From revering and worshipping landscapes, to using landscapes and aesthetic landscapes, to building landscapes, cities and forests, and living between landscapes and rivers, in Jiangnan culture, the spirit of landscape runs throughout, and Jiangnan people have long integrated themselves into nature.
Recently, the special exhibition "Mountains and Boats Travel Far - The Landscape of Jiangnan" was exhibited at the Suzhou Wu Culture Museum. Different from the general archaeological exhibition, the landscape theme of calligraphy and painting exhibition, this exhibition analyzes the relationship between landscape and water, tells the audience about the unique "landscape spirit" of Jiangnan people, the exhibition includes more than 130 sets of ancient calligraphy and painting, ancient books, guqin, jade, porcelain, pottery and other cultural relics.
Jiangnan civilization has been constantly nurtured and evolved since there are traces of human activities in this fertile land of Zeguo, from the "land of fish and rice" established in the Neolithic period, to the customs and customs of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and then to the contemporary urban artistic conception surrounded by mountains and rivers, running through the timeless landscape spirit. The landscape of Jiangnan is a symbiosis of nature and humanities, like a boat shuttling through the Yangtze River Delta river network, and the spirit of landscape is the core of the close relationship between people and land that has been passed down from generation to generation of Jiangnan people.
Exhibition hall site
Exhibition hall site
Regarding the origin of the exhibition, Chen Zenglu, director of the Wu Culture Museum, told The Paper, "We want to do an exhibition about landscapes, this exhibition is not only about landscape painting, but also starts from the origin of landscapes." The spirit of the landscape is not only spiritual, but also material. The exhibition "Landscapes of Jiangnan" presents more than 130 sets of cultural relics including ancient calligraphy and painting, ancient books, guqin, jade, porcelain, pottery, stone tools, bronze and other cultural relics, using the way of analyzing the relationship between landscape and water, to see how the ancients carried out spatial layout and ingenious management of landscapes, providing reference for shaping contemporary landscape cities.
Gangnam landscape in matter
The exhibition begins with the ancient Jiangnan people's way of life by water. In the display case, the audience can see a batch of Neolithic cultural relics unearthed from the Caoshoe Mountain site, and prehistoric cultural relics unearthed from the Chenghu site, including carbonized rice grains, gourd-shaped black-clothed clay pots, etc., showing the ancients' respect for nature.
Exhibition hall site
Exhibition hall site
Carbonized rice, Neolithic, excavated at the site of Caoshoe Mountain, collection of Wu Culture Museum
The continent is one of the origins of cultivated rice in the world. In the mainland 8000-6000 years ago, there was a relatively mature rice agriculture, and artificially cultivated rice grains were found in many Neolithic sites in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the Caoshoeshan site was one of them.
Gourd-shaped black-clothed clay pot, Neolithic period, excavated at the Chenghu site, Wu Culture Museum
Ancient ancestors often had to fight with water when hunting for food, and buoyant natural objects became the first means of crossing water. The gourd has the characteristics of light body, strong moisture resistance and large buoyancy, so it has been used as a buoyancy for a long time. In "Chinese", there is "the husband is not good for people, but help together", which is to use the gourd to cross the water.
Exhibition hall site
Exhibition hall site
In the exhibition, the organizer showed the audience that the concept of landscape has changed with the development of human civilization. With the outbreak of wars between countries in the Spring and Autumn Period, landscapes also became the basis for people to expand their territory. During the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, the three kingdoms of Wu Chuyue competed for hegemony in the southeast, and because of the water, the boat was born and fought near the water, and the boat in addition to carrying the function of fishing, also carried the dream of Wu Yue's great state.
In this part of the display case, the audience can see a number of cultural relics related to the war in the Spring and Autumn period, including Shao Ge the King of Chu, Yuxian Sword of King Wu, etc.
