Male photography in Ming dynasty

Traveler Boundless tj Text/Photography

(plaque given by the emperor)

Taining Shangshudi, commonly known as Tang, is the residence of Shangshu of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty and Prince Li. It has five courtyards and 120 houses, covering an area of more than 4,000 square meters. It has been built for more than 370 years, and it is the largest and best preserved Ming-style residence in Fujian.

(Taining Tourism Map)

270 kilometers west from Youxi, arrived in Taining, followed by the foot of rain, and walked into this small mountain town with the first lights on.

Accommodation, walking into Jinshi Street with an umbrella in the night. The flagstone road glows with dim light, the abrupt high wall narrows the alley, the deep door is locked, the window lights are flashing, the rain drips from the double eaves from time to time, sometimes it is late at night, and occasionally the umbrella shadow of the returnees floats by and breaks the silence. The rainy night is looming, and it is inevitable to have some palpitations. At first glance, Shangshu first felt this way.

(Old house in rainy night)

By the dim light of the mobile phone, the nameplate on the wall, Shangshudi, Jiuju Lane and Shidetang all recognized it, as if every word was soaked in time, making people curious about the story behind the name. Some detached purlin bricks were scattered in the corner. After being soaked in rain, the house became darker. Maybe it's the replacement of the old and the new. I wonder if the old mark has disappeared, but is the new appearance still the same?

Walking through the deep and quiet streets is like a preview of an ancient painting. The axis of the painting slowed down and the picture slowly opened. I don't know what masterpiece it is. Looking forward to the next morning.

(The ancient well next to Shangshu)

It rained until dawn, and I bought a ticket to visit Shangshudi. My face was soaked with raindrops and the pattern was watery. An alley is a mansion, with carved doors at both ends, which netted the majesty of that year. The five courtyards with the same organizational system are lined up, and the big families also have small families, which are interrelated internally. The harmony of in-laws is naturally going from door to door. The corridor of the main hall, the patio cloister and a Buddhist temple are all patchwork. The brick carvings, wood carvings, couplets and lotus seats at the door are all exquisite. They have a long history, great potential, exquisite construction and are well preserved, which can be described as the top products of folk houses.

(Shang Shudi with the door left unlocked)

The continuous rain makes it a luxury to browse the rural scenery, but it is really an opportunity for God to walk through the old houses, ask past questions with the sound of rain, look through the rain, study feelings in the faint darkness and meditate in the slight cold. This Shangshudi is different from the decadence in Shan Ye, the Wang Fu in Beijing and the ancient buildings in Beijing. It gives me the feeling that:

(Old painting and new rain)

So thick, it is the materialization of Guan Wei in the countryside

Li, the first master of Shangshu, was a scholar at the age of six, a scholar at the age of sixteen, a juren at the age of thirty-six and a scholar at the age of forty-six. I have been an official in the imperial court for eleven years and have been promoted to fourteen grades. Official to the Ministry of War Shangshu, Prince Taishi, a late bloomer, a successful career. He is a rare senior official in the history of Taining. His mansion was built with the gift of the emperor, and the lintel was a "four generations and one product" plaque given by the emperor of the apocalypse, which is obvious. Shangshudi paved the road with hard granite walls, built a corridor patio and built a deep house compound. Its majestic and spacious Taining is unique. That is the status of the emperor, the qualification of the emperor's teacher, can afford to build and live.

(The First Hall of Shangshu)

That kind of atmosphere is the expansion of financial resources in construction

Shangshu is more than 4,000 square meters, and a mansion is a street. Its "atmosphere" is not only reflected in the expansion of architectural space, but also in corridors and beam halls, which is the largest in the local area. It is also manifested in the choice of building materials, such as heavy and durable Chinese fir and hard and durable stone slats, which form the unique architectural pattern of "three halls and nine floors" in Taining. Shangshu has been nearly 400 years, but its style remains the same. It was expensive when it was first built, and it was absolutely impossible without strong financial support. Looking closely at Li, we can see that the annual salary of the first-class ministers in Ming Dynasty was only 152 Liang, while the first-class ministers consumed 200,000 Liang of silver. Although it was rewarded by the emperor, it was a drop in the bucket. He can hold up this facade, and it is unreasonable to have no gray income. Li befriended the traitor Wei Zhongxian, and his promotion depended entirely on Wei's background. After Wei's downfall, he was sentenced to "making friends with the valet (Wei Zhongxian) as a second-rate" and was sentenced to jail, but he spent money to run it, but he didn't go to jail. At that time, there was a folk song that said: When you come, you will be prosperous. The treasure was swept away. Li is not generally rich, and Shangshudi is not affordable by general financial resources.

(Shangshu Lane in the rain)

Those delicious foods are luxuries in life.

The construction, exquisite design, excellent materials, fine technology and excellent effect of Shangshudi are unparalleled in Taining. The pursuit of the ultimate ingenuity and craftsmanship can be seen everywhere. In the front yard, hall, Buddhist temple, eaves, pillars, walls, stone carvings, wood carvings, brick carvings, and even ordinary panes, stone jars and manhole, unexpected designs have been made, which combine the practicality of life with visual beauty, and that kind of exquisiteness is hard to see.

(Li bedroom, young lady's boudoir, old mother's hall, family school)

That moral is the gift of loyalty and filial piety in the family.

As a mansion, Shangshudi not only has the brilliance of masonry, but also has the charm of cultural brewing. This carrier of soft and hard strength has its long-term vitality. On the black inkstone handed down from ancient times, there are four seasons poems written by Zhu Jutai in Ningshi. The inheritance of Confucianism is the foundation of Li Jiashi. Under the plaque of "filial piety" is the scene of an old mother in her later years. Li resigned three times in support of her filial piety and was praised by the emperor. Li studied hard and was born with strict moral standards. In Shangshu, the door is called "Ritual Gate" and the road is called "Righteousness Road". The decorations, plaques, calligraphy and painting in "Li Yu" have distinct levels, which perfectly combine ethics and family education and attach to the whole mansion in an image and artistic way.

The stone wall behind mother and daughter is tall and heavy.

It was "thoughtful" to visit Shangshudi, see ancient buildings and meet old friends. The rainy morning is quiet and long.

Raiders:

Shangshudi, located in Tang Fu Lane, Shengli Second Street, Taining County, tickets, 20 yuan.

(Old house and restorer, Luo visited Shangshudi, a tourist, Shangshudi street sign)