Yuan Ming and Red Silk Stone
Author | Maruyama Komin
Yan is one of the four treasures of the literary room, and throughout the ages, the literati of the past have left many good stories. There are many varieties of Lu Yan, among which the red silk stones produced in Linqu and Yidu are particularly respected, and the Northern Song Dynasty Tang Dynasty "YanLu" takes it as the first stone stone. Mr. Qi Gong once inscribed a poem praising: "The Tang people have long re-emphasized qingzhou stone, and Tian Haitui has moved to the world. Today, the platform looks at Lu Yan, and the red silk is seen in the hundred flowers. Zhao Pu Chuyun: "In the past, Liu Gongquan, on Yan pushed Qingzhou." Qingzhou red silk stone, strange cover its superiority. "The stories of Ouyang Xiu, Su Dongpo, Cai Xiang, Mi Fu, Gao Fenghan and other literati and red silk stones are also often found in the old paper piles. The most representative poet, essayist, literary critic, collector and gourmet of the Qianjia period of the Qing Dynasty, Yuan Mei's love affair with Hongsiyan, can give us a glimpse of the leopard.
One
▲ Yuan Ming sent a letter to Qingcun
The book "The Legacy of Famous Artists of the National Dynasty" was printed by the Tianjin Puwen Lithographic Book Bureau in the 34th year of the Qing Dynasty (1908), and the content of the "Yuan Ming ZhiQingcun" letter contained in it involved red silk stones. The first half of the letter is interpreted as follows (see pictured above): "A letter from the former Moon Blue relatives sent a letter from the brother of the world, the red silk stone side, thank you." For many years, I have never seen what the red silk stone looks like, and now I have seen it, and I have also replenished the blessings of my life, and He Xingruzhi ..." Finally, Yuan Ming said: "By virtue of Thank you Yan, and wait for The Near Qi." Harumura's brother Isōgun, Yuan Mingdunshou".
▲ "Lake Tower Invitation To Work Map" Part: Professor Yuan Ming's female disciple
Yuan Ming (1716~ 1798), zicai, number Jian Zhai, in his later years, he called himself Cangshan resident, suiyuan old man, etc., Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang) people. In the fourth year of the Qianlong Dynasty (1739), he was appointed as a scholar of the Hanlin Yuan, and later served as the commander of Lishui, Jiangning, Jiangpu, and Shuyang County. His career was bumpy, so he resigned from the official and lived in seclusion in Nanjing's Xiaocang Mountain Suiyuan. His works include "Kokura Yamaboya Poetry Collection", "Suiyuan Poetry", "Suiyuan Food List", "Zi Mu Whisper" and so on.
Zhou Benchun said in the preface to the "Xiaocang Shanfang Poetry Collection" published by the Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House: "The Qing Dynasty was operated by the dismal operation of the Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties, production and development, and the people were yin and material, and talents were also produced from generation to generation, and the Qianlong Dynasty was known as extremely prosperous. Among the scribes, the height of their age, the greatness of their fame, the breadth of their friendships, and the superiority of their lives, I am afraid that none of them can compare with Yuan Ming. Yuan Ming's interests were extensive, and he had many yan in the garden, and his contact with the red silk yan was scattered in his letters and poetry collections.
▲On the left is the Qing Red Silk Stone and Rubbings collected by the Capital Museum, and the right is the Contemporary Red Silk Stone
Red silk stone has a long history, and the rough stone is produced in the territory of present-day Qingzhou City (formerly Yidu County) and Linqu County in Shandong Province, both of which belonged to Qingzhou Prefecture in ancient times. Song Tang (Zi Yanyou) "Yanlu": "From the red silk stone below, there are a total of fifteen products for the stone, and the stone product has one out of ten: Qingzhou red silk stone one, Duanzhou axe Keshi two, Shezhou Wuyuan stone three, Guizhou Datuo stone four..." Su Shi", "Dongpo Zhilin": "Tang Yanyou takes Qingzhou red silk stone as the armor, or Yun Wei can be used as a dice pot." Gai also did not see the good, and now he saw that the snow was hidden, but he knew that the predecessors did not pretend to be Xuer. Li Zhiyan's "Yan Spectrum": "Su Yijian composed the "Four Spectra of the Literary Room"... There are more than forty products in the score, with Qingzhou Red Silk Stone as the first. Yao Kuan's "Xixi Cong Language": "Red Silk Yan, Jiangnan Li Shi Shi is still important." Ou Gong's "Research Spectrum" takes the Qingzhou red silk stone as the first. This stone is slippery and does not affect the ink, if it is inked, it is wonderful. "Due to the restrictions of mining conditions, the production of red silk stone is very small, which has rarely been recorded since the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and it is rare in the world." The "Western Qing Yan Genealogy" compiled by the Qianlong Emperor includes more than 240 historical famous stones collected by the Qing Inner Province, and only 3 red silk stones. Generations of literati were proud to possess a piece of red silk stone. As a literary leader and collector in the Qianjia period, Yuan Ming was no exception.
