Kangwanwan Manor 2020.12.19

Gongyi Kangwanwan Manor Tour Guide

Kangwanwan Manor is backed by Mang Mountain and faces Luoshui. It is a geomantic treasure land surrounded by mountains and rivers. Century representative of fortress-style architecture on the Loess Plateau of North China. It selects the site according to the traditional culture of "harmony between man and nature, learning from nature" and "builds cave dwellings on the mountain, buildings on the street, docks on the river, and strong walls." In 2001, Kangwanwan Manor was announced by the State Council as a national key cultural relic protection unit. In 2005, it was awarded a national AAAA tourist attraction.

"Kang Wanwan" is the collective name for the entire family represented by Kang Yingkui since the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It became famous all over the world because of the bestowal from the Empress Dowager Cixi. The Kang family started by running a shop in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. They made their fortune by water transportation. They built their family on land and left some money to run the family and cultivate and educate the family. From the sixth generation ancestor Kang Shaojing to the eighteenth generation Kang Tinglan, they have been wealthy for twelve generations and more than four hundred years. Kang Yingkui, the fourteenth generation king in the mid-Qing Dynasty, built on the work of his predecessors and took advantage of the Qing government's suppression of the White Lotus Sect to "make a fortune with all his loyalty." He became rich in three provinces, sailed on six rivers, had 180,000 acres of land, and had countless wealth. It was said that "with its head resting on Jingyang and Xi'an, and its feet on Linyi and Jinan, a horse can run a thousand miles without eating other people's grass, and a person walking a thousand miles can only see the fields of Kang family!" It was very popular for a while. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Kang Wanwan, Shen Wansan, and Ruan Zilan were called the three "living gods of wealth" by the Chinese people; during the Republic of China, "Dongliu, Xizhang, and Lao Kang in the middle" were the three richest people in the Central Plains. In the 1960s and 1970s, Kangwanwan Manor in Henan, Liu Wencai's Manor in Sichuan, and Mou Erhei's Manor in Shandong were known as the three largest manors in the country. On the front left, we see the four characters "Yushang Homeland". The Kang family has implemented the Confucian ethics of "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trust" into business operations. It has been prosperous for more than 400 years and can be called the representative of Yushang. Role models and exemplars.

Kangwanwan Manor covers a total area of ??more than 240 acres and is composed of 19 parts. At present, the main ten parts that have been preserved include the main residence area, the warehouse area, the workshop area, the south courtyard, and the ancestral hall area. There are 33 courtyards, 53 buildings, 73 cave dwellings, 97 bungalows, a total of 571 rooms, and a construction area of ??64,300 square meters. Here we take a look at the entire manor during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. We are currently at this location. Today we mainly visit the hotel area, main residence area and south courtyard of the manor. In addition, the Kang family also owns its own forest farm and lumber factory... Behind closed doors, the Kang family can be self-sufficient, produce and sell their own goods. In 2003, a treasure cave was discovered in a cave dwelling in the main residential area, which can directly lead to Mangshan Jingu Village 2 kilometers away. Ladies and gentlemen, please come here. Let’s first visit the hotel area.

The hotel area was built in the 11th to 18th years of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1885-1892). At that time, the Kang family used the Luo River in front of their door to do water transportation business, and the hotel was first used as a ship. It was a stopping point for loading goods after traveling to various places. As the business grew, the warehouse was continuously improved, and now it has become a commercial center integrating warehouses, offices, and business. At its peak, Kang's hotels spread all over the country, reaching Japan in the east, Lanzhou in the west, Shanghai and Hangzhou in the south, and Tianjin in the north. The Kangdian Inn we saw today is a general inn of the Kang family. At that time, the Kang family recruited talents from all over the country, collectively known as Xianggong, who were divided into four old Xianggong, eight major Xianggong, and thirty-two minor Xianggong, forming a pyramid management structure to manage hotels in various places step by step. When you come here, please look up at the abacus above. Its length is 9.99 meters, which means that the Kang family’s business will last forever. In addition, the abacus is hung in this place to remind visitors that the front is the financial center of the Kang family. , unrelated personnel are not allowed to enter or leave at will.

