Author: Liu Shilin, Dean and Professor of the Institute of Urban Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
From May to July 2021, the "Lower Jiangnan - Exhibition of Cultural Relics from the Qianlong Period in the Collection of the Palace Museum" jointly organized by the Palace Museum and the Wuzhong Museum in Suzhou was exhibited at the Wuzhong Museum. The exhibition selects 116 pieces (sets) of palace cultural relics closely related to the Qianlong Emperor in the Palace Museum, including more than 60 court cultural relics closely related to Suzhou, which not only shows the unique crafts of silk dyeing and embroidery, jade carving, lacquerware and other unique crafts woven in Suzhou in the Qing Dynasty, but also carries the cultural memory of Qianlong's six tours of Jiangnan.
Qianlong Xingshu "Imitation of Wen Zhengming Before and After Chibi Fu Scrolls" (partial) Collection of the Palace Museum
Qianlong's six trips to Jiangnan is a period of history that is talked about by future generations, and it is still constantly spoken of today. Why did Qianlong repeatedly go down to Jiangnan? In addition to political and economic reasons, his love for the natural beauty, city life and exquisite art in Jiangnan is also an important reason, from which we can glimpse the yearning and pursuit of a generation of emperors for the poetic culture of Jiangnan.
In 1784, in the fourth month of the lunar calendar, Qianlong toured south to Hangzhou, the southernmost point of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which was his sixth and final southern tour. Probably Qianlong himself also realized that he would not come again in the future, so he issued the famous "Imperial Southern Tour" in Hangcheng, making a general evaluation of his long imperial career: "Fifty years after the imperial palace, every two major events, one is the Western Division, and the other is the Southern Tour." "The 'Western Division' refers to the two marches into Ili between 1755 and 1757, which finally quelled the Dzungar rebellion and relieved the border troubles." "Southern Tour" refers to the fact that he went to Jiangnan six times in his life, harmonized local forces, soothed the people's hearts, and made the Jiangnan region the most powerful support for the prosperous world of Kangqian. In these two aspects, one is "martial arts" and the other is "wenzhi", the highest ideal of the Chinese emperor, which is basically realized here in Qianlong. This is the deep-seated reason why he published the "Imperial Southern Tour" in Hangzhou with great ambition.
Qingyu Jiaolong Niu "Treasure of the Ancient Rare Heavenly Son" Collection of the Palace Museum
As for whether Qianlong went to Hangzhou every time he made his southern tour, the opinions of the academic circles are not unanimous so far, but it is certain that he will go to Suzhou every time. Although the once glorious Wenzhi martial arts were gradually submerged in the long river of history, the legendary emperor did not completely withdraw from the jianghu. Qianlong's six lower Jiangnan is not only history, but also a cultural scene that continues to be constructed. Along the docks, buildings where Qianlong once stopped, inscriptions and other imprints, various views, opinions, theories, texts, etc. have been continuously renovated and "reproduced", which shows that the history of Qianlong's six lower Jiangnan did not end because of the end of the imperial career and even the end of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. About 240 years later, in 2021, the "Lower Jiangnan - Exhibition of Cultural Relics of the Qianlong Period collected by the Palace Museum" jointly organized for the first time by the Wuzhong Museum and the Palace Museum in Suzhou selected 116 pieces (sets) of palace cultural relics closely related to the Palace Museum and Qianlong. The revisiting of these relics is a "continuation" of this grand historical narrative. Although it is not the monarch's personal visit, nor is it along the Grand Canal section by section, the so-called "seeing things and thinking about people", through the silk color cloud golden dragon pattern male clip robe, the green jade dragon button "Royal Study Treasure", the Qianlong model of the birth of the vermilion chrysanthemum petal plate, etc., people can not only relive the historical scene of the emperor's southern tour, but also find the cultural cause between Gusu City and the Forbidden City.
Bright yellow silk color cloud golden dragon pattern male clip robes in the Palace Museum collection
"Only people are aesthetic"
When discussing the aesthetic principles of life of Chinese scholars, I once put forward the proposition that "there is freedom outside the temple", arguing that the freedom of ancient scholars and doctors is inversely proportional to the depth of their involvement in realpolitik. The freedom of Chinese scholars and doctors is not in their red and purple officialdom, but often after they have returned to their hometowns, away from the struggles and storms of the imperial court, it is possible to live a life that does not contradict their own wishes. For ancient emperors, this law also existed. Influenced by traditional culture, the main way out for scholars is to return to nature, swim in art and escape from Zen. Jiangnan and Jiangnan culture, which not only have beautiful natural landscapes, embodying the aesthetic conception of ancient Chinese art, but also the twilight drum and morning bell of the "Four Hundred and Eighty Temples of the Southern Dynasty", have become the first choice of emperors in the past when they are tired of conquest and governance, and need to rest and obtain spiritual comfort.