The Qingcun mentioned in Yuan Ming's letter is Yin Qinglin, ziyu village, and qingcun. He was the fifth son of Yin Jishan, and was a former official of Qingzhou Dutong, General Jiangning, and General Fuzhou. Yin Jishan is an examiner of Yuan Ming's examination, and he greatly appreciates Yuan Ming, and the two are quite friendly. In the nineteenth year of Qianlong (1754), Yin Jishan, the governor of Liangjiang, moved to Nanjing, and yuan had already resigned from his official position and settled here, so the contacts became closer. At this time, the Qingcun brothers were still young people, and they often asked Yuan Ming privately for talent, so they were engaged. After the official left, although the opportunity to meet Yuan Ming was not as good as before, there was a constant exchange of letters and poems. Harumura and Yuan Ming have a family friendship, and are called "Brother Shi" in the letter.
Xianfeng's "Qingzhou Fuzhi" volume 13 "Manchuria Garrison Officer Table IX" records in the "Deputy Capital" column: Qinglin, Manchurian yellow flag man, Qianlong forty-nine years (1784) to take over, Qianlong sixty years (1795) Guan Ming took over, in Qingzhou for more than 10 years. The time of writing of this zha is based on the fifty-first year of Qianlong (1786), two years after the arrival of Qinglin Qingzhou. The gift of Yuan's red silk stone is Qinglin Qingzhou Renchu, knowing that Yuan Ming is happy, the famous red silk stone is from Qingzhou, and the convenience of the geographical advantage will be the first time to search for it.
In August of the forty-eighth year of Qianlong (1783), Yuan Ming married the four daughters of Qingu to Jia Yao, the son of Lan Yinggui, because they became sons and daughters of the family. Lan is a Native of Guangdong, who served as an official in Licheng, Jiaozhou, Jining and other places in Shandong, and had considerable political achievements, and after going to the official, he lived in Jiangpu County, Jiangnan (now part of Nanjing Pukou District), which is not too far away from Suiyuan.
At the time of writing this letter, Yuan Ming was 71 years old, and said to himself that "I have been hiding the red silk stone for many years, and I have never seen what the red silk stone looks like", indicating that this year should be the first time I have seen the red silk stone, so I have the sigh of "I have seen it now, and I also make up for the blessing of my life, and I am lucky to be like it".
Two
Yuan Ming loved red silk stones, and he could also see one or two from his poems. For example, "Sukaikai Temple Inscription Wall":
Every spring day in Jiangcheng, the county officials love to go to the countryside. Flowers and plants grow everywhere, and the spring breeze is always fragrant.
Tongjing diagnosed the dead and urged me to be busy. I was wet and had sores on my feet.
Laughter for the people's parents, itching really taste. Ninety miles out of the city, there is no one to stay.
Late throwing haikai temple, rotten grass bunk bed. The mossy ancient temple is cold, and the plum ash is loose.
I and the three Buddhas, with each other, are in the same light. When the porridge is drummed up, the pigeons fly back.
I think about it from time to time, and the beauty of the day is on the side. I want to lie down and sleeplessly, and I want to sit and turn my wounds.
And grind red silk stone, paint monk white stone wall. The upper words are yang spring scenery, and the lower words are wandering intestines.
