What are the historical stories about Suzhou gardens?

The historical stories about Suzhou gardens are as follows:

1. There is a scenic spot in the Lion Grove Garden, a famous classical garden built in the Yuan Dynasty, called Li Xue Tang. The allusion contained in it is the well-known Cheng Men Lixue. Cheng Yi, one of the "Two Cheng Brothers in the Northern Song Dynasty", was a famous Neo-Confucianist and thinker. At the age of twenty-four, he accepted apprentices and gave lectures in Kaifeng. Once, his students Yang Shi and You Ye went to Chengfu, Henan Province to visit and ask for advice from their teacher.

It was the middle of winter, and I saw Teacher Cheng Yi closing his eyes and concentrating in the hall. In fact, he was pretending to sleep and observing. Seeing this, the two disciples quietly withdrew and waited quietly in the courtyard. Unexpectedly, it started to snow, and the two waited quietly in the snow. After waiting for a long time, Cheng Yi opened his eyes and saw that the student's insteps had been buried in heavy snow. Allusions promote and exaggerate the traditional idea of ??respecting teachers and valuing education.

2. The Lingering Garden, one of the four famous gardens in the country, has a building on the east side of the central pool called Quxi Tower. On the rare octagonal door opening, there is the word "Quxi" engraved on it. Written by Wen Zhengming. Quxi originates from the allusion of the water flowing in the Quxi. In the ninth year of Yonghe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi, the calligrapher, together with 42 relatives and friends, played the game of "Qu Shui Liu Shang" in Lanting (a pavilion on the bank of Lanxi) in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. Eleven of them each wrote two poems, and fifteen of them each wrote two poems. In one article, eleven people handed in blank papers and were each punished with three cups of wine.

Wang Xizhi gathered these poems together and wrote a preface with 28 lines and 324 words on silkworm cocoon paper and a rat whisker pen, which is the world-famous "Preface to the Lanting Collection", which was praised by later generations as the best in the world. One line of writing. In the article, Wang Xizhi not only depicts the beautiful natural scenery of Lanting, but also expresses the joyful mood of gathering with friends. The calligraphy is even more powerful and varied, with more than 20 characters for "Zhi", none of which are the same.

3. There is a scenic spot in Yiyuan called Shishi Pavilion, which is a reflection of the famous allusion Mi Fu's Shishi Pavilion. Mi Fu, a calligrapher and painter in the Northern Song Dynasty, loved stones to the point of being crazy. He was appointed as the supervisor of Wuwei Prefecture. Suddenly he saw a strange stone in the courtyard of the government office. He screamed and lost his voice: This is enough for me to worship. He immediately changed into his official uniform, held the wat tablet in his hand, straightened his crown, bowed before him, and respectfully called the stone Shizhang.

4. There is a building on the top of the mountain against the wall in the west of Lion Forest called Wenmei Pavilion. Literally speaking, it comes from a poem by Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty: When you come from your hometown, you should know the things about your hometown; will the winter plum blossoms bloom in front of the beautiful window tomorrow? But in terms of content, I'm afraid it has something to do with Buddhist allusions. Once, the Buddhist monk named "Mei" asked his master Ma Zu, what is Buddha? Mazu said: The mind is the Buddha. It means that the Buddha is not far away from people, and it is realized in the heart. The Buddha is his own nature, so don't seek it from outside the body.

The most popular explanation is: your mind is the Buddha. The disciple suddenly had an enlightenment and went to a Buddhist temple elsewhere to serve as the abbot. He always kept in mind the four words "the mind is the Buddha" and continued to study Buddhism, becoming more and more knowledgeable in Buddhism. Mazu sent someone to inquire about "plum". When he heard this, he kept saying: "The plums are ripe, the plums are ripe."

5. The "Zao Yao Gaoxiang" brick-carved gatehouse in the Master of the Nets Garden is known as the first gatehouse in the south of the Yangtze River. On the east side of the gatehouse, there is a three-dimensional opera picture of "King Wen visiting the wise" engraved on its east side. Of course it is related to the famous allusion of King Wen of Zhou Dynasty visiting wise men. In order to put an end to the evil sins of King Zhou of Shang Dynasty, King Wen of Zhou Dynasty was thirsty for talents. He went to the bank of the Wei River, knelt down on one knee, and asked Taigong Jiang who was sitting in front of him to help him in politics. There were many civil and military ministers beside him. The scene was very grand.