Exhibition hall scene, Wu Chuyue battle map in the Spring and Autumn Period
At the scene of the exhibition hall, King Wu Yuxian sword
Shao Ge, King of Chu, Spring and Autumn, Collection of Wu Culture Museum
Deconstructing landscapes in aesthetics
In addition to living by the water and fighting near the water, the ancient people of Jiangnan also gradually pinned their aesthetics and thoughts on the landscape. Among them, the "Book of Poetry" is the beginning of ancient Chinese poetry, the earliest collection of poetry, collecting poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn (11th century BC to the 6th century BC), a total of 311 poems, divided into three parts in content: "Wind", "Ya" and "Ode", reflecting the social situation of about 500 years from the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty to the late Zhou Dynasty. In the pre-Qin period, people began to show a strong aesthetic interest in natural objects of landscapes, and the Book of Poetry contains a large number of descriptions of natural objects such as landscapes and flowers, plants, birds, animals, insects and fish, reflecting the poet's emotions and understanding of landscapes.
Exhibition hall site
The philosophy of Zhuzi had an important influence on the aesthetics of natural landscapes, and natural objects were personified at this time, associated with human spiritual meaning and moral values. The sons of the pre-Qin Dynasty observed the landscape and looked at the landscape and realized the Tao. In the Wei and Jin dynasties, the March Summit, the Waterside Collection, has become an important part of the life of the literati. Qushui flows and poetry is written, and the "Orchid Pavilion Preface" was created in this context. The scholar began to regard the natural landscape as an independent aesthetic object, and he could enjoy it. Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, the aesthetic development of landscape has gradually matured, and landscape poetry, landscape painting, and landscape gardens have become important forms of expression of the spirit of landscape as carriers.
In the exhibition hall, the audience can see the organizer's display of documents such as the Book of Poetry, as well as the presentation of the original book of the Bohai Collection, the Orchid Pavilion Preface.
"Twenty Volumes of the Book of Poetry", engraved by Jiangsu Book Office in the seventh year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1881), collection of Wuzhong District Library
King Xi of Jin's "Lanting Preface Topography Book (Bohai Collection Authentic Book)", Ming, Zhejiang Provincial Museum
This volume is the Bohai Tibetan Authentic Book, Bohai Hidden True Post, eight volumes, engraved in the Bohai Chen Xi Garden in the third year of Ming Chongzhen. Shen Zeng planted the old collection, cut and framed, opened eleven, and was approved and inscribed by Shen's Zhu Pen.
Wen Zhenmeng's "Xingshu Mountain Reward Friends See Huai Shi Scroll", Ming, on paper, Zhejiang Provincial Museum
Wang Wei "Xingshu Dongting Two Mountains Fu Scroll", Ming Dynasty, on paper, 35.1 cm long, 545.7 cm wide, collection of the Palace Museum
This volume records Wang Wei's article "Two Mountains of Dongting", with a full text of nearly 2,000 words, describing the magnificent landscape of Dongting Mountain in Taihu Lake. Among the many poems on the theme of travel written by Wang Wei, there are many contents praising the landscape of Wuzhong, which shows his love for the landscape of his hometown and his enthusiasm for getting close to nature, and at the same time reflects Wang Wei's identification with the regional culture of Wuzhong to which he belongs.
The second unit of the exhibition, "Deconstructing the Relationship between Landscape and Water", deconstructs landscape painting from the two perspectives of mountain shape and boat travel, and further describes how the ancients used the form of images to convey different viewing angles, attitudes and moods, reflecting the aesthetic interest of landscapes in the context of established time and space.
Exhibition hall scene, Dong Chen, "Ten Scenes of West Lake Album", Qing, coloring, Zhejiang Provincial Museum collection
Exhibition hall scene, Dong Chen, "Ten Scenes of West Lake Album", Qing, coloring, Zhejiang Provincial Museum collection
Exhibition hall scene, Dong Chen, "Ten Scenes of West Lake Album", Qing, coloring, Zhejiang Provincial Museum collection
Exhibition hall scene, Dong Chen, "Ten Scenes of West Lake Album", Qing, coloring, Zhejiang Provincial Museum collection
Exhibition hall scene, Dong Chen, "Ten Scenes of West Lake Album", Qing, coloring, Zhejiang Provincial Museum collection
In this unit, the key exhibits include the "Ten Scenes of West Lake" by Qing Dynasty calligrapher Dong Xuan. As a microcosm of the development of urban gardens in Jiangnan, the "Ten Views of West Lake" has been loved by painters since the Song Dynasty. Literati garden paintings focus on expressing the artistic conception of the landscape, and most of them are vague about the actual location of the landscape, the best viewing location, and the order of visits. The "Ten Scenes of West Lake", a real-life painting marked with the name of the landscape, skillfully integrates the literati's imagination of the landscape, spiritual and emotional experience and the field landscape, and expresses people's pursuit of landscape in a realistic way.