The gold and silver warehouse is where Kang millions store gold, silver, jewelry and valuables. The place has been restored to its original appearance, and some official kiln porcelain, antiques, gold and silver jewelry, silver notes, contract jewelry boxes, archaeological racks, and Qing-style crates are displayed for tourists to visit. "Kang Wanwan" is one of the richest people in the Central Plains. Their first consideration should be the storage of gold and silver. For this reason, Kang Wanwan Manor has gold and silver warehouses, treasure caves, escape caves, etc. for their wealth. Shi Zangbao fled in troubled times. In order to ensure the safety of their wealth, the Kang family believed that the most dangerous place was also the safest place, so the Kang family set up their gold and silver vault in the commercial area. One of the most ingenious features of the gold and silver treasury is the internal and external summons. The external summons is located outside the door, and the inner summons is located under the eaves of the third courtyard. It will not be easily discovered without careful observation. If any unusual movement is discovered, the external summons will immediately notify the inner summons. After receiving the news, the internal summons immediately took measures to ensure financial security. In the main residence area that we will visit later, we will also see the treasure cave of the Kang family. It has the same function as the gold and silver vault, and is needed by the owner to collect property and protect his own safety.

The workshop area was the main production area of ??the Kang family in those days. The interior mainly restored scenes of the Kang family spinning flowers, weaving, making wine, and pounding rice, which is full of a strong flavor of life.

Dear leaders, we are about to reach the main residential area through the thirty-meter-long tunnel. The main residential area is where the main population lives and lives. It is the most complete and essential area in the entire park. It covers an area of ??more than 8,000 square meters and consists of seven courtyards. The five characters "Kangwanwan Manor" seen above were inscribed by Mr. Luo Zhewen, a famous Chinese ancient architecture expert.

There are three defense facilities in the ***. The first one is the tunnel we are passing through now. There are high walls and wall stacks above it. Once the gate is closed, there is a trend of "one man can block it and no one can open it"; the second line of defense is The facility is the patrol passage above, where the servants patrol day and night to protect the safety of the Kang family; the third defense facility is the guard yard at the top, where the servants are condescending to protect the safety of the manor at all times.

When entering the main residential area, we first saw the ancient well in front of us called "Ye's Well". It turned out that this land belonged to the Ye family. When the Kang family asked a Feng Shui master to look at the land, they fell in love with it. When they wanted to buy it, the Ye family insisted on selling the land rather than the well, because the water represented financial resources and they did not sell it. According to Cai's statement, the Kang family filled the entire well with gold, but the Ye family still refused to sell it. In the end, the Kang family could use it, but the ownership rights still belonged to the Ye family.

This way, let’s visit the first yard first. The plaques hanging above are all dedicated to praising the Kang family. At that time, the Kang family repaired the Yellow River, built schools, and gave free porridge, and they were called Kangshan people. The main residential area is where the master of the Kang family lives and lives. It faces north and south, from east to west, and consists of a south courtyard and a north courtyard. There are five courtyards arranged in a row in the north courtyard, and there are two courtyards in the south courtyard.

The courtyard you are standing in now was built by Kang Da Yong, the twelfth generation manor owner of the Kang family, in the early years of Qianlong. It is commonly known as the "Old Courtyard". It is a typical Chinese courtyard with three entrances to the front hall and back bedrooms. . Let’s look at the couplet on the front: “If you want to be prosperous, you can only study and teach your children; if you want to be prosperous, you can be diligent and thrifty at home.” This means that if you want to honor your ancestors, you must study and teach your children. The best way to benefit future generations is to be diligent and frugal in managing your family. The luxurious and spacious hall we are now in was the main living room of the Kang family at that time. "When entering Kangwanwan, first look at the Liuyu plaque." Here, I would like to introduce to you the symbol of Kangjia Manor culture and the treasure of the town hall - "Liuyu". Please look up and see that this unique plaque hanging directly above the hall is the Kang family's family motto "Leave You". The two prominent seal characters in front are the two characters "Liuyu" with room for it. The content above it is mentioned at the beginning: "Taoist Liugeng's "Four Liu Inscriptions" says: Leave more than you can, and you can use your endless ingenuity to repay good fortune; If there is any surplus left, the endless wealth can be returned to the people; if there is any surplus left, the endless blessings can be returned to the descendants." Here are four mottos from Wang Boda, a Taoist who left farming in the Southern Song Dynasty, as a warning. Children and grandchildren should leave room for everything. In life, do not use up all your blessings, wealth, longevity and wealth, but leave them to those who need them. He also quoted two sentences from Gao Jingyi, a Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty: "If you take one step when things are going wrong, you will have room for yourself; if you relax a little when it comes to wealth, you will have your own aftertaste." It can be said that the idea of ??leaving room for others has been brought to its extreme. In fact, not only its content, but also another unique feature of this plaque is its unique shape. Can you guys take a look and see if its shape looks like a flag fluttering in the wind? That is to say, the master of the Kang family hopes that the idea of ??"leaving remainder" can be passed down from generation to generation like a banner. What's even more ingenious is that you can see that the word "Liuyu" means "leave heaven" on the top and "leave room" on the bottom. This is to warn future generations to be worthy of the country's court and the people of Li. From the perspective of reading, some people think that this plaque is like an unfolded book, which reminds people that opening a book is beneficial. This plaque was inscribed by Niu Xuan, the literary champion of Gongxian County, in 1871. Now it has been listed as one of the Chinese famous plaques.