6. There is a scenic spot in the middle of the Humble Administrator's Garden called Little Canglang, which reflects the antiphon between Qu Yuan and the fisherman. After Qu Yuan was exiled by King Huai of Chu, the fisherman asked him why he offended King Huai of Chu. Qu Yuan said: Everyone in the world is dirty, but I am alone in the clear; everyone in the world is drunk, but I am alone in my sobriety. This is how I see it. So, in order to comfort Qu Yuan, the fisherman sang a song loudly: The water in Canglang is clear, and I can wash my tassel; the water in Canglang is turbid, and I can wash my feet.

It means that if the current leader is wise and cherishes his talents, you should wash your hat and go to govern the country for him; on the contrary, if he is ignorant and immoral, you should live in seclusion and entertain yourself by washing his feet.

7. Beside the pool in the west of the Lion Grove rockery group, there is a peak of lake stone, which looks like a monk in cassock, floating on the water. This is the incarnation of Bodhidharma, the ancestor of Buddhism, which expresses the famous Zen Buddhism. Allusion - A reed crosses the river. After the ancestor had a conversation with Emperor Wu of Liang, the latter seemed to have some enlightenment, but Bodhidharma had already left.

Repenting, Emperor Wu of Liang sent people to chase him quickly. When they reached the river, they saw that there were no boats. The pursuers thought they were done, but they expected that the old monk would not be able to cross the river. Unexpectedly, I saw Bodhidharma pull up a reed and throw it into the river. It immediately turned into a small boat, and Bodhidharma calmly took the boat away.

Extended information

Development history

Suzhou is located in a water town, dotted with lakes, ditches, ponds and weirs, which is very convenient for gardening based on water conditions. Taihu stone is abundant nearby, so it is suitable for It can be said that Suzhou is uniquely endowed with exquisite and exquisite rockeries. All industries have prospered in the past dynasties, and the officials and people are prosperous. It is fully qualified to pursue a high-quality living environment. In addition, the folk customs of Suzhou have always advocated art and pursued perfection. They have been passed down through the ages and have everlasting prosperity. Whether it is a wild folk house or a government office, its design and construction are meticulous and unique. These basic factors have greatly promoted the development of Suzhou classical gardens.

The history of Suzhou’s classical gardens can be traced back to the gardens of King Wu in the Spring and Autumn Period in the 6th century BC. The earliest recorded private garden was Pijiang Garden in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (4th century), which was known as “the best garden in Wuzhong” at that time. ". In the following dynasties, garden building flourished, and there were more and more famous gardens. In the Ming Dynasty, garden building became particularly popular. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were more than 170 gardens inside and outside the city. Suzhou won the title of "City of Gardens".

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Suzhou became one of the most prosperous areas in China, with private gardens spread throughout the ancient city.

In its heyday from the 16th to the 18th century, Suzhou had more than 200 gardens, dozens of which are still well preserved, which gave Suzhou the reputation of "Paradise on Earth".

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Suzhou’s feudal economic and cultural development reached its peak, and gardening art also matured. A group of garden artists appeared, bringing gardening activities to a climax. At its peak, there were more than 280 private gardens and courtyards in Suzhou.

On December 4, 1997, the 21st Plenary Session of the United Nations World Heritage Committee approved the inclusion of Suzhou classical gardens, with the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the Lingering Garden, the Master of the Nets Garden, and the Huanxiu Villa as typical examples, in the " World Heritage List.

On November 30, 2000, the 24th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee approved the addition of Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove Garden, Art Garden, Couple Garden and Tuisi Garden to the World Heritage List. .

In 2003, Suzhou Classical Gardens was named by the Central Civilization Commission as an advanced unit in the country’s civilized industry.

On May 30, 2017, the "World Heritage - Suzhou Classical Gardens" tourism culture promotion conference was held at the Cultural Office of the Chinese Embassy in France on the 30th. Through tourism promotional videos, photo exhibitions, VR (virtual Real-life technology) experience and other forms to show the French people the unique charm of Suzhou's classical gardens of "multiple scenic spots, mountains and forests close at hand".

Baidu Encyclopedia-Suzhou Gardens