This set of 10 albums has a total of 10 scenes, respectively depicting ten scenes of West Lake, of which "Broken Bridge and Remnant Snow" has a final payment: "Chendong Zheng Jingshu Gong Painting", and "Chen" seals. At the beginning of "Sudi Spring Dawn", there is the words "Ten Scenic Poems of the Royal West Lake" in front of the poem. Therefore, this book should be written by Dong Zheng or offered to the Qianlong Emperor on his own initiative.
Wang Jian "Antique Green Landscape Atlas", Qing Dynasty, on paper, ink, color, Changshu Museum collection
Wang Jian "Antique Green Landscape Atlas", Qing Dynasty, on paper, ink, color, Changshu Museum collection
In the exhibition hall, Wang Jian's "Antique Green Landscape Atlas" is imitation of the Song and Yuan landscapes, all of which are green and green. One of them imitates the Northern Song Dynasty, the mountain-shaped structure is rounded, high but not dangerous, and the grass is set at the water's edge, dyed with light ink, and the scorched ink is covered with moss, moisturizing and thick. As soon as the imitation Yuan Huang Gongwang is opened, the landscape is shallow, and the mountain stones are wiped with a dry pen of "draping linen", and the bushes and trees are used more horizontally. A faux Yuan Zhao Mengfu depicts the scenery of the plain of Jiangnan Water Village, with willow trees weeping shade, distant mountains beautiful, and the mountain head is smudged with green wet pen. Trees, houses, etc. are carefully depicted and rendered in a variety of tones, making the picture quiet and tranquil.
Wu Dan's "Imitation Yellow Crane Mountain Qiao Landscape Scroll" Qing Dynasty, silk, coloring, Changshu Museum collection
This picture was painted by Wu Dan in the 24th year of the Kangxi Reign (1685), and the composition is a lofty panoramic landscape, with fine penwork, clear rhyme and vigor, meticulous, calm coloring, and a light and elegant painting style. The picture depicts the lush scene of high mountains and mountains, mountains stacked, waterfalls and springs, plank roads spiraling and extending, pavilions and pavilions looming in the forest and valleys. Its scenery is complex and chaotic, which makes people think of what they can see and what they don't see.
Exhibition hall scene, Ming Qiangrain "Qiuzhiyuan Scroll", paper, coloring, collection of the Palace Museum
Among the works of Wumen painters in the Ming Dynasty, there are many works based on the manor and courtyard of others. On the basis of depicting the authenticity of man-made gardens, they strive to express the life ideals of garden owners, reflecting their ethics and ambition of living in a busy city, but pursuing "friends with deep mountains and wild waters", such works have become a prominent artistic phenomenon expressed by the Wumen School, and Qian Grain's "Qiuzhi Garden Map" is one of the representative ones.
Different from the regular landscape painting exhibition, in this section, the organizer accompanies 23 landscape paintings with white drawings of the paintings, deconstructs the relationship between landscape and water in the paintings, analyzes the schema structure in the scrolls, and summarizes the logic of the painters' paintings.
Exhibition view, "Deconstructing the Relationship between Landscape and Water"
Exhibition view, "Deconstructing the Relationship between Landscape and Water"
Exhibition view, for the structure of Wang Jian's "Antique Green Landscape Atlas"
Exhibition view, Weng Tongjiang landscape works
Exhibition view, structural diagram of Weng Tongyong's landscape works
Guo Xiaowei, director of the cultural relics preservation department and project leader of the Wu Culture Museum, said, "Many audiences do not have an understanding of ancient paintings and calligraphy, so this deconstruction can help the audience understand the artist's thoughts on the scenery, so that they know why the mountain is painted like this." What is the angle of viewing the mountain? How does water flow? What is the relationship between water and mountains? Chen Zenglu said that this part is to throw a brick so that the audience can understand the perspective of the painter and provide a way of observation for the picture conception.