Wen Zhengming's "Snow Landscape Landscape Axis". Collection of the Palace Museum
This can be understood by comparing Qianlong and Kangxi. Kangxi visited Jiangnan six times in his lifetime, and some people even believe that Qianlong's southern tour was deliberately imitating his grandfather. But there are also differences between the two. If it can be said that the Kangxi Southern Tour is mainly for the "practical" purposes of managing river affairs, rectifying the administration of officials, understanding the economic production situation, and finding available talents, then the Qianlong Southern Tour, although it also has these basic demands, it also contains more and richer content, and the core is a kind of joy and yearning for the natural beauty of Jiangnan, the life of the city and exquisite art. That is to say, although the southern tour had political purposes, Qianlong's practical utilitarianism was at least less direct and naked. For this reason, we can say that Qianlong understands and feels the beauty of Jiangnan better than Kangxi, and Qianlong's Jiangnan is also a more complete and closer to the "essence of Jiangnan". In a sense, this is determined by the differences in the two people's perceptions and needs of Jiangnan.
"Southeast Wealth Land, Jiangzuo Humanities." This is a poem written by Kangxi to the officials of Jiangnan. The poem is the voice of the heart, revealing the true existence of Jiangnan in Kangxi's mind. Just as Marx said, "The worried poor are indifferent to even the most beautiful scenery", Kangxi attached importance to Jiangnan mainly because of the rich material wealth and human resources in the Jiangnan region, rather than the characteristics and details such as green mountains and rivers, poetry and song, and city fireworks.
Bai Yu Zhen Niu "Things Are Mastery", "Calm Heart" and "Learning Poetry Hall" Group Printing The Palace Museum collection
I think that due to utilitarian purposes, Kangxi's southern tour did not touch the essence of Jiangnan.
This is because: First, "wealth" is not a unique feature of Jiangnan, and the "kingdom of Heavenly Palace" Bashu is also the "wealth land" of the empire. Second, "literati" are not considered to be specialties of the Jiangnan region, and the Central Plains, Yuzhang and other places are also "brilliant and spiritual". The reason why Jiangnan is loved by people, on the surface, is that compared with economically backward areas, Jiangnan has more consumer goods such as fish, rice and silk; second, compared with areas with developed economies and lagging culture, Jiangnan has more chongwen and re-education atmosphere after the enrichment of Cangmiao. But in essence, the real "poetic eye" of Jiangnan culture lies in the fact that it has an aesthetic freedom and artistic transcendence spirit that transcends practical rationality and pragmatism and represents the highest ideal of life. Pragmatism represented by the Mo family and practical rationality represented by Confucianism are the spiritual core of the Central Plains culture, and the first problem solved by the former is "whether there is food to eat", that is, "no husband does not cultivate, or is hungry; a woman does not weave, or suffers from cold"; the first thing that the latter cares about is "driving good", that is, the problem of "indoctrination" after eating and drinking, but the fundamental problem of life "how to live more valuable and meaningful", especially how to "go to freedom through art" and "get pleasure through aesthetics". The two were largely inaccessible. In China's regional culture, this question is precisely raised by Jiangnan culture, and the answer is found through the production and life practice in Jiangnan region. This is also the root of our saying that "Jiangnan culture is poetic culture".
In a sense, Kangxi's problems and shortcomings have been compensated to a certain extent in Qianlong. As the supreme ruler of the empire, Qianlong's southern tour naturally had "political" and "economic" considerations, but unlike Kangxi, Qianlong did not abandon his love and attention to Jiangnan painting, calligraphy, music, gardens, and cuisine. "Guan Feng Asks The Old Classics, The New Exploration of Huguang Lan Color" ("Jiangnan Yi"), these are two poems written in Suzhou when Qianlong went down to Jiangnan. Whenever he went to Jiangnan, he seemed to change from an emperor to a poet and artist. He stopped everywhere to admire the natural scenery, inscribed a large number of poems, wrote a lot of words, some of which were not "worried about giving new words", but had a real emotion and inspiration in and out of it. Take Suzhou as an example, such as "Crossing the Treasure Belt Bridge with ARia": "Jin Zhang Qingxiao released the boat line, and the treasure belt spring wind rippled lightly." Kong Fifty-three is easy to leak, and the swollen marks are still seen and the bridge is level"; such as "Sixteen Views of the Lion Forest in the Inscription Garden, Lion Forest": "Ni's Lion Forest Cunmao Garden, Fax Xiaozhu YuhuBin." The cause of the established one is two, and the one is the union and not the division. Love this original to see the gull fate, victory over him and deer tour herd. The water is called Wulie Mountain Xiongsai, and it is advisable to write xiyuan ji yiwen"; for example, "Tang Yin Peach Blossom Antu": "Wu Zhong loves to see Wu ren paintings, and the wu people paint the highest." The world is only expected to be scattered wood, and the anzen is suspicious of a new peach. Pine wind cold place to install tea cho, stone frozen spring deep test trough. The seven-character Zhihuai is quite insightful, and the Ningyun Creek is thriving. "A song of Suzhou Famous Bridge, a Song of Suzhou Garden, and a painting of Yong Tang Yin all have the poet's excitement and aesthetic innovation, which not only flows out his true love and intoxication of Jiangnan culture, but also releases his repressed sensual psychology and aesthetic personality under the mask of the emperor."
