Suzhou Dongshan and Xishan have carved buildings, but Dongshan is far better than Xishan. We traveled all over the country and found that all the historical sites could not escape all kinds of destruction. Needless to say, the destruction of Govin alone is extremely shocking. However, it is a miracle that Dongshan Carved Building is still so well preserved after a hundred years! It may be difficult to find a similar situation nationwide. Search on Baidu and get the following introduction, which is worth knowing.
Dongshan Carved Building is a mansion built by Jin Xizhi and Jin Zhi brothers who made a fortune in cotton yarn business in Shanghai to commemorate their mother. Designed by Chen Guifang, a famous craftsman of Xiangshan Gang, it employs more than 250 craftsmen and costs 6.5438+0.7 million silver dollars. Starting from 654.38+0.922, it will be completed in three years.
The carved building is east-west, protected by a 20-meter-high black wind-fire wall, and flanked by Huizhou Horsehead walls, making the carved building in Dongshan look like a mysterious castle from a distance. The ground in front of the gate is paved with colored stones. A big vase, with three halberds in it and a sheng on the side, means "level three". Opposite the gate is an arc-shaped wall with the word "Hongxi" engraved on it, which is a metaphor for going out to see happiness. The bronze carved handles on the two secret doors are called golden carvings, which are composed of chrysanthemum petals, Ruyi and six ancient coins, implying wealth in the hand. It's really hard to think of these lucky draws! )
The next step is to carve a beautiful brick gate house. People in China pay attention to appearance. This gatehouse is like the owner's face. Can you ignore it? The brick carving of the front gatehouse is divided into three layers, with four Chinese characters in the middle square, "Tian Xi Xi Chun", which means a godsend, and the story of the ancient city meeting in the romance of the Three Kingdoms, which means loyalty, filial piety and benevolence; Carve designs such as ganoderma lucidum, peony, chrysanthemum, orchid, bergamot and auspicious clouds on the square; Xia Fang is Mei Lan and Zhu Ju, both of whom are auspicious. After entering the gate, I went back to see the brick carving upstairs, which was more complicated and wonderful than the previous one. Corresponding to Tian Xi Chun Tuo, the word "Yu Xiu Juede" was written in Zhongfang here, which was inscribed by Yin, a calligrapher in Qing Dynasty, meaning to cultivate one's morality and cultivate one's character, and the stories of Yao Shun's abdication and visiting sages were engraved on the left and right sides, implying virtue and virtue; Fang is the place where the Queen Mother makes the Flat Peach Festival and the Eight Immortals celebrate their birthdays, which means "longevity". The lower column is carved with 10 sika deer, which means "perfection" and "Lu"; Xiafang is a scene where Guo Ziyi, a general of the Tang Dynasty, celebrated his birthday, and his seven sons and eight sons-in-law all came to celebrate their birthdays. Many children are blessed, which means "blessing". Together with the cornucopia in the middle of the top ridge and the double happiness characters above the lintel, they account for all the five words "Fu, Lu, Shou, Cai". The brick-carved gatehouse alone cost 3500 silver dollars. It is said that at that time, a Jinxi person was very anxious when he heard this quotation and said, "What a pity!" In fact, everything has just begun. In order to carve and build beauty, a lot of silver dollars continue to be spent. In any case, if you don't lack anything, you are complete. )
After enjoying the brick-carved gatehouse, turn around and you will find the lobby in front of the carved gatehouse. Don't rush in yet. Look at the doors and windows in the hall. There are 24 pictures of filial piety, such as "Huai Ju Feng Mu" and "Playing with color to entertain relatives", and inspirational stories, such as "Reading a balloon firefly at night" and "Mozi Road". There is a bat-shaped needle eye embedded in the threshold, which is called "foot blessing" Stepping into the lobby of the front building, this is the main hall of the whole carved building, which is called the Phoenix Hall, because there are always 172 phoenix sculptures in the hall, a total of 86 pairs. In the local dialect, "86" and "Bai Le" are homophonic, meaning a hundred years of harmony; Four pairs of black hat wings are carved on the top of the four pillars, symbolizing "having an official back", so it is also called the official hat hall. Boxwood carving on the beam of Baotou in the hall tells the stories of 48 Romances of the Three Kingdoms, such as The Peach Blossom Garden, Three Heroes Against Lu Bu, and Three Visits to the Cottage. The picture focuses on the majestic momentum and majestic demeanor of the military commanders, which is vivid and very interesting. There are 20 flower baskets in the hall along the corridor, which are carved with four seasons of flowers: Chunlan, Qiuju, Xiahe and Dongmei. Seeing this, I can't help but admire the designer! )
The second floor of the carved building is the living room, study and bedroom. There is a plaque hanging in the center of the living room, "Spring is in the building", which is the original name of the carved building, meaning "Spring is always at the door of the sun". Behind this plaque, there is also a secret passage entrance, where the most valuable things of the Kim family were once stored. In those days, Taihu robbers robbed the carved building three times, but they didn't find the mystery of this secret passage. On the second floor, besides exquisite mahogany carved furniture, evergreen cornucopia painted on the girder, and colored glass imported from the west on the window of young master's study are also quite distinctive. Fortunately, it was not burned by robbers! )
Turning to the back floor of the second floor, I thought I was going downstairs after reading it, but I found a narrow staircase next to it leading to the third floor. This is a structural feature of the carved building, which is called the second floor and the third floor. Because the third floor is two purlins lower than the second floor, and there are gables and wind and fire walls on both sides, people standing outside the building or in the courtyard can't see the third floor at all. This third floor is a treasure house built by the owner to avoid war and bandit harassment. There is a well surrounded by carved columns on the third floor, which is designed for delivery upstairs and downstairs. After the manhole cover plate is put away, you can't see any traces from downstairs. How clever! So it will last forever. )
After reading these, go inside to the dining room, and the kitchen is at the end. It's not luxurious, but it's like the pattern of ordinary people living here. Maybe this part is new, and the original one is long gone.
There is no need to come back here. (But there is a small garden on the right side of the entrance, which is also very delicate. You can turn left into Zhuangyuan Building and visit from the back.
People who are interested in the Chinese imperial examination system can certainly gain a lot here. For example, when will the imperial examination start and end, a * * *, how many champions there are, how many hurdles will it take to get the champion, and so on. , have an explanation. What are the famous champions in history, and how many champions have been produced in Suzhou (Wuxian) are also introduced. It will take a lot of time if you want to look carefully.
The first scholar in Suzhou who impressed me deeply was a child prodigy Shiyun. My mother died young and studied in the county town for less than three years. It is extremely rare to complete the triple jump from Gong's to the champion, and at the age of 23, he is the champion! It is said that there are 400,000 students taking the imperial examinations all over the country. It is a miracle to win the first prize, not to mention that he is so young!
It is said that Shi Yun dreamed of a coffin on the eve of the entrance examination. He walked in front with the coffin, and hundreds of people followed him crying. The next day, as expected, he became an official (coffin) and there were 100 Jinshi. He is the leader, so 100 people are crying. This dream is a mixture of good luck and bad luck, which appeared less than a year later. Shi Yun's sudden death shocked the whole country! At this time, the wife was pregnant, and the husband was too sad to have an abortion at the funeral, so he committed suicide. Really sad! Of course, this legend means fatalism and superstition. Don't be so envious of talents?
After visiting the Carved House and the Champion House, go to a nearby farmhouse for dinner. I ordered four dishes, peasant chicken, fried reed root, water chestnut with scallion oil, gluten stuffed meat and peasant rice, each of which was delicious and could not be eaten in Shanghai. After dinner, we set out for the Seventh Hospital, 700 meters away.
Qiyuan Garden is similar to many gardens in Suzhou, but facing Taihu Lake, the scenery is good. You can visit for more than an hour.