Those who understand the history of Wuxi know that there are two relics of Gao Panlong inside and outside the city of Wuxi, which are "Gaozi Water Residence" and "Gaozi Stop Water". The two ruins have a twisted story.
Gaozi Water Residence is located on the north bank of Lihu Lake in Wuxi City, on the east side of Lihu Bridge. "Gaozi" refers to Gao Panlong, a famous thinker, politician and writer in Wuxi in the Ming Dynasty, one of the "Eight Gentlemen of Donglin"; and "Water Residence" is the place where he built a hermitage and study on the shore of Wuxi Lihu Wuli Lake after he resigned his official post in the twenty-third year of the Wanli Calendar (1595) and returned to his hometown.
The "Gaozi Stop Water", located in the back of the original Shuiqu Lane in Wuxi City, is now the old school site of Wuxi Jiangnan Middle School. It is the place where Gao Panlong threw water and sank himself.
Gao Panlong, the word Cunzhi, also known as Yun Cong, a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, is known as "Mr. Jing Yi". He was brilliant, entering high school at the age of 27 in the seventeenth year of the Wanli Calendar (1589), and was later awarded the official position of pedestrian clerk in 1592. Gao Panlong, who had just entered the official field, was upright and ambitious, and repeatedly wrote to the emperor to inspire innovation, but the emperor at that time, Ming Shenzong, ignored the government for a long time, and the official field was already chaotic, and his advice actually laid a curse for himself.
In the twenty-second year of the Wanli Calendar (1594), Gao Panlong was an official for less than two years, that is, he was victimized by rumors and demoted to the Jieyang Canonical History of Guangdong. Gao Panlong went to Jieyang, Guangdong Province, and although he only served there for three months, he still did his best to investigate the shortcomings of the people and did a lot of good things for the local people. Today, there is also a "Climbing Dragon Place" in Jieyang County, Guangdong Province, which was set up to commemorate Gao Panlong.
In the twenty-third year of the Wanli Calendar (1595), Gao Panlong returned to his hometown, his former residence was in Shuiqu Lane in Wuxi City, but because he loved water all his life and liked to live by the water, he built a curved embankment around the fish pond head by Li Lake, and outside the curved embankment was Li Lake, and an elegant water dwelling was built within the Curved Causeway, also called the Reading Office.
According to the Ming Dynasty Wang Yongji's "Outline of Xishan Mountain Scenery", Gaozi Shuiju "built in the water, the embankment was outside the water, the lake was outside the embankment, and the small bridge was open... There is a small building, named Ke Lou. A stone platform was built in front of the embankment, like a circle, named the moon slope. "Nowadays, in the Gaozi Water Residence, the two landscapes of Kelou and Yuepo have been restored.
When it comes to the Kelou in the middle of the water, Gao Panlong likes this building very much and also wrote the "Kelou Record" for it. According to the "Kelou Record", at that time, this building was only one foot large, with windows on all four sides, and the push window "can look at the mountains, can watch the water, can send a refreshing breeze, can be sunny, and can be accompanied by the bright moon", and Gao Panlong admired the "Ke Lou", so it was named "Ke Lou".
After the completion of the "Ke Lou" and the Water House, Gao Panlong, in addition to going out to give lectures and meeting friends, read books and cultivate his heart and write books in ke lou, and lived here for nearly thirty years. It was also during this period that Gao Panlong met Gu Xiancheng, who was also a Wuxi native, and later there were two famous Donglin leaders, who were also called "Gu Gao".
Gu Xiancheng is 12 years older than Gao Panlong, because they are fellow villagers, so the two have a closer relationship and more opportunities for exchanges. The two had very similar ideas on the shortcomings of the needlework and the worries of the country and the people, so they decided to establish a college and open a generation of academic atmosphere, which is the origin of the famous "Donglin Academy" in history.
After the founding of Donglin Academy, the impact was very great, students from all over the country flocked to listen to lectures, well-known scholars from all over the country came to give lectures, and almost became the center of domestic public opinion.
In the 6th year of the Apocalypse (1626), the traitor Wei Zhongxian falsely accused and sent people to Wuxi to arrest Gao Panlong. After Gao Panlong learned the news, he was not willing to be humiliated, he rushed back to the old house in Shuiqu Lane from the water residence, calmly wrote "Farewell friends Cambodia" and "Testament Table", followed qu Yuan's toss Jiang Mingzhi, and threw water into his own backyard pool to sink himself, at the age of 65.