This is a standard courtyard building. The structure of the house has the saying that "the wing does not press against the front, and the west does not press against the east." The back is the main room, where the elders live, and the east and west sides are wing rooms and side rooms. Therefore, the east wing is where the eldest son lives, the house on the west, which is slightly lower than the house on the east, is where the second son lives, and the wing is where the servants live.

This is the tallest building in the manor, which can also be said to be a symbol of power and status. The elders of the Kang family have lived here. Here, please take a look at the most exquisite top bed preserved by the Kang family. It is carved from golden nanmu and took more than 1,700 working hours by ten skilled craftsmen, which took nearly five years to complete. Using openwork and hollow carving techniques, there are more than 80 patterns. The carvings on the bedposts are all in the shape of bamboo joints, symbolizing the bamboo's peace and height. Engraved in the middle are the three stars of fortune, prosperity and longevity, symbolizing "three stars shine brightly, good fortune, longevity and health". The top layer is carved with an official riding a tall horse, with neat guards of honor on both sides, symbolizing the rising clouds. The second layer is engraved with spring, summer, autumn and winter, symbolizing peace in the four seasons. The third layer is engraved with character stories such as courtesy, lesson reading, and chess games. The bottom is engraved with pictures of children playing with golden roosters and unicorns delivering children, which means "good luck and good luck". In short, the symbolic meaning of carving these figures and flower patterns is to have more children, more blessings, and more longevity, which is a reflection of people's good wishes. Another subtlety of this bed is that it can be freely disassembled. It is composed of 37 parts. It is completely riveted without a single nail, which is equivalent to our current modular furniture. You see, the servants' temporary resting place is in the rectangular area in front of the footrest. Because they serve the old man and have to be at his disposal at any time, they sleep in front of the old man's bed and are always available. This bed can be said to be an outstanding representative of wood carving.

This treasure cave was discovered and excavated in April 2003. I learned about it from the mouth of Ms. Kang Suchan, the 19th generation of the Kang family. After survey and measurement, for safety reasons, only more than 50 meters have been dug. The treasure cave is cleverly designed and has two purposes: to hide treasures in times of wealth and to escape in times of chaos. Inside this cave are caves within caves, and kilns within kilns. The caves are connected and cleverly designed.

It is said that there are two exits, one leading to Jingu Village, a military fortress of the Kang family 2 kilometers away, and the other leading to Mang Mountain Ridge, which fully reflects the situation of residents in the ancient Central Plains war years and the characteristics of Central Plains architecture. When the time is right, we will continue to develop it, and then everyone can have a glimpse of the mysterious style of the treasure cave.

Our visit to the first courtyard ends here. Let’s go through this corridor to visit the second courtyard, Xiuzhi Courtyard. Please come in.

What we see now is the representative of the cave dwelling - the three-story cave building. This form is very rare in the Central Plains and even the whole country. It is called a kiln building. On the one hand, you can see from the appearance that it has three floors. The upper two floors are separated by wooden sheds and are used to store goods. People live in the building. This courtyard is where the outstanding children of the Kang family live. The jujube tree in the courtyard is nearly 200 years old, which symbolizes early success. What everyone is about to see is the living cultural relic of the manor, the 300-year-old vines. This grapevine was planted during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and has a history of nearly 300 years. As a vine, it is very rare for grapes to grow into trees, and such a grapevine with its branches passing through the wall and covering two courtyards is unique in other parts of the country. Although this grape tree has gone through 300 years of vicissitudes, it is still luxuriant and produces abundant fruits every year. The variety is Xinjiang's seedless grape. The ripening season is in mid-July every year. At that time, we will hold a "Grape Festival". Welcome leaders. Come and taste it for free.