Comparatively speaking, although Kangxi attaches great importance to the culture of the Han people, he has only completed the transformation from the northern grassland culture to the practical rationality of the Central Plains, so even if he comes to the beautiful Jiangnan, he is still most concerned about the "wealth" as the basis of national rule and the "talents" that can be used. In contrast, Qianlong can be said to know and appreciate the beauty of Jiangnan more, in Jiangnan, in addition to caring about what his grandfather cared about, he also hoped to find spiritual liberation and spiritual freedom in the poetic culture of Jiangnan, which represented the aesthetic spirit of the Chinese nation. Behind it is exactly the different stages of development and the different spiritual realizations that the two generations of ancestors and grandchildren have gained when facing the northern culture, the central plains culture and the Jiangnan culture.
An emperor who should have been diligent in listening to the government and eating at night was sympathetic and even somewhat obsessed with the Jiangnan newspapers read by small bridges and flowing water, apricot blossom spring rain, and sunny cultivation rain, and somewhat "did not do the right thing." But historically, this phenomenon is not in the minority, indicating that there is some kind of law or spiritual code in it. From the perspective of aesthetic principles, it can be traced back to Kant's "only man is aesthetic"—the highest principle that reveals the law of human freedom and the essence of aesthetics. Man and animal differ in that man can engage in a non-utilitarian, non-profitable, free and pleasant aesthetic practice with the object world. Since only non-utilitarian, non-profit aesthetics and art can repair and heal the trauma and alienation of the individual in the real world, the more history develops, the more aesthetic activity becomes more and more important in all his life needs, so that some people will do whatever it takes to do so. Just like the princes in Western society who "do not love the country and love the beauty", the Chinese emperor's deep love for "Jiangnan" also reveals that "aesthetic needs" are the eternal and basic needs of people. Jiangnan culture is essentially a poetic culture that conforms to aesthetic principles, can activate people's emotional function and artistic nature, and can make people directly produce a sense of freedom and pleasure.
"Jiangnan is the best to say Suzhou"
In the twenty-ninth episode of the "History of Ru Lin", the talented son Du Shenqing said a famous saying: "Zhen Is a vegetable maid bartender, all have six dynasties of smoke and water gas." Why is it that up to the emperor and down to the ordinary people, they are deeply fascinated by Jiangnan culture and even can't extricate themselves? This can be understood from the differences between the Central Plains culture and the Jiangnan culture.
Chinese culture is divided into north and south, and is concentrated in the differences between the Central Plains and Jiangnan. I have called the difference between the two the antithesis of pragmatism and aestheticism. The core values of the Central Plains culture are represented by Mozi's "first quality and then the text", which establishes the production and life order of "food must always be full, and then seek beauty; clothes must always be warm, and then seek beauty; living must always be safe, and then seeking pleasure", that is, the most important thing in life is hard work, after having a sufficiently rich material foundation, then consider the spiritual needs of seeking beauty, beauty and pleasure. While the emphasis on the material basis is undoubtedly correct, it cannot go to absolutes and extremes. If it is too deeply influenced by the pragmatic culture, it will go in the opposite direction, and the chain reaction is to no longer understand and cherish daily life, and cancel the possibility of sublimation and artistry. This is the root cause of Zhuangzi's criticism that Mozi "makes people worried and sad, and his actions are difficult."
In Jiangnan culture, this extremism has been overcome and adjusted to a certain extent. Although Jiangnan people also understand that "quality before text" or "life is different from art", because they firmly believe that "life should be aligned with art" rather than sacrificing aesthetic needs for the sake of realistic survival, they are more flexible in dealing with the conflict between "material" and "spiritual", rather than "either/or" or think that the two are "incompatible".
