Prologue (Part 1), Qili Shantang, a scroll of people's cigarettes
As the saying goes, "There is heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below." Suzhou and Hangzhou, which have been known as paradise on earth since ancient times, are more or less related to a great poet of the Tang Dynasty.
In the fourth year of the Changqing reign of the Tang Dynasty, Bai Juyi, who was the governor of Hangzhou at the time, mobilized the people to build water conservancy projects, build dams and sluices, and dredge the West Lake. There used to be a dike named Baigongdi near the stone culvert bridge outside Qiantang Gate, but it is no longer there. The West Lake has been beautiful for thousands of years, and later generations will
The Baisha Embankment on the lake is regarded as a place to commemorate Bai Juyi, so many people mistakenly believe that the White Embankment in the West Lake is the Baigong Embankment of that year.
Bai Juyi is famous for his poetry and prose. As for his private life, later generations have received mixed reviews. However, among the great poets and writers of the Tang Dynasty, he served as an official and benefited a lot. He developed people's livelihood and economy, built farmland and water conservancy, and left behind thousands of years of beautiful scenery, which is still benefiting today.
Bai Juyi is second to none in promoting business prosperity and tourism development in the local area.
The White Causeway of West Lake still exists today. The ancient Baigong Causeway outside Qiantang Gate no longer exists. However, in the south of the Yangtze River, there is still a Baigong Causeway that has been preserved to this day. It is today's scenic spot in Suzhou, the Qili Mountain Pond from Changmen to Huqiu.
street.
In the second year after building the dam and dredging the West Lake, which was the first year of Baoli in the Tang Dynasty, Bai Juyi bid farewell to Hangzhou and became the governor of Suzhou. When Bai Juyi took office, he went to Huqiu, where King Wu Helu buried his sword, to pay homage to the past and saw the local river.
When the waterway was blocked, craftsmen and officials were called in to make measurements and designs, and they raised funds from merchants and mobilized civilians to dig a Shantang River.
This river starts from Changmendu Monk Bridge in the east and ends at Huqiu Wangshan Bridge in the west, with a total length of more than seven miles. A lively and prosperous Shantang Street is formed along the river, also known as Qili Street.
The location of the Shantang River is very good, which is not only conducive to drainage and irrigation, but also has convenient waterway transportation. As soon as Shantang Street adjacent to the river appeared, it became a place where Suzhou's business and cultural scenery gathered. Later generations also called Shantang Street "White".
The public embankment was built, and the Baigong Temple was built at the head of the Monk Crossing Bridge outside Changmen to commemorate it.
The beautiful scenery of Suzhou and Hangzhou is a combination of natural landscape and artificial construction. However, Bai Juyi could not stay for long. Shantang River had just been opened not long ago, so he left in the autumn of the following year. In the first month of the year before leaving office, Bai Juyi climbed a mountain and looked at Gusu City in the distance with emotion.
Infinite, compose a poem——
The oriole at the mouth of Oriole Lane wants to talk, and the black magpie at the head of the river wants to sell ice.
Green waves flow from east to west, water flows from north to south, and there are three hundred and ninety bridges with red railings.
The mandarin ducks flutter their wings, and there are thousands of willow trees.
May I ask how early or late the spring breeze will come? It only goes from the day before yesterday to today.
…
When Bai Juyi was reciting poems in the pavilion on the mountain, he did not notice that there were two immortals halfway up the mountain who were also looking at the seven-mile mountain pond outside the city. They were a man and a woman. They wore wide robes with big sleeves and silk ribbons tied around their waists. They were named Qiao Sanren;
The tall, graceful and graceful person is Liu Xianzi, a Taoist friend of Qiao Sanren. These two immortals come from Wanshou Mountain in the fairy world, and they traveled around the world and stopped outside the city of Suzhou.
Fairy Liu slowly unfolded a scroll, which was about one foot high and nearly four feet long, but there was nothing on it. She could only hear her sighing softly: "This scroll was made by the fairy boy Mingyue when he was walking in the world of mortals and passed by Gusu.