After the death of Gao Panlong, Gaozi Shuiju has been destroyed and rebuilt for more than 400 years. During the Guangxu period, Qiu Tingliang, a Wuxi native, built a house, carved a statue of Gao Gong, and erected several stele stones. In 1935, the patriotic general Feng Yuxiang came to live in the water for more than a month. Later, the water house was destroyed by fire during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and in the late 1960s, the lake was surrounded by land reclamation, and the ruins of the Gaozi Water House were filled in under the mud.
Until 2006, the Wuxi Municipal Government redesigned and built the Gaozi Water Residence and the Gao Panlong Memorial Hall on the shore of Wuli Lake, and built a monumental garden that integrates cultural landscapes and natural landscapes - Shuiju Garden. The whole garden is built by the water, the scenery is pleasant, and people can finally re-appreciate the style of The Water Residence of Gaozi in reality.
From Jincheng Road into the entrance of Shuiju Garden, you can see the four gilded characters of "Gaozi Shuiju", which is the handwriting of patriotic general Feng Yuxiang. Entering the garden, on both sides of the east-west main garden road, many famous sayings and poetic stone carvings of Gao Panlong are staggered, and the stone carvings vividly depict the life deeds of Gao Panlong.
When you come to the middle of the Water Residence Garden, you can see a small two-story building with flying eaves and angles, named "Wuke Building". This is not only the meaning of "the fifth reconstruction of the building", but also contains the meaning of Gao Panlong's so-called "five can look at the mountains, can watch the water, can send the breeze to the cool, can be sunny, can be accompanied by the bright moon".
In front of the "Five Pavilions" is the white jade statue of Gao Panlonghan, and the tall master who has been tall and clean all his life is sitting on the stage, holding a book in his right hand, looking at the distance, which makes people feel respectful.
Climb to the second floor of the "Five Buildings", which is the Gao Panlong Memorial Hall. The museum is rich in pictures and texts, clay sculptures and physical objects coexist, vividly reproducing Gao Panlong's life from five aspects: "The Life of Gaozi", "Donglin Wind Bone", "Water Residence Feelings", "Qingshu Poetry" and "The World's Own Responsibility".
Stepping out of the Fifth Floor, looking out to the periphery, I saw only a curved embankment, and outside the embankment was Li Lake, and the view was very wide. Looking around, you can see Wuxi's landmark buildings - Lihu Bridge and Wuxi Grand Theater, and the beautiful scenery and beautiful landscape of Lihu Lake can be described as a panoramic view.
In addition to the "Five Pavilions", the Water Residence Garden also has Jingyixuan, Yuncong Pavilion, Jingyi Bridge and other garden-style buildings, among which, there is also a stone stele in the Jingyuan Pavilion, which is engraved with the "Gaozi Water Residence" written by Feng Yuxiang, presumably a precious relic left by General Feng when he lived in the Water Residence.
Today's Gaozi Water Residence, not only can pay tribute to the memorial of the Ancestor of Donglin Gao Panlong, but also the entertainment and leisure place of Wuxi citizens, especially when the lotus flowers in the summer pool bloom, the wind waves, lotus leaves, fresh wind shaking pond, ten miles to send lotus incense, lotus people flock endlessly.
There is also a 100-meter water corridor in the lake, where people walk on the promenade and can see the lotus flowers just a few feet away from the gallery, swaying with the wind. The fish pond in the garden is the best place to watch the lotus flowers. The pavilion protrudes into the lake, the view is extremely open, and you can see the pool of green lotus at a glance, presumably here you can experience the spectacular scene of "receiving the infinite blue of the lotus leaves".
In Gaozi Water Residence, you can enjoy the beauty of lotus flowers nearby, you can view the vast lihu lake in the distance, you can think about the old things of Donglin, in short, it is a place that you cannot miss when you come to Wuxi.
Tips:
Gaozi Water Residence Address: Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, Binhu District Jinshui Road Water Residence Garden
Admission: Free
Transportation: Take bus No. 59, No. 77, No. 103 to Lijiqiao Station, and then walk 1000 meters to reach it