Daguan Tower and Changlian - Traveling around Dianchi Lake 11

There is Daguan Tower in the southwest of Kunming City near Huapu. Daguan Tower is famous for its long couplets.

——Title

Jinhuapu, located on the shore of Kunming Caohai, is named after its proximity to Taihua Mountain. Caohai was also known as West Lake in the Ming Dynasty. It has beautiful scenery, facing the water and the mountains. The cattails and algae are evergreen and are a great place for sightseeing. ” （ Gu Zuyu's "A Brief History of Geography" · Yunnan Minutes 》） . The "Yunnan General Records" of the Ming Dynasty Wanli records: "West Lake is located west of the (Yunnan) prefecture, with a circumference of four miles, and is located on the upper reaches of Dianchi Lake. There are evergreen cattails and algae, and many people go boating. It is commonly called Caohaizi. There is a Qianguo Lotus Pond in the middle, and a plaque reads Shuiyun Township." The hereditary Duke of Qian, Mu, once built a lotus pond in Shuiyun Township. Relaxation by enjoying the scenery . Xu Xiake also recorded when he visited Mount Taihua: "Leaving the provincial capital, we disembarked two miles southwest. On both sides of the river, flat fields flank the water. Ten miles of fields end, and the marsh is full of reeds. As the boat sails through the deep green, we no longer know that it is the mighty current of Dianchi Lake, but a sea of grass." ("Travels to Taihua Temple Mountain") Jinhuapu is located on the bank of Dianchi Lake, and faces Taihua Mountain and Biji Mountain across the water to the west. The clear waves of Dianchi Lake and the beautiful West Mountain are a blend of mountains and waters. Since the Ming Dynasty, it has gradually become a place for boating and sightseeing in Yunnan Province.

The scenery is beautiful and unique, which naturally attracts tourists. Building pavilions near rivers, lakes, and seaside scenic spots seems to have been an ancient Chinese custom. Pavilions and pavilions are built to enhance the scenery, to enjoy the scenery, to appreciate the water, sky and mountains, and at the same time to add a humanistic atmosphere to the natural scenery. And literati also like to enjoy these buildings to enjoy the scenery and drink tea, or to gather with literary friends to talk about the past and the present. Every time they go to a wonderful place, they feel emotional about the scenery, and then dance and write, recite poems and write poems. Therefore, they inadvertently integrate the pavilion architecture into the culture, adding elegance. gas. The towers and pavilions became famous because of the calligraphy of the literati, so that despite the changes in the world, they still radiate a bright light. For example, the Yellow Crane Tower has Li Bai's "The Yellow Crane Tower Sends Meng Haoran to Guangling", the Tengwang Pavilion has Wang Bo's "Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion", the Yueyang Tower has Fan Zhongyan's "Yueyang Tower", the Stork Tower has Wang Huanzhi's "Climbing the Stork Tower", and the Kunming Grand View Tower by the Dianchi Lake. It became famous because of the long couplets of Sun Beard and Weng, and became a famous building in China. Famous writings make the pavilion more glorious, and famous writings make the pavilion famous. This may be one of the major features of ancient Chinese pavilion architecture.

The time came to the 29th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty ( 1690 In 1162, Yunnan Governor Wang Jiwen passed by Huapu during his inspection tour. He was attracted by the beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains here, so he ordered workers to prepare materials and build pavilions. One of the pavilions was a two-story building, which was close to Dianchi Lake. The view is wide, with sails, trees, and lakes and mountains, so it is named "Daguan Tower". . Later in “ An outer embankment was built around it, and peach and willow trees were planted to embellish the scenery of the lake and mountains. "From then on, great men of poetry and poetry would come to climb the scenic spot every day." After the Grand View Tower became a tourist attraction in the provincial capital, it attracted a constant stream of tourists every day. The dignitaries feasted by the lake, and the poets and writers climbed the tower to sing and compose poems, near Huapu In the eighth year of Emperor Daoguang's reign (1828), Zhai Jinguan, the provincial governor of Yunnan, rebuilt the Grand View Tower and expanded the original two floors to three, making it even more spectacular.

Places of interest often evoke emotions and thoughts. Since ancient times, there have been many people visiting famous buildings, and many of them have been impressed by its scenery. When viewing the scenery, it is inevitable to feel deep emotions in their chests, and there are many people who are writing and writing. However, in the vast sea of ​​ink, there are only a few that have been circulated in the world.