Without the use of pen and ink, the mountains and rivers reflected on the water surface under the moon were condensed into paintings without leaving a trace."
Qiao Sanren also sighed: "When Mingyue Fairy Boy condensed this painting into a scroll, Qingfeng Fairy Boy was beside him. He stretched out his fingers to hide the traces of the painting in the scroll, and used his strength to draw a door on it. From then on, the painting
The mountains, rivers and people are a world of their own.”
Liu Xianzi frowned slightly and said, "I don't understand what kind of mountains and rivers the middle of this painting is?"
Qiao Sanren was thoughtful, pointed to the foot of the mountain and said, "This is the scene of people. What you see in front of you is the world in the painting."
Fairy Liu said in confusion: "But this Shantang River has just been built. When Mingyue Fairy Boy painted the painting a hundred years ago, there was no such river in the world. Could it be that it would be included in the painting?"
Qiao Sanren smiled slightly: "Maybe, maybe not. This painting was originally made by taking pictures of landscapes and people. Qingfeng Fairy Boy used his strength to draw a seal to prove the derivation. The mountains, rivers and people in the picture are all sealed.
It is a virtual scene, but it can change according to the interpretation of the human world outside the painting, just like the reflection in the water. I wonder what kind of scenery will it look like in another thousand years?"
Fairy Liu nodded and said, "I understand. If someone can see this painting in a thousand years, even though Mingyue Fairy Boy made it a thousand years ago, the scenery in the painting is that of Gusu at that time, regardless of whether that person has been here or not.
Suzhou, no matter where this painting ended up, it’s just that the traces of the painting in this volume have disappeared, and not even you and I can see it.”
Qiao Sanren smiled bitterly and said: "Don't tell me that you and I can't see it. Even the Qingfeng Patriarch himself, who has been admitted to the painting, can't see it. This thing is just a temporary thought on his mind. The door on the painting is not integrated with the painting, but
A magic spell, when the magic power disappears after a thousand years, the painting traces will reappear. If the painting traces at that time have turned into the Gusu landscape a thousand years later, it means that the derivation method of Qingfeng Patriarch was already completed at that time and is no longer in the town.
Under the Yuan Patriarch."
Fairy Liu sighed again and said: "It's a pity that the breeze has dispersed and the bright moon will not return. Even if the paintings in this volume reappear in the world a thousand years later, it can prove that the derivation method of Qingfeng Fairy a hundred years ago is no longer as good as that of Zhenyuan Immortal.
So what can we do? When Patriarch Qingfeng sealed this painting, did he think that he himself would be dead a hundred years later?"
Qiao Sanren shook his head and said: "This is not what I know. Patriarch Qingfeng left such a scroll on a whim. It is just a confirmation of his cultivation. As for the scroll itself, it is dispensable."
Fairy Liu thought: "I don't know much about the three great patriarchs of Wanshou Mountain and Mingyue Fairy Tong. Zhenyuan and Qingfeng are both very good at deduction, but I heard that Patriarch Qingfeng doesn't know how to paint at all?"
Qiao Sanren smiled: "Qingfeng Fairy Boy really can't paint, nor is he good at singing. The paintings in this volume were originally made by Mingyue Fairy Boy taking pictures of landscapes and people. He just used the technique of deduction to seal the environment into the painting."
Liu Xianzi turned around and looked at Qiao Sanren and said: "You are also good at deduction, but you can't compare with the two ancestors. But in Wanshou Mountain, you are famous for your painting skills. Why not paint on this scroll to gain a sense of the artistic conception of the past?
Woolen cloth?"
Qiao Sanren narrowed his eyes as if he was thinking about something. When he opened his eyes, he already had a pen in his hand. He muttered: "The Qunfang Color Painting Pen in my hand was given by the fairy boy Mingyue, so I used it as a gift."
I paint with a pen, depicting the scenery of the mountains and ponds in front of me, and hide it in the scroll, waiting for the painting in the scroll to appear again thousands of years later. Since the breeze has dispersed and the bright moon will not return, this painting will remain in the world."