The pair of door pillows we see in front of us are representatives of the manor’s stone carvings. The whole piece of bluestone is carved in three layers. The top layer is carved with male and female lying lions. Common lions are either squatting or standing, with angry eyes and majestic appearance. The pair of lions lay down on their stomachs, looking docile and cute. First, it shows that the owner lives a prosperous life and is well guarded. Even his own lions are well fed and do not need to get up to look after the house and the courtyard. Secondly, it also shows that the family motto is low-key, reserved and unobtrusive. The second layer is a set of character stories. It echoes the couplets on the door. The first couplet is: "There is no better way to do things than to do good." We all know that "filial piety is the first of all virtues, and filial piety is based on kindness." Therefore, the front of the door pillow stone is carved with a picture of "respecting the elderly and loving the young". Carved on the inside is a picture of "harmony between sisters-in-law" and "a hidden family and everything is prosperous". The second line is "To pass down a good family, it is better to study." As the saying goes, "Everything is inferior, only studying is high." Therefore, correspondingly, a picture of "apprenticeship and study" was carved. You must know etiquette when reading. The third layer is engraved with a set of traditional Chinese patterns. The front is engraved with "Phoenix Peony", which implies prosperity and wealth; the inner side is engraved with "Kilin Sending Children" and "Golden Rooster CRowning the Dawn". They carved this content on the door pillow stone so that future generations can see it when they come in and out, and they must also do it and practice it.

The green carving on the top of the hanging flower gate tower is the three lions dancing on the rope, which is homophonic to five generations under one roof. The endless winding of the rope represents the endless wealth, and the lion dance and hydrangea show is coming later. The following four large seal characters "Duan Jie Yi Yi" teach future generations to be honest, modest and courteous in doing things. This is also the family motto of the Kang family. Here, please, take a look at the family tree. Let's take a brief look at the development history of the Kang family: The history of the Kang family can be traced back to the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. The founder Kang Shouxin moved with his mother Zhao from Hongdong County, Shanxi to the Luo River. In order to make a living, he opened a business on the bank of the Luo River. Opened a small shop, named Kangjiadian, mainly engaged in catering, accommodation and other businesses. Because of its emphasis on credibility and humility, this store gradually gained fame. In 1644, after the Qing army entered the customs, this place was officially renamed Kangdian after the Kang family store. Now most of the residents in Kangdian are Kangdian. Progeny of trustworthiness. The family business gradually improved from the sixth generation Kang Shaojing. He was appointed as the Grand Historian of Dongchang Prefecture in Shandong Province and managed the local salt industry and land and water transportation. The salt industry has been monopolized by the state since the Han Dynasty. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it developed into a business office supervised by officials, which resulted in close contacts between officials and businessmen, laying a very important foundation for the Kang family's later business in Shandong. By the time of Kang Hui, the twelfth generation owner of the manor, he married a descendant of the Ming Dynasty royal family, gained a rich economic foundation, and greatly increased his strength. After several generations of hard work, the business development reached an important turning point in the twelfth generation of Kang Dayong. This period was in the early years of the Qing Dynasty. Emperor Kangxi attached great importance to water transportation. Kang Dayong seized the opportunity and resolutely changed the traditional secular concept of officials not doing business. He opened up his own fleet. At that time, the Kang family had all kinds of ships. The largest ship was called the "Taiping Ship", which could carry 200,000 kilograms of grain and goods at a time. It sold salt and grain between Shandong and Henan. The land of the Kang family was in During this period, it had reached thousands of acres. By the time of the 14th Kang Yingkui, he took advantage of the Qing government's suppression of the White Lotus Sect and bribed Le Bao, a general of the Qing government's million-strong army, to supply the entire army with food, cotton, and cloth for ten years. With the windfall, cotton bases in Sanyuan, Jingyang, and Fuping were opened. The family business has spread to 18 counties in Henan, Shaanxi, and Shandong provinces. Ships sail on the Luo, Huang, Yi, Jing, Wei, and Yun rivers. The land reaches 180,000 acres, and the family property reaches 180,000 acres. During its heyday, gold plaques with the words "Thousands of hectares of fertile land" were hung twice. The size of the family business during this period was described as "with your head resting on Jingyang and Xi'an, and your feet on Linyi and Jinan. A horse can run a thousand miles without eating anyone else's grass, and a person can walk a thousand miles and see the fields of Kangjia." However, any large family can prosper. There is bound to be decline, and the Kang family is no exception. There are several factors for the decline of the Kang family: First, during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, all the Kang family's fleets were scuttled into the bottom of the river during the Qing army's "Strengthen the Walls, Clear the Wilderness, and Draw Rivers to Enclose the Land" campaign. From then on, the Kang family Large-scale business activities can no longer be carried out.