The Daguan Tower is a scenic spot for viewing the scenery. Literati and scholars often sing songs here, but most of them sing about the scenery without any deep meaning. If it were not for the appearance of the commoner's beard and the hanging of the 180-character long couplet, the Daguan Tower would not be the place to be. Maybe it is just an ordinary viewing pavilion, which cannot cause big waves among the numerous pavilions and pavilions in the Divine Continent. It was not until the commoner Sun Beard appeared during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty that he wrote a 180-word long couplet, giving Daguan Tower a cultural soul and a spiritual temperament. Only then could an ordinary pavilion become famous and become one of the famous buildings in China. , it can be said that "the building is not high, but it is famous if it has literature".

Sun Beard, also known as Beard Weng, nicknamed Yi'an, and nicknamed himself Jiaotai Old Man, was originally from Sanyuan, Shaanxi Province. His father was an official in Yunnan, and he lived in Kunming with his father. "Kunming County Chronicle" contains, " Mr. is erudite and knowledgeable, and his poems and classical prose are bold and strange" " , He was outstanding, with a peaceful mind, and still loved plum blossoms. He made his own seal saying "Ten thousand plum blossoms, one commoner". Because he was taking the imperial examination, he had to take off his clothes and search him when he arrived at the examination room. , to prevent cheating, he thought this was "treating scholars like thieves" and was insulting to gentlemen. He turned away angrily and never asked about the imperial examination. Sun beard will no longer be an official for life.

Although he is not an official, he is no ordinary person. As a popular saying goes, "gold always shines." When given the right opportunity, he will always show off his talents. He was a man of literary talent and liked to make friends with literati. One day during the Qianlong period, the bearded man finally got a chance to shine. The free and carefree young man and his friends met at the Daguan Tower. They had a few glasses of wine and a few plates of side dishes. The literati gathered together and faced the beautiful scenery. When they drank until they were excited, they inevitably wanted to drink. Recite poems and compose poems to help you enjoy drinking. During the dinner, the bearded man got up, stood at the window, and leaned on the railing to look out. He saw the vastness of Dianchi Lake, the vast expanse of clear water, the green algae, and the flowing willows on the bank; Years of historical smoke and clouds passed by, and there was lightning and thunder in my chest. I sighed and thought, turned around, spread my paper and waved a brush, expressed my heart directly, and wrote a 180-word long couplet:

Dianchi Lake, which is five hundred miles away, rushes into my eyes, with its lapels draped on the shore, and I feel joy in the boundless emptiness. Look: the divine horse in the east, the spiritual instrument in the west, winding in the north, nanxiang in plain sight. Why don't the masters choose to win? Take advantage of Xie Island and Luozhou to comb and wrap your hair with wind and mist; watch the sky and reed land, dot it with some green feathers and red clouds. Don’t let it down: surrounded by fragrant rice, thousands of hectaresclear sand, nine summer hibiscus, three spring willows.

Thousands of years of past events are brought to my mind, I drink wine and sigh, who is the hero? Think about it: the Han Dynasty practiced building boats, the Tang Dynasty marked iron pillars, the Song Dynasty wielded jade axes, and the Yuan Dynasty crossed leather bags. Wei Lie's great achievements took great efforts to move mountains. All the bead curtains and painted buildings cannot catch up with the evening rain and morning clouds; then the broken stone tablets are all exposed to the falling smoke. I only win: a few pestles and sparse bells, half a river of fishing fire, two rows of autumn geese, and a pillow of clear frost.

The long couplet written by the bearded man was like a fresh and bright wind. It eliminated the tacky couplets of the past and praised the poems about the Grand View Tower. It immediately won the praise of the audience and was recommended by friends as a good couplet. The long couplet was then written and engraved in running script by his friend Lu Shutang, a celebrity from Kunming, and hung in the Daguan Tower. The appearance of the Long Couplet of the Bearded Man caused alarm in all quarters. The couplet spread like wildfire and received overwhelming praise. Scholars and citizens competed to copy and recite it. For a time, "paper in Kunming was expensive" and it became a major event in central Yunnan. For hundreds of years since then, the long couplet has been known as "the best long couplet in the world", and Sun Yanweng has been called the "sage of couplets". In modern times, more scholars believe that the long couplets at the Grand View Tower in Kunming are a sign that couplets can keep pace with and compete with parallel prose in poetry, music, and verse.