I used to think that Li Yu's "Casual Love and Occasional Mail" is a textbook of Jiangnan culture principles or life, because it is a good explanation of jiangnan culture's way of thinking and value system. For example, the question of whether women should wear flowers or not. The general view of the Central Plains culture is to wear it if you have money, and do not wear it without money, and if you blindly pursue vanity, it will be harmful for life. But Li Yu's view is very different from this, he believes: "The rich and noble family, such as the deli people, should visit the famous flowers and plant them in The Interior, so that they can be close to each other day and night... In the house of HanSu, such as a beautiful woman, there is a slight gap next to the house, and it is also used to plant trees and flowers for the purpose of decorating the sideburns. He can be frugal in everything, but he cannot be frugal in this matter. In everyday life, material needs and spiritual needs are sometimes in fierce conflict, but sometimes they can be lived in peace, so the opposition between the two should not be absolutely reduced.
In terms of aesthetic principles, the aesthetic spirit that truly makes people happy and free must not only resist the erosion of various pragmatism and practical reason, but also prevent it from going from one extreme to the other, that is, to instinctive indulgence and physical revelry in the rejection of practicality and the pursuit of sensual liberation. For example, the former, such as Mr. Ma Er's tour of the West Lake in "The History of Ru Lin", although he was in the "punch card land" of ancient Jiangnan, this Taoist scholar who was deeply influenced by the spirit of Confucian etiquette "did not look at the beauty and beauty of the West Lake". The latter are like vassals of elegant salt merchants, who, although they can build gardens and store haiku, are essentially a group of upstarts and dirt buns. Truly in line with the principles of aesthetics and art, Suzhou should be the first to be promoted in the ancient Jiangnan region. Suzhou culture deals well with the contradiction between Jiangnan culture and Central Plains culture, constructs a benign complementary relationship, not only absorbs the practical rationality of Central Plains culture with a pragmatic spirit, but also inherits and carries forward the aesthetic spirit of Jiangnan culture to the greatest extent, such as in handling the relationship between "Tao" and "Instrument", not only surpassing Confucianism, but also surpassing Zhuangzi. Although Confucianism and Zhuangxue are quite different, the two concepts of opposing "Tao" and "instrument" are the same. Suzhou culture solves this problem very well, Suzhou can stage such a tragic story as "Tombstone of Five", and Suzhou can also give birth to celebrities represented by Tang Bohu.
Suzhou culture is an aesthetic form that accumulates historical content and carries the function of reality, which is both flexible and thick, both born and entered the world, and achieves a good balance between aesthetics and practicality, art and life. Unlike pure art or aesthetics, Suzhou culture is similar to today's technical aesthetics or arts and crafts, essentially using the principles of Jiangnan poetic culture to guide specific production practices and daily life, so that the material object not only realizes its most direct practical function, but also realizes its higher aesthetic value. This is the essence and soul of Jiangnan culture represented by Suzhou. For example, while respecting Confucianism, you can also put down your body to become a Confucian businessman, rather than just "everything is inferior, only reading is high" a road. For example, there is a high spiritual realm and aesthetic taste, but it does not despise craftsmen and practical work. Not only does it not despise it, but it will also use a high spiritual realm and aesthetic accomplishment to engage in "harvesting" and "skill". This is the social soil that forms "although the good jade gathers the Beijing division, the craftsmanship pushes the Su County". The Jiangnan culture represented by Suzhou has not only created fine works that are directly supplied to the royal family, such as more than 60 palace cultural relics related to Suzhou in this "Lower Jiangnan" special exhibition, but also created the daily literary play recorded in the "Nuclear Boat Record": "One boat, five for people, eight windows, for the canopy, for the canopy, for the maple, for the stove, for the pot, for the hand scroll, for the rosary beads, the couplet, the inscription and the seal text for a total of thirty and four, and the length of the book has not been surplus." For the Central Plains culture, if they can also do "bow down and die" for "national events", but most of them are unwilling to spend their thoughts and energy in daily life.
