderma lucidum and are known as the "first in the south of the Yangtze River". The Wawa Palace built by Fu Cha, the king of Wu, was built on Lingyan Mountain.

This mountain also witnessed the whole history of wuyue's hegemony. Legend has it that at the end of Shang Dynasty and the beginning of Zhou Dynasty, the two sons of the ancient father, Taibo and Boyong, came to the south to establish the "Wu Gou" country in order to give up the throne to their younger brother. Later, the strength of Wu increased greatly, and its territory expanded. Wu Zixu and Sun Wu, ministers of Chu State, were reused, and two rivers, Xujiang and Xiangxi, were dug. With the help of Wu and Sun, Wu's military strength became stronger and stronger, and he gradually joined the ranks of the Central Plains for hegemony, and wuyue's hegemony began. It is not difficult to find out from the confrontation map of wuyue's military layout that Lingyan Mountain and Mudu were once the entrenched places where Wu was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the sites and monuments such as Gusutai and Shicheng in Lingyan Mountain also proved this point.

Through the thousand-year history of wuyue, I can still smell the fragrance of flowers and plants in the Wu Palace and touch the historical temperature of wuyue when I shake the awning boat in the south of the Yangtze River and stroll along the banks of the Xujiang River and Xiangxi River. Xu Jiang was suggested by Wu Zixu, a famous minister in the Spring and Autumn Period, and later called "Xu Jiang"; Xiangxi is called "Xiangxi" because Shi lives in Guanwa Palace on Lingyan Mountain, bathes with spices every day, and the lotion flows down from the mountain into the river, making the river full of fragrance. During the Spring and Autumn Period, wuyue, two famous rivers, was dug by the King of Wu in order to crusade against Chu. Only by sending troops by waterway could the brilliant results of "five wars and five wins" be achieved. In this way, they are also one of the witnesses of the whole history of wuyue's hegemony.

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As mentioned above, Mudu is not only an ancient water town, but also a "garden town". Yan Jia Garden is a famous garden in the south of the Yangtze River, and it is one of the representative works. Yan Jia Garden, with its dense and tortuous architectural layout, proper competition, exquisite and elegant local treatment, profound and graceful, embodies the unique gardening art, and is called "the classic of Jiangnan Garden" by Professor Liu Dunzhen, a famous modern architect.

The whole garden is divided into four parts: spring, summer, autumn and winter. In the spring garden, there is a leafy Magnolia grandiflora, which has been blocked by the sun for thousands of years. According to legend, it was planted by Emperor Qianlong himself when he went to the south of the Yangtze River. It is said that Emperor Qianlong spent the night in the home of my favorite retired minister, Shen Deqian. After a long separation, the monarch and his subjects met in a room and had a good talk. Tan Xing was working hard when Qianlong accidentally knocked the Magnolia grandiflora on the coffee table next to his seat. With a crunchy sound, the flowerpot broke. Emperor Qianlong was a little embarrassed. Fortunately, Shen Deqian was witty and immediately knelt down and said, "The emperor came to my humble abode, and even his Magnolia grandiflora was overwhelmed by his talent!" After Gan Long heard about it, he personally transplanted Magnolia grandiflora to the yard of Shen Lao, the owner at that time, the next day.

Visiting the garden in summer is mainly about enjoying the lotus flowers. In midsummer, about three or two friends are in the gallery, watching lotus flowers and writing poems. Bathed in the faint breeze, the faint scent of lotus flowers makes people feel that the summer heat is gone forever and relaxed. In addition, the lakes and mountains in the summer garden and the rocky rockeries are also decorated with different tastes. From different angles, you can find your own zodiac.

Autumn Garden is the largest garden in Yan Jia, which is divided into early autumn and late autumn. In the early autumn garden, a rockery is built with yellow-brown Yellowstone to render the festive atmosphere of autumn harvest. There is a waterside pavilion in the park, surrounded by osmanthus flowers. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, sweet-scented osmanthus is fragrant, and a bright moon is reflected in the water at night, rippling with the waves, which is the best place to smell sweet-scented osmanthus and enjoy the moon. There is a "waterfront stage" in the late autumn garden, and the surrounding buildings are scattered, which is convenient for everyone to listen to songs and enjoy operas. Through the swaying viewing window of bamboo shadow, I seem to see the lively scene of singing and dancing thousands of years ago: dancers with long sleeves, unique Kunqu opera, wedding courtyard, laughter, fish swimming in the lotus pond in front of the stage ... This scene is fascinating.