The appearance of the long couplet made the Daguan Tower one of the four most famous buildings in China and attracted public attention. Although the Kunming Grand View Tower in the southwest is far away from the capital, its fame will naturally spread to the emperor's ears. One day in the fifth year of Xianfeng (1855), Emperor Xianfeng Yi Chi inquired about the situation of Dianchi Lake in He Tongyun, Minister of War and a native of Jinning, Yunnan. When He Tongyun talked about Dianchi Lake, he inevitably talked about the Grand View Tower, "Experienced the situation of Grand View" , Emperor Xianfeng was inspired by it, so he wrote an imperial inscription with the four words "Pulling the Waves Thousand Layers". With He Tongyun. He Tongyun will take the imperial book "Balang Thousand Layers" back to his hometown, make it into a plaque, and hang it on the Grand View Tower.

Famous buildings are lucky to be famous, but they are also bound to suffer disasters. The long couplet also follows the building's fortune. 1856 In the 16th century, the Grand View Tower was destroyed by war, and Huapu became a pile of rubble. 1864 In mid-winter of 1915, Ma Rulong, the governor of Yunnan, conducted military drills. "As the boat approached Huapu, I saw an island covered with weeds and desolate smoke, a desolate scene. I asked the elders on the coast, and they told me why the Grand View Tower was destroyed. The Duke sighed and said, He spared no expense to donate materials and rebuild the building. "In just over a year, the rubble field was transformed into a golden and beautiful place, and it is still the most famous scenic spot in the provincial capital." (Shu Zao, Qing Dynasty, "Inscription on the Creation and Reconstruction of Daguan Tower") In the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign (1866), Lao Chongguang, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, collected rubbings of the original couplet and re-engraved the long couplet written by Lu Shutang and Sun Ranweng, and wrote a postscript, " The local scenic spot was suddenly restored to its original appearance, which was a grand event. " In the 9th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1883), the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, Cen Yuying, rebuilt the Grand View Tower that had been damaged by water. In the 14th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1888), Cen Yuying asked Zhao Fan, then his aide and later the director of Yunnan Library, to write Sun Ranweng's long couplet in regular script, with gold characters on a blue background, which was then printed and hung in the Grand View Tower and remains to this day.

There are many literary and talented people in the world, and among the praises, there will also be those who are proud of their literary talents. They are not convinced by the long couplets of Sun Beard and Weng, and there is a story of tampering with the long couplets of the Grand View Tower. Nowadays, when we step into the first floor of the Grand View Building, we can see three long couplets hanging in front of us, one of which is a long couplet of commoner Sun Beard; another is a long couplet of Ruan Yuan, the former governor of Yunnan and Guizhou; and the other is a long couplet of Guanyin near Huapu The long couplet written and engraved by the monk Jing Le when he rebuilt Guanyin Temple and built the Huayan Pavilion is known as the "Jing Le Long Couplet" in the world.

In the Qing Dynasty, Ruan Yuan was respected as an elder of three dynasties, a minister of nine provinces, a great figure of a generation of literary emperors, with many achievements and numerous works, and was known as a master-level scholar. He is accomplished in many aspects, but he is very inappropriate in his treatment of Sun Beard and Weng Changlian. In the sixth year of Daoguang (1826), Ruan Yuan moved to the governorship of Yunnan and Guizhou. He heard about the Long Couplet of the Grand View Tower and read it repeatedly. He focused on considering Sun Beard's long couplets from the perspective of his official position as governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, and was critical of the writing. If he felt dissatisfied with it, he revised it and engraved the long couplets he had revised. Daguan Tower replaced Sun Beard and Weng Changlian. Unexpectedly, this move was self-defeating and became a laughing stock. The world does not give him face because he is a "generation of Wenzong" and holds a high position. Regarding Ruan Yuan's alteration of long couplets, there has been a rumor that "leeks, radish and green onions, Ruan's tobacco bag (Ruan Yuan's character is Yuntai, this is a homophone) cannot be understood." Ruan Yuan was very embarrassed by the folk song of "tampering with ancient sayings and making fun of the beard". The hanging of Ruan couplets in Daguan Tower today must be a record of historical facts. It seems to have the intention of allowing visitors to enjoy and chew on their own. However, the long couplets of Sun Beard Weng have been most recognized throughout the ages. It might as well be copied here:

Dianchi Lake, five hundred miles away, comes to my eyes. Leaning on the railing and looking far away, I feel joy in the boundless waves. Look at the golden horse in the east, the jade chicken in the west, the coiling dragon in the north, and the precious elephant in the south. A wise man cherishes his passing time. Taking advantage of Xie Island and Luo Island, there will be green cliffs and green jade. Watching the sky and reedy ground, the mist and residual clouds have already recovered. Don't let down the fragrant rice, thousands of hectares of gull sand, hibiscus in nine summers, and willows in three springs.