After finishing speaking, Fairy Liu unfolded the scroll, and Qiao Sanren painted with Qunfang's brush, depicting the scenery of the Qili Mountain Pond that had just been excavated. After the painting was completed, Qiao Sanren waved his hand, and the painting floated to the sky and he did not know where it landed in the world.
.
…
After Bai Juyi resigned from his post in Suzhou and Qiao San people wrote Shantang Juan, more than six hundred years passed, and it was during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty.
At this time, Shantang Street in Suzhou has gone through vicissitudes of war, and after several rises and falls, it is far more prosperous than before. There are many shops along the streets, guild halls gather, houses and goods are piled up, tourists and businessmen are like clouds. Boats and oars are constantly coming and going on the Shantang River.
The sound is mixed with the sound of string and bamboo playing and singing. Merchant ships pass by this river during the day, and after nightfall, colorful lanterns and painted boats float. It is a place of wealth and romance in the world of mortals.
It was late at night, and the singing of the boat strings gradually died down, leaving only the tiny reflections of the colorful lanterns on the boats in the water. The shops along the street had already closed their doors, and only the lanterns with the names of the houses were still hanging in front of the mansions, making it very noisy.
There was not a single soul on Shantang Street all day long.
At the many bridgeheads beside the stone streets along the river, there were squatting stone beast statues placed in unknown ages. They were about half a man tall, resembling a lion, a tiger, a cat, and more like a raccoon. The appearance of these stone beasts was not vicious.
, on the contrary, all of them were smiling and naive. In the dead of night, it seemed that only these stone beasts were still silently guarding the Qili Shantang River.
At this moment, no matter whether they were on the shore or in the boat, people in their sleep heard a loud shout: "Don't leave, monster!"
A figure came quickly from the direction of Wangshan Bridge and floated along Shantang Street towards Changmen without touching the ground. His shiny bald head was vaguely visible under the light of the lantern. His appearance was that of a middle-aged monk. On his body
The gray monk's robe was torn several times and was stained with blood.
The monk walked through Shantang Street very fast. Every time he passed a stone beast statue, he waved his right hand and printed a magic formula silently on the forehead of the stone beast. In the blink of an eye, he had passed through the Qili Shantang and arrived at Duseng.
In front of the bridge, a sword light flew from the far direction of Tiger Hill. The monk gritted his teeth and threw a jade pendant in his left hand into the Shantang River.
This jade pendant is about one inch wide and two inches long. It is carved with a branch of bamboo on the front and a pattern of clouds and flowers on the back. It is almost a drop-shaped outline and is just the right size to hold in the palm of your hand. It fell into the river without causing any ripples, as if it had magically blended in.
In the reflected light, the person pursuing him from a distance did not notice it.
When he threw the jade pendant, the monk did not stop at all. He jumped onto the water and ran between the boats. He passed through the water gate on the side of Changmen and entered Suzhou City. The sword light followed closely and flew over the city wall into the city. He fell asleep soundly.
The people inside were awakened by the loud shout, and the monk and the sword light that followed him had disappeared without a trace.
The monk seemed to have left something behind on Shantang Street. He was chased too closely at that time and planned to come back to get it later. But one year passed, ten years passed, and a hundred years passed, and he never came back.
…
More than two hundred years passed after the strange monk left, during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty.
On this day, in an old study room in the western suburbs of Beijing, there was a plaque in the room with the words "Xue Qin Ju" written on it. A scribe in green shirt was writing at his desk. His name was Cao Zhan, and he was writing -
"At that time, the land fell to the southeast. There was a place called Gusu in the southeast corner, and a city called Changmen. It was the first and second-class place of wealth and aristocratic life in the world. There was a Shili Street outside Changmen, and there was Renqing Lane inside the street.
There is an ancient temple in the alley. Because the place is narrow, everyone calls it the Gourd Temple..."
The opening chapter of Cao Xueqin's "A Dream of Red Mansions" mentions that there is such a street outside Changmen in Gusu, which is the most wealthy and romantic place in the world of mortals. There is a gourd temple in the street. Where is this gourd temple? The novelist said that of course there is no need to delve into it.