Pure ash and chalk, this word does not die. Forever leave the traces of the claws of the Hong, and hide in the other day.
A rare feudal official who was running for the people jumped out of the paper. Yuan Ming wrote this poem in the spring of 1748, when he was in Jiangning Zhi County, and soon thereafter Yuan Ming resigned from his official post and settled in Suiyuan. The brick platform written in the poem or not really red silk stone should be a literati penmanship. Yuan Mei received the red silk stone from Qingcun in 1786, and said that he had "hidden the red silk stone for many years, and never saw what the red silk stone looked like", which should be the first time he saw the red silk stone, 38 years later than this poem. But looking at this poem, at least it shows that Yuan Ming has been admiring red silk for a long time. Later, Yuan Ming's red silk stone was not one, and most of them were given to others, such as "Twelve Songs of Music in the Mountains and Five Pieces":
Twelve red silk stones, taking turns to serve the master. Classes are often given to Mu, and it becomes spring when you start.
As a disciple of kai, dust and small servants are frequent. For his idleness, he summoned Long Bin for days.
▲The National Palace Museum in Taipei collects Ming Dynasty red silk stone parrot stones and rubbings
In the poem, Yuan Ming said that he had 12 red silk stones, which were extremely valued, used in turn, with famous ink, wrote poems and compositions, and did not make idle. According to the article "Yuan Zicai and Suiyuan Tibetan Yan" (author Wang Jiemou, Zhejiang Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 3, 1970): "In the Suiyuan poetry collection, it can be seen that (Red Silk Yan) was given to Yuan Zicai by a Taishou of The Wenden people in Shandong Province named Tao Yi (Regret Xuan) to give Yuan Zicai 'Runbi'. "Tao Yi (1714~1778), Zi Jing Chu, Was Born in Weihai Acropolis. In the forty-first year of Qianlong (1776), he was promoted to envoy of Jiangsu Province, and at this time he had a lot of contacts with Yuan Ming. Yuan Mingrun's pen was expensive, and there were often rich people who gave thousands of gold for an epitaph. Tao Yi, as a local official in Jiangsu, this time is to ask Yuan Mei to write an essay for his mother, gold and silver treasures are not sent, and general things cannot be taken out, knowing that Yuan Mei is happy with Yan, he wants to come and go, and specially gave away the red silk stones produced in his hometown of Shandong, which is also reasonable. In the forty years of Qianlong (1775), Tao Yi was promoted to Guangdong Huichao Jia Daotai (Daotai is also known as observation), Yuan Ming composed a poem to congratulate, his poem "Title "Jiang Tianyun Tree Map", send Tao Xiexuan Taishou to observe Guangdong" a total of three poems, the third mentions that Tao zeng gave red silk stone, Shiyun:
The hermit has no foreboding, and the Monk visits Mautz. At first glance, the bladder liver, the new acquaintance is as old as ever.
Yi my purple xia cup, benefit me red silk stone. Whenever I come to the paper, the sub-face is like my face.
Zi Shu is one to close, and the clouds and mud are inseparable. May the luofu butterfly come around the beaded skirt.
The people sent the river to worship, and I sent the mountain to worship. Seeing the flag, the chai gate stood still.
The poem was written in 1775, an 11-year difference from the 1786 letter. But in any case, Yuan Ming's liking for red silk was unmistakable. It can be seen from this that the red silk stone was still rare and precious in the Qing Dynasty, and both the high-ranking officials and nobles and the literati were often proud to have a red silk stone.
More than two hundred years have passed in a flash, the letter is still there, and the poems still exist, but is the red silk stone hidden by Yuan Ming still in the world, what is the specific style, who made it, and whether there is a yan inscription? Is it made in Linqu or Qingzhou? It is not known at this time. The author looks forward to the day when the red silk stone used by Yuan Ming can reappear in the world, merge with the text, confirm each other, and be regarded as a good story in the literary world.
Reference materials (only those not clearly listed in the text): Cao Rong's "Yuan Ming ZhiQingcun Sanzha Xiaoji", Chen Feng's "Red Silk Yan Historical Examination", Zheng Xing's "Example of the New Compilation of Yuan Ming's Chronology", etc.
January 14, 2022