Secondly, after the "Xin-Chou Treaty" was signed in 1901, Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi passed by Kangdian on their way back to Beijing from Xi'an. The Kang family alone paid for the visit to the two palaces, which cost a huge amount of money. After liberation, some ambitious young people in the family embarked on the revolutionary road, and of course most of them became self-reliant workers.

The descendants of the Kang family are also full of talents: among them, the 19th generation Wang Guoquan, formerly known as Kang Wusheng, was the deputy minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of our country; the 20th generation Kang Dingjun is currently the deputy secretary of the Zhengzhou Municipal Party Committee... In this character series list, we It can also be seen that most of the descendants of the Kang family are senior intellectuals.

Now we came to the fourth courtyard in the north courtyard and saw a stone table, which was used by the Kang family when they worshiped the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival. What's even more peculiar is that there is a thought-provoking inscription engraved on the bottom of the stone case: "Who knows if there is spirit in a stone? Who knows that innocence can still be seen in carvings..." The Kang family is admiring the moon and When worshiping and offering sacrifices to the moon, inscriptions are used to remind and warn future generations. This text is called "stone case inscription". An irregular stone will turn into a beautiful jade after a long period of carving. Only through perseverance and continuous improvement can a person succeed. This is the main content of the stone inscription, and it also reveals the truth that "jade cannot be made into a tool if it is not polished, and it cannot be made into a useful tool if it is not taught."

The next thing we saw was the Kang family's Shiping Kiln. The walls of the kiln were inlaid with sixteen bluestone carved stone screens, like paintings in the nave, hanging on the wall. The content of the inscription mainly records that during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, Kang Daoping, the 15th generation of the Kang family, organized regiment training to resist the Nian army and ensure peace for one side. Local celebrities sang his praises. Therefore, this cave dwelling is also called Gongde Cave. The calligraphy art of the sixteen inscriptions is top-notch in the Central Plains region in the past and even now, with various fonts including Zhen, Cao, Li, Zhuan and Xing.

In 1900 AD, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, and the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled to Xi'an in a hurry. In the next year, 1901, when the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu returned to Beijing, they passed by us. In Gong County, due to the famine and financial deficit in Henan at that time, the local magistrate was unable to accommodate them, so they asked the Kang family to fund the visit to the two palaces. Since they did not know whether Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu would go by water or by land, they did both. In preparation, a palace was built at Dongheishiguan and a pontoon bridge was built on the Luo River. In addition, five dragon boats were built on the Luo River in Gong County. In order to berth these five large ships, they specially built a Five docks were built on the east bank of Luoshui in the north of Nanyaowan Village, commonly known as Longyao. Please take a look at the magnificent "Welcome to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty" on the front wall, which vividly reproduces the scene at that time. The real situation is that because the Luohe River was flooded at that time, Cixi did not take the waterway. Therefore, after arriving in Gongyi, she only stayed in this palace for one night. Before leaving the next day, the then owner of the manor, the Kang family, Kang Jiande, the head of the seventeenth generation, donated 1 million taels of silver to Cixi through Li Lianying. Cixi was very happy and praised, "I didn't know there were millionaires here!" If the previous "Kang Million" was just a popular nickname among the people, then Since then, "Kang Wanwan" has become the emperor's title and became famous all over the world through Cixi's Chrysostom.

The South Courtyard was the official courtyard used by the Kang family to receive dignitaries. It is a symbol of the Kang family's heyday. It is also an important place to display the Kang family's taste, cultivation, and life style.

"Kang Wanwan can be called a well-deserved representative of Henan merchants in history. He can be called a model for Henan merchants in terms of business methods, cultural inheritance, and folk image." After large-scale publicity of the scenic spot, it has attracted many tourists to visit, making the majority of tourists deeply understand the cultural connotation of "tolerance, diligence, thrift and restraint, emphasizing morality and righteousness, and business ethics to benefit the world".