, and the Gourd Temple in the book was destroyed by a fire. But today, more than three hundred years later, such a "Gourd Temple" really appeared on the bustling Shantang Street outside Changmen, Suzhou.
It is already the summer of 2012 AD. In Suzhou* City, Jiangsu Province, the People's Republic of China, Qili Shantang Street has become a tourist attraction. This street is built next to the river, with waterways crisscrossing it. There are many ancient bridges on the stone road, including the
There are two adjacent bridges, one is called Qingshan Bridge and the other is called Lushui Bridge. Between the Qingshan Bridge and Lushui Bridge, there is a newly built temple called Pufu Zen Temple.
According to the tourist attractions of Pufu Zen Temple, this small temple is the prototype of the Calabash Temple written by Cao Xueqin. Regarding this "research", many people have questioned and even cursed on the Internet, thinking that it is the "Brick Master" organized by the local government.
"A gimmick to fool tourists.
But it should be noted that the "prototype" in literary creation and the "original site" in historical research are completely different concepts. For example, Jia Baoyu in "A Dream of Red Mansions", no one can deny that he has the shadow of Cao Xueqin, and even
It is said that Cao Xueqin is one of Jia Baoyu's character prototypes, but it has been processed by literature and art.
Cao Xueqin is not Jia Baoyu in "A Dream of Red Mansions", and the Pufu Zen Temple on Shantang Street is certainly not the Calabash Temple in "A Dream of Red Mansions". Creation is not based on thin air, and the depiction of local customs and customs must be related to the author's experience and knowledge. Cao Xueqin mentioned
The street outside Changmen of Gusu City and the temple on the street inadvertently bring out the reflection of the world's mountains, rivers and people in the book.
Pufu Zen Temple was built in the Song Dynasty. The temple is narrow with only two front and back entrances. There is a patio in the middle. The whole layout is in the shape of a gourd. Although it is not big, it was once very popular. This temple was destroyed in the "
During the Great Leap Forward, in 2008, the local government rebuilt it on the original site. Fifty years after it was destroyed, it was rebuilt and became a scenic spot on Shantang Street. Whether it is a Calabash Temple or not, it does not matter.
It just appears there.
Many tourists who come to Shantang Street for the first time usually show doubts when they see the introduction of attractions in front of the temple. They frown and think: "Oh, this is the Calabash Temple mentioned in the Dream of Red Mansions? That's nonsense, it must be.
You’re deceiving people! Dream of Red Mansions is a novel, how could this temple really exist?”
There are also some people who are deeply impressed by the original work of "A Dream of Red Mansions". They may explain it to their companions on the spot with a smug look, saying in a tone that seems to be indignant or sarcastic: "I have read "A Dream of Red Mansions" many times. Those ten-mile streets are snobbish.
Renqing Lane is a homophone for Renqing. Cao Xueqin clearly wrote about Snobbish Street and Renqing Lane, so how could it be related to Shantang Street in Suzhou?"
Often a companion will chime in and say, "Yes, that's right, you're a bullshit 'brick,' a boring politician! He would come up with something like this to fool people... how sad!" While shaking his head and sighing, his expression was a little bit different.
The satisfaction of consciously seeing the superiority of knowledge.
This scene is often performed in front of Pufu Zen Temple. For example, today, a group of people are discussing this. At this time, a young man came from the direction of Qingshan Bridge. He had a pretty girl on his arm, followed by others.
A young man carrying a travel bag stopped in front of the Pufu Temple and looked at the introduction of tourist attractions. This man also heard the comments of others, but just smiled stupidly and said to himself: "So Cao Xueqin is here too.
I’ve passed here, but this temple is not the same temple, hahaha, it’s so interesting!”
This young man is in his twenties, has a short crew cut, and good-looking facial features, but he always has a silly smile on his face. He laughs at everything he sees, looking heartless. His skin is...
Slightly brown, obviously from the sun, because the skin color exposed under the open neckline is obviously much lighter.
This man's appearance matches his name quite well. His name is Cheng Tianle.