Winter Garden is a place where the host makes friends and entertains himself with poems. It mainly includes three small courtyards: Tingyuxuan, Caiying Studio and Haitang Bookstore. Interspersed rooms with chess, calligraphy and painting. In late winter and early spring, red, white, yellow and green plum blossoms are in full bloom here, which is really interesting.

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If we want to say the largest private garden in Mudu ancient town, we have to count "Yin Hong Mountain Residence". This private garden in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty is backed by Lingyan Mountain and opposite the door is Xiangxi River. Its "beautiful mountains and beautiful moons, beautiful flowers and trees in the pool pavilion" are far superior to other gardens. It is said that when Emperor Qianlong visited the south of the Yangtze River six times, he always went to Yin Hong Villa to see a play, drink tea and recite poems. Therefore, the locals also called it the "folk palace" of Emperor Qianlong.

Yin Hong Mountain Residence is a combination of Xiuye Garden and Xiaoyin Garden, which contains many relics of Qing emperors. For example, the royal pier, imperial edict, court costumes, etc. But I think what is most worth mentioning is the "Dragon Chair", the treasure of Yin Hong Mountain House. This is the seat of the sacred driving station stationed in Lingyan Mountain during Emperor Kangxi's southern tour. This dragon chair is made of thousand-year-old rosewood, and nine golden dragons are wrapped around the chair, showing the supreme respect for the emperor. Later, Emperor Qianlong came, saw it, and liked it very much. He sent someone from Lingyan Mountain to get the greenhouse of Yin Hong Mountain House, which was specially used for him to watch the play.

Speaking of going to the theatre, it is natural to mention Xu Shiyuan, the owner of this Rainbow Drinking Mountain House. This Xu Shiyuan is well-read and well-off. After I failed in the exam, I stopped chasing fame and gain, only made friends in my garden, read books together, wrote poems, drank wine, went to the theatre and tasted tea. My life was very chic. Because he is a heavy drinker, his friends also call him "Yin Hong", and his residence is close to Hongqiao, the ancient town of Mudu, so "Yin Hong Mountain Residence" is named. Although he is a heavy drinker, this free and easy genius has never been dissolute in his life. On the contrary, he stresses filial piety. In order to please his parents, he specially built an ancient stage in his garden. Every beautiful festival, he asked the troupe to sing for his parents, so as to satisfy his heart and enjoy life. This song doesn't matter. It sings the good reputation of his dutiful son and attracts Emperor Qianlong and his entourage. No, every time Emperor Qianlong goes down to the south of the Yangtze River, he stays in this Yin Hong mountain house for a few days. He likes gardens, offices and theaters. It is said that on one occasion, Emperor Qianlong went to the theatre to enjoy it and personally went to the stage to dance swords.

Perhaps because of the emperor's anger. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, a strange girl changed hands and walked out of this secret little garden in Yin Hong Shanfang. She is Shen Shou, the "embroidery queen" in the history of Suzhou embroidery in China.

Shen Shou, a native of Wuxian, studied art at the age of 7. /kloc-When he was 0/5 years old, Shen Shou was famous for his embroidery skills in Gusu, and was called a "prodigy" by his elders. Later, she went abroad to study with her husband and came back to create a successful "simulated embroidery" technique, which became the first portrait embroidery work of China, The Portrait of Italian Empress Alina. This painting later won the first prize of the Du Lang Expo, and Shen Shou's reputation as a "magic needle" has been well-known at home and abroad since then.

Looking around the wall of Shen Shou's former residence, there are words, photos and embroidered paintings ... However, my footsteps have become heavy, and I can't help wondering: Did she spend her old age here when she was sick, and wrote her life's masterpiece "Xueguan Embroidery Spectrum"?

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Walking through the Millennium Mudu ancient town, strolling through Shantangguan Street and Gusu Twelve Style Square, there are still many similar conjectures and questions. However, what I want to know most is the whereabouts of the beauty stone. Some people say that when the State of Yue destroyed the State of Wu, her lover Fan Li left Taihu Lake with her by boat and lived a happy life in a hidden place. He also said that Gou Jian took Fu Cha back to Yue after defeating her, and Mrs. Gou Jian executed Shi for the purpose of jealousy and defending the country ... This is really an unsolved mystery, but I hope the former one is true, at least it is so beautiful.

Perhaps, there are some conjectures and mysteries that I can't solve in my life; But what does it matter? Climb Lingyan Mountain once, visit Xiangxi River once, visit private gardens, touch the historical temperature of wuyue and taste the elegance of the ancient city of Gusu.