Thousands of years of past events are brought to mind. Drinking wine, sighing, who is the hero? Think of the Han Dynasty's practice of building boats, the Tang Dynasty's iron pillars, the Song Dynasty's jade axe, and the Yuan's leather bags. The leader of the clan, the Mongolian chieftain, spent all his energy moving mountains. The bead curtains and painted buildings are not as large as the evening rain and morning clouds. The moss and moss stele are all illuminated by the desolate smoke. Only a few pestles and sparse bells, half of the river fishing fire, two rows of swan geese, a lot of vicissitudes. (Ruan Yuan Changlian)

The book "Yinglian Conghua" compiled by Liang Zhangju, a famous scholar in the Qing Dynasty, includes Sun Ranweng's long couplet. In the book, Liang Zhangju commented on this couplet: "A scenic spot is magnificent, so it must be described with a long couplet, but it should not exceed 20 or 30 words. However, the Daguan Tower in the capital of Yunnan Province has a couplet of more than 170 words, which is praised throughout the country. Although it is only one vertical and one horizontal, its spirit is enough to carry it, but it is still criticized for being too long. ” (Liang Zhangju, "Collection of Couplets, Volume 7" (Part 2) Mao Zedong, who was also well versed in the study of couplets, first pointed out Liang Zhangju's evaluation of the couplet in his collection of couplets that it was "180 characters" instead of "more than 170 characters". He then commented that Sun Ranweng's couplet was "unprecedented and unique". Liang's comment was "this evaluation is not correct", which shows his admiration for the couplet. Mao Zedong also In his collection of couplets, he wrote a comment on the long couplet revised by Ruan Yuan: "Dead couplets can turn gold into iron." In his opinion, Sun Ranweng's long couplet was a masterpiece, and any tampering was a blasphemy.

Another famous person who changed the long couplet of Daguan Tower is Cheng Hanzhang. Cheng Hanzhang was born in Jingdong, Yunnan, with the courtesy name Yuechuan. He once served as governor of Zhejiang and other positions. He spoke highly of Sun Beard's long couplet, saying "Sun Beard's long couplet at Daguan Tower is so talented and powerful that it is the first masterpiece in the country."But he also thought that the long couplet"Only eight sentences were arranged together, but there were no empty words, and there were no single sentences that were smooth and smooth. It seemed that the energy was stagnant."The old man couldn't help but start to change it. Fortunately, he was self-aware and did not have the same power as Ruan Yuan in Yunnan. He did not publish the modified long couplets, but later included them in the "Posthumous Collection of Mr. Cheng Yuechuan" with the title "Revised Long Couplets of the Grand View Tower in Jinhuapu, Yunnan".

Cheng Hanzhang made a lot of changes to the long couplet of Sun Beard and Weng, and added twelve more characters than the original work. It is also copied as follows:

Five hundred miles away from the Dianchi Lake, rushing to the bottom of my eyes, with my lapels draped on the shore, I feel joy in the boundless emptiness. Look at the golden horse in the east, the green rooster in the west, the green rainbow in the north, and the white crane in the south. The master of rhyme should definitely sing songs. The sound of the autumn river outside Kuanglan is poetic and picturesque everywhere, the clouds are opening and the rain is coming, when will the fish leap and the kites fly, and you can climb the tower? Don't live up to the fragrant rice, the vast expanse of clear sand, the hibiscus in nine summers, and the willows in three springs.

Thousands of years of past events are brought to my mind, I pour my wine into the wind and wonder who the hero is. Think of the Han Dynasty's practice of building boats, the Tang Dynasty's iron pillars, the Song Dynasty's jade axe, and the Yuan's leather bags. The great and powerful people strive to be in harmony with heaven and earth. Today, when I leave the palace, I have turned into a forest of fragrant grass and broken monuments, all of which are illuminated by the mist and sunset. Those who travel to Pu will only see a few pestles and sparse bells, fishing fires on half of the river, a line of autumn geese, and reed flowers on both sides of the river.

Although he was a commoner, it was not easy for the long couplets written by Sun Beard to become classics and spread. Those who still change the long couplet, although they hold official positions and are celebrities and scholars, are self-defeating and are not praised well. When it comes to Ruan Yuan's rewriting of couplets, people often compare it with Li Bai's approach. When Li Bai saw Cui Hao's poems in the Yellow Crane Tower, he sighed: "There is a scene in front of me, so Cui Hao wrote a poem." At the front." He put down his pen and left. When the poets read the masterpieces, they would even hold back their hands to avoid it. What's more, Ruan Yuan wanted to change the couplet recognized by the world. It was really thankless. Liang Zhangju mentioned in "Conghua of Couplets" that Ruan Yuan changed couplets : "I heard that Mr. Ruan Yuntai had changed the couplets when he was in charge of Yunnan. The figures were hung on a special couplet. But the people in the capital were annoyed, so I sent them out in a revised version, so I included them on the right for review. "

Sun Yanweng is not only proficient in poetry and prose, and is the author of poetry collections such as "Yongyantang Poems and Essays" and "Jinsha Poetry and Grass". He is also a little-known legend. He has done a lot of research on water conservancy and can be called an ancient hydraulic conservancy expert. . As a commoner, he has the heart to manage the world and help the people. Sun Yanweng lived in Kunming and witnessed the pain caused by the Panlong River floods to the residents. He personally surveyed the source of the Panlong River, interviewed farmers, consulted historical materials, wrote the "Planlong River Water Conservancy Plan" and proposed a water control plan. He also went upstream from the Panlong River to inspect the Jinsha River, and proposed the idea of ​​"bringing gold to help Yunnan". It was a groundbreaking move to come up with this bold idea at that time. Today, "diverting water from central Yunnan" and "bringing gold to Yunnan" are still a major wish of the Yunnan people.

Disdaining officialdom and not participating in the imperial examinations, Sun Ranweng was destined to He had no chance of a career in government, and in his later years he was poor and destitute. He lived in the Jiaotai of Yuantong Temple in Kunming, living in a poor life with caves as his shelter and divination as his way of survival, calling himself "Jiaotai Old Man". Let's switch to another angle. If Sun Ranweng participated in the imperial examination and entered the official career, would there be the long couplet of Daguan Tower that later became famous throughout the country? What long couplet would not be like "A free and unrestrained and romantic celebrity" (Liang Yusheng) .

The embarrassment of life made it difficult for Mrs. Sun Huanweng to make a living with him, so she had to live with her daughter who married Maitreya. Later, the son-in-law took his grandson and beard to Maitreya to support him. After he died, he was buried in Maitreya.

Sun Yanweng once wrote an elegiac couplet:

The busyness, fame and fortune that come back this time are all confused to the end;

It was a good time to go there. I owe my debts to poetry and wine. How could I ever owe anyone a debt?

In the 1960s, Vice Premier Chen Yi wrote a poem in praise after reading the couplet of the Grand View Tower: "The five hundred miles in the eyes of Dianchi Lake are associated with the five thousand years of human beings. The corrupt system finally collapsed, and the emerging class was overwhelming. It is not unfortunate that a poet died poor. , so far the long couplet is a prophecy. " After he climbed to the Grand View Tower, Guo Moruo also said in poetry "The long couplet is still on the wall, and the huge letter is like a rafter."

When we climb up to the Grand View Tower today, we can no longer see the vastness of the 500-mile Dian Lake, nor can we see the green cattail grass or the grassy sky and reeds. Facing the Dian Lake on the west mountain, we still have a wide view, with the moon reflected in the three pools, boating in the pool, and the setting sun. The gulls dance and the herons fly, which is still a unique scenery. Reciting long couplets in front of the building window, you can feel "Three glasses of wine in the arms of Qianqiu, thousands of miles of clouds, mountains and water towers" ( Couplets of Daguan Tower) Looking at the grandeur, one cannot help but sigh: A pavilion and a long couplet, after hundreds of years of vicissitudes, actually carry and interpret a thousand years of history and culture.