In the long history, the aesthetic genes and poetic experience of Jiangnan culture have gradually accumulated into a kind of life nature of Jiangnan people, just like Du Fu's poem "Words are not surprising and endless", Suzhou people's pursuit of production and life has played to the realm of "to the end, can not be added" or "minus one point is too short, increase one point is too long", becoming a sample and standard of ancient Chinese culture and life. For example, the fifth volume of Wang Kun's "Miscellaneous Records of the Yupu Garden" records: "All the brocades, stationery, flowers and fruits, and precious and strange things offered on them have increased in age, and if they are carved with silk and lacquer, since the Zhejiang and Song Dynasties, their art has been abandoned for a long time, and now they are all exquisite, and human nature is skillful and the products are beneficial." As for the talent, it is particularly outstanding. For example, Zhang Han's "Song Window Dream Language" Volume IV: "Wu subdued and Hua, thinking that it was not Fu Wenye; Wu made the instrument and was beautiful, thinking that it was not Fu Zhenye." The four parties are heavy Wu fu, and Wu Yigong is in the service; the four parties are expensive Wu instruments, and Wu Yigong is in the instrument. For example, Xu Fu's "Guangfu Zhi" Volume 1: "Sixty-seven out of ten civil engineering workers, especially many exquisite, where there is a great great work south of the Great River, it will be through its people." "The most crucial thing is that when Suzhou people do these things, like spring silkworms spitting silk, they are not against their own hearts, but from their own nature." This is the main source of Su-style life and Su-style craftsmanship that can spread endlessly.
"Sentient is also the emperor's family"
The Forbidden City has always been said to "drift from the Grand Canal", which means that without the Grand Canal, there would be no Beijing City. But the canal itself is only an ancient means of transportation, more importantly, there must be something to transport, in this regard, the Forbidden City can be built, can not be separated from the Central City of Jiangnan and the Grand Pier of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Gusu City. From the court architecture of the Xiangshan craftsmen represented by Ku Xiang to the daily life utensils of the emperors and noble concubines, although they are high and unattainable on the surface, if carefully investigated, they are mostly the products of Suzhou people, Suzhou culture and Suzhou aesthetics. The "Lower Jiangnan" exhibition can be regarded as "Seven Lower Jiangnan", straight to Suzhou, which can be said to have a profound historical causal relationship. Therefore, when we look at these exquisite exhibits, we should not only think of the Forbidden City, but also see them as an organic part of Suzhou's history and culture. That is to say, we not only see the exquisite and exquisite imperial artifacts, but also see the excellent aesthetic ideas and craftsmanship of Suzhou craftsmen in that year. Different from the first six times that really happened in history, there are also some exhibits this time, such as "Qing Ren Painting Hongli Shooting Wolf Image Axis", "Qianlong Jade Carved Fish Scale Handle Golden Peach Skin Sheath Cream Ming Waist Knife", "Golden Flower Cloud Dragon Pattern Gourd Holding Pot", "Rosewood Carved Picture Frame Bliss World Buddha Screen", etc., although there is no direct connection with Suzhou, but put them in the new era of Suzhou, there will also be a different atmosphere and perception from the Forbidden City, which is unique to "Seven Lower Jiangnan" and is worth carefully chewing by today's audience.
There is also the question of how to view these court art? The poet Bai Juyi once wrote a poem saying that "the most ruthless imperial family" fully exposed the cold and cruel side of ancient court life. But in fact, since the monarch is a man and his ruling group is composed of living individuals, it is necessary to follow the universal principle of "only man is aesthetic". It can also be said that because the contradictions and conflicts in the court are more intense, the people living in this environment not only need aesthetics and art, but this need is equally stronger and more urgent. And all kinds of court art make the originally depressed and tense court life reveal a relaxed and pleasant other side, so it is also possible to call the court life with art as the theme of "sentient is also the imperial family", which is the flower of art and humanity that blooms in the environment of cruel political struggle.
Thanks to its strong economic backing and a good educational environment, court art in many cases represented the highest aesthetic taste and skill level of an era, and became a model for other classes of art forms and aesthetic tastes. From the bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, to the words of Li Yu, the paintings of Emperor Huizong of Song, the porcelain of Jingdezhen, and then to the exhibition, they can be regarded as the perfect combination of art and politics, and become a classic art with eternal charm. Therefore, the court art displayed in this special exhibition also develops the aesthetic spirit of Jiangnan culture to the extreme in many aspects, providing us with an important key to deeply understand Jiangnan culture, grasp the essence of Jiangnan culture, and explore the inheritance and innovation of Jiangnan culture.
Tagore wrote in The Lover's Gift: "Although the imperial power of the Empire has been reduced to powder and history has been lost, the white marble still sighs to the stars and says: 'I remember'!" "Today, it can also be said that although the ancient emperors and Siren people of Liuxia Jiangnan have passed away, through these exquisite palace art treasures, we find that history not only has no end, but on the contrary, it is constantly being given new connotations and new vitality. This may be the truth of "art makes human beings eternal".
Guangming Daily (December 24, 2021, 13th edition)
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily