There is heaven on the top and Suzhou and Hangzhou on the bottom. And in the middle of paradise, it is Huzhou.
If the beautiful and pleasant Huzhou is comparable to "the center of heaven", then the Nanxun Ancient Town, which is known as the "cover of jiangnan ancient town", can be called a major wonder of Huzhou, and there is a legendary reputation of "a city in Huzhou, not as good as half a town in Nanxun".
Nanxun Ancient Town is located in Nanxun District, Huzhou City, at the junction of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and has a long history of more than 700 years. From ancient times to the present, its unique and beautiful scenery has attracted countless literati and inkers to chant and sing for it.
Nanxun Ancient Town
How beautiful Nanxun really is, ordinary words can not be highlighted at all, only with the words of famous artists can describe one or two.
In the Yuan Dynasty, the poet Han Yi wrote: "The stream of baili is clear at the bottom, and the flowers and apples are raining and sunny." Nanxun Jia KezhouZhong City, Xi Sai people water farming. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Pan Erkui described the beauty and prosperity of Nanxun in detail in the Xunxi Literature: "The scales of The Kan Dynasty, the fireworks and fireworks; the blue waters and blue streams, the boats and navigation are spoke." ”
In modern times, in his autobiographical novel "Jiangnan Town", the writer Xu Chi used 66 "crystal crystals" in one go to describe the beauty, gentleness and elegance of Nanxun: "Here are crystal crystal water, crystal crystal sky, crystal crystal water windmill, crystal mulberry tree garden, crystal crystal rain alley... This crystal town, the reflection of the crystal crystal, reflects the world of this crystal crystal! "#水晶晶南浔水晶晶女孩 #
The beauty of Nanxun has long been fragrant in the long river of history, intoxicating the hearts of countless people.
Coming to Nanxun Ancient Town, only by enjoying the garden architecture here is worth the trip. Among them, Xiaolianzhuang is one of the most worthy attractions for tourists to punch in.
Xiaolianzhuang is located on the west side of nanzha wangu bridge in Nanxun town, and is a private garden built by Liu Yong, the richest man in Nanxun in the late Qing Dynasty.
This 27-acre, large-scale classical garden was built in the eleventh year of Qing Guangxu (1885), after 3 generations of Liu's family, it took 40 years to build. The style of the whole garden is as its name suggests, beautiful and fresh, elegant and exquisite.
The name of Xiaolianzhuang comes from the owner of the building, Liu Yong, who admired the name of the Lotus Village built by Zhao Mengfu, a great calligrapher and painter from Huzhou at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and named his private garden Xiaolianzhuang out of admiration.
Little Lotus Village
Speaking of Liu Yong, I believe that many people are not unfamiliar with this historical figure.
Liu Yong was a famous merchant, industrialist and philanthropist in the middle and late Qing Dynasty, and the head of the "Four Elephants" of Nanxun. According to records, the wealth of the Liu family reached more than 20 million taels of silver in its heyday, which is equivalent to the current 6 billion net worth. At that time, people had lamented that in Nanxun, the town of Tianzhixiong, there was no longer any smell of the Liu family.
What are the "Four Elephants"? At that time, the Nanxun people called the rich merchants whose family assets exceeded 10 million taels of silver "elephants". Nanxun folk songs sing: "The silver of the Liu family, the talent of the Zhang family, the face of the Pang family, the house of the Gu family", these four major families are the "four elephants" of Nanxun.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Nanxun Town was a famous silk town in Jiangnan, of which its self-produced Ji Lisi was the most prestigious. The rise of the Liu family, the head of the "Four Elephants", is closely related to silk.
In the eleventh year of Qing Guangxu (1885), Liu Yong, who had been floating and sinking in the shanghai for most of his life, had earned enough wealth to plan his old age.
After most of my busy life, it's time to stop and take a break. He began to build his own private garden in his hometown of Nanxun to facilitate his own long-term maintenance.
Liu Yong was a businessman and deeply felt his shortcomings in academic culture, so he decided that "poetry and calligraphy" was the direction of the Development of the Liu family, not only encouraging his children and grandchildren to study hard, but also pouring deep cultural meaning into the construction of Xiaolianzhuang.
Tong Liao's "Jiangnan Garden Chronicle" has this description of Xiaolianzhuang: "In the west of Nanzha Wangu Bridge, Liu Guanjing was constructed at the end of the Qing Dynasty, and the pond was widely called ten acres, that is, the ancient hanging floating pool. More than ten years ago, Liu Chenggan built the Jiaye Hall collection of books. To the north is the Yizhuang Temple. On the south bank of the pond, there is a house called Xiaolianzhuang, which is named after the people. ”
Xiaolianzhuang is composed of three parts: Yizhuang, Family Temple and Garden, and the internal structure is unique and elegant. It integrates Western elements on the basis of classical gardens, and has deeply grasped the essence of Chinese and Western architectural cultures, and can be regarded as a garden masterpiece that combines Chinese and Western styles.
People living in Jiangnan Water Town are naturally immersed in the gentleness and tenderness of this water and soil.
The whole garden of Xiaolianzhuang is divided into an outer garden and an inner garden, step by step, changing scenery step by step, and everywhere shows a strong Jiangnan charm.
The outer garden is centered on a lotus pond covering an area of 10 acres, and there are small and quaint pavilions along the pond. In the middle of summer, the lotus flowers of the lotus pond bloom as much as possible, and under the spectacular beauty of "the lotus flowers are different from the sun", the scenery here is breathtaking, like a fairyland on earth.
The lotus pond of Xiaolianzhuang
The scenery of the inner garden is even more unique, its structure is modeled on the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu's "Mountain Line" meaning, "far up the cold mountain stone path slope, Baiyun sheng where there is a family", in the garden chisel pond planting, stacked stone into a mountain. The curved bridge promenade is dotted with pavilions and pavilions.
Between the inner garden and the outer garden, there is only a pink wall and a leaking window. One focuses on mountain views, the other focuses on water features, and the scenery of the two gardens shines together and complements each other. Strolling through it is quite fun to "park within a garden".
On the south bank of the lotus pond in Xiaolianzhuang, there is a delicately shaped water pavilion "Retreat Xiao Xie", which contains the meaning of the garden owner to retreat and cultivate himself, and the name is quite interesting.
"Retreat Pavilion" is the best place to watch the lotus pond, standing next to the pool, looking out of the window, with a different mood. On the side of the corridor, it is connected to the master's study "Yangxin Dezhai", and the courtyard is planted with plantains, also known as "Basho Hall".
On the west bank of the lotus pond, there is a small Western building in the French style, called "Dongsheng Pavilion", which is commonly known as the "Miss Building" in the old days.
"Dongsheng Pavilion" is a classic building of Chinese and Western style in Xiaolianzhuang, which not only has the fashion and retro style of Western style, but also inadvertently reveals the elegant grace of Chinese ancient charm, which is in stark contrast with the nearby quaint water pavilion.
Dongsheng Pavilion
Some people have commented that compared with other Jiangnan gardens of the same period, the setting of Xiaolian Manor Forest has reduced the tortuous changes in terms of spatial level, and the overall is more comfortable and bright, so that tourists can feel at ease and cheerful when watching, which also reflects the cheerful and open-minded attitude of the garden owner.
Liu Yong is a business talent, but also a talent for the world. He has been in the business for decades and has always been known for his foresight, generosity and generosity. He generously used his business funds for "relief to disaster victims, medicine, burial, adoption into exile, and atonement for widows and orphans."
At that time, Liu Yong, before becoming the richest man in Nanxun in the late Qing Dynasty, was just a simple and poor boy with no name. It is his wisdom and foresight, as well as his broad ambition and mind, that make his life path higher and higher.
Behind each garden is a moving story, carrying the cultural feelings of a party of water and soil. We are not only amazed by its ingenious craftsmanship, but also moved by the humanistic imprint and historical vicissitudes behind it.
Also like this simple and beautiful, leisurely and quiet little lotus village, it will be the concept of the owner of the garden to cultivate the family, the gentle and feminine, beautiful dream of Nanxun ancient town to release to the fullest, silently stunning a hundred years of time, bringing the world a different kind of beauty.