From combing water systems to shaping landscape cities
Shen Zhou once wrote "Wu Zhi is covered by national water", describing the landforms around Jiangnan. The water network connects the city forest, and the water streets in the town are interdependent, and the residents live near the water, and the water and the city are intertwined. The water system is the lifeblood of urban development, and the dense water network is also the unique natural foundation for building a landscape city in Jiangnan. The concept of Shanshui City is to integrate the aesthetics of Chinese landscape poetry, landscape painting and landscape gardens to build an ideal habitat. In Chen Zenglu's view, the water system of Jiangnan is closely related to the city since ancient times, and the development of Jiangnan also depends on how we give full play to the spirit of Shanshui.
Compared with the material and spiritual traceability of the landscape in the first half of the exhibition, the third unit "Shaping the Landscape City" at the end of the exhibition hall is a "comparison between ancient and modern", presenting the audience with the results of a field investigation of the waters. This section is also the most interesting part of the exhibition.
According to historical materials such as local chronicles, prefectural records, water conservancy records, and canal maps in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the exhibition team restored the water system connection of the eight provinces in Jiangnan during the Kangxi Dynasty, and made a schematic map of the water system, allowing the audience to further understand the intertwined relationship between the water network of the ancient Jiangnan region and the intertwined relationship between the various provinces and cities.
Simulation of the water system in the Jiangnan region during the Ming and Qing dynasties on the exhibition wall
Simulation of the current Jiangnan area on the exhibition wall
Guo Xiaowei said, "From the schematic map of the water system network shown, we can see the changes in the Jiangnan water system, some lakes that existed in the Ming and Qing dynasties no longer exist, and some small lakes in the past have developed into more extensive lakes." What remains unchanged is that the Jiangnan water network is dense, and Jiangnan also relies on the water network to support the communication between cities. ”
At the same time, the exhibition team went to the Jiangnan area to conduct fieldwork, selected 9 towns, 60 water systems and water areas for investigation, photographed the hydrological situation, and collected water samples, and presented the results of the current water field investigation through large-scale water storage devices and multimedia displays, hoping that more audiences would pay attention to the land under their feet and arouse everyone's attention to shaping contemporary landscape cities.
Exhibition hall site, large water storage device
At the exhibition hall, there are installations that store water in different regions
In addition, the staff also used GoPro to simulate the state of people walking and shuttling through the landscape from a first-person perspective, allowing the audience to wander between the mountains and forests, wander by the rivers, and feel the charm of the landscape in the contemporary city.
"This project hopes that in addition to appreciating the depiction of nature by ancient artists, we will also feel and explore our land with their own eyes, hands and feet." In Jiangnan, whether it is Suzhou, where this exhibition is located, or Changshu (with Yushan Mountain in the urban area), Hangzhou (West Lake), etc., these cities are all integrated with the landscape, so this part also hints at our attitude and way of life, about how we respond to ecological humanities to some extent. Because we are in the middle of the landscape. Chen Zenglu said.
Exhibition hall site
Create Jiangnan cultural products
The landscape resources and diverse cultural heritage surrounded by mountains and rivers are the objective advantages of the Jiangnan region. The spirit of Shanshui that runs through Jiangnan culture is the spontaneous emotional pursuit of Jiangnan people when shaping Shanshui cities. According to the organizers, this exhibition aims to show the relationship between humanistic landscapes and rivers in a limited time and space for the audience. The towns in the mountains and the mountains in the towns, respect nature, use nature, aesthetic nature, Jiangnan people pin their emotions on the landscape, and the pursuit of landscape culture, in the same vein.
Pingjiang map, rubbing, Suzhou Stele Museum collection
Exhibition hall site
This exhibition is one of the special exhibitions of Jiangnan regional civilization of Wu Culture Museum, co-sponsored by Wu Culture Museum and Changshu Museum. The organizers also stressed to reporters that they hope to strengthen the connection between small and medium-sized museums through the exhibition, mobilize more resources and forces of small and medium-sized museums, and promote inter-museum cooperation. Chen Zenglu told reporters, "We hope to combine the characteristics and advantages of small and medium-sized museums to build a cultural product for a long time." An exhibition in the museum is a research and development, which is an accumulation for us, and a new perspective for the audience, helping them think about problems. ”
During the exhibition period, the Wu Culture Museum will continue to hold academic lectures, reading salons, live broadcast microphones, develop rich exhibition hall courses, organize relevant theater experience workshops and other activities, leading the audience to embark on a journey to enjoy the Jiangnan landscape.
The exhibition will be on display until March 20, 2023.