Travel Notes to the Southeast | Xiamen: Shuzhuang Garden, Mr. Lin Erjia's "Building Mountains and Hidden Seas", Piano on the Ferry

Perhaps, he is full of passion and ambitions that have nowhere to go and can only be put into a garden.

1.

Went to the ferry terminal at nine o'clock in the morning. On Monday, there were indeed a lot less people, and I bought a ticket for the boat to leave immediately.

After landing at Neicuo'ao Pier, I got rid of the "wild guide" who had been following me for a long time in a non-violent and non-aggressive way, and followed the signs on the island in the direction of Organ Museum.

Due to 2013 , Gulangyu Island is undergoing heavy construction. On rainy days, many roads are full of potholes. Scaffolds are also erected in the streets and alleys. Despite this, there are not many tourists, and it feels like being in Nanluoguxiang or Wudaoying in Beijing.

Finally, we climbed up to the Organ Museum located on a high slope, a villa located on a commanding height. Because it has an eight-angled roof and an octagonal platform, it is also called the "Bagua Tower". Lin Heshou, a wealthy Taiwanese gentleman, built this building in 1907. However, the current situation was turbulent and such an eye-catching property changed hands several times. It has been used as an academy, a refugee shelter, Xiamen University Property, and Xiamen Museum. Now it has been transformed into Organ Museum.

The collection of organs in the museum is breathtaking. It's a pity that the exhibition method is really ugly! It's just that the exhibits are arranged in a circle, and the light and air in the room are not good. Don't know why I am so careless. It was also a pity that the organ could not be heard. Even if you can't arrange for someone to perform live, it would be nice to have background music flowing in the space.

My friend JF went in and walked around, and came out a little angry. He was not interested in pianos, organs, etc., so the expensive tickets were wasted. It is a pity that the display management of this museum failed Mr. Hu Youyi, who donated so many good organs, and also failed us tourists.

2.

After coming out of the Organ Museum, we walked down the slope and entered the alleys lined with small shops and restaurants. Although there is scaffolding outside the door to decorate the exterior wall, it does not affect their ability to open a shop and do business. Here, tourists are also much denser. The cultural and creative shops and seafood restaurants in the alleys are all very similar. The goods sold seem to come from a wholesaler. After a scenic lunch, we walked through the alleys of the commercial street and decided to walk along the coastline.

The coastline is relatively clean. Go all the way to Shuzhuang Garden. Tickets are 30 yuan. Because the organ museum was "boring", JF didn't want to go in and said he would take a walk outside the door. I went in on my own. As soon as you enter the door, you will see the Xiamen local museum of Guanfu Art Museum . Mr. Ma Weidu and some collectors display porcelain, snuff bottles, ancient furniture, jade and other antiques inside. It is worth a look.

The gardening style of Shuzhuang Garden is probably unique in the country, as its introduction says - "Building the Mountain" and "Hide the Sea".

In the opposite direction of the Guanfu Museum from the entrance of the garden, there is a different world, that is the "Mountain Repairing". The first thing I saw after entering was "shock". This is really a mountain made of Taihu stones that looks like a magic palace, and people can walk on it. This "mountain" also reminds me of Ippolito in Italy. · Bishop Este's Qianquan Palace. Because of the "mountain filling", this garden has some Renaissance flavor. Unlike traditional Chinese gardens, in addition to art, it also displays "wealth" and "power". The "Hidden Sea" garden outside also shows the owner's dominance. A nine-curve bridge connecting several coral reefs and mountains brings part of the sea into the private garden, which is called "Hidden Sea". I think the owner of the garden, Mr. Lin Erjia, was so proud and creative back then.

However, it seems that although Mr. Lin Erjia is the richest man in Fujian and Taiwan, and has the heart to save the country through industry, he has little official addiction. It is said that during those turbulent years, when faced with the military and political dignitaries from all walks of life who were eager for talents, he "rejected the invitation of courtesy and refused to respect the talents." I don’t know if he is protecting himself with a clear and unchanging attitude, or if he is really indifferent. However, from this work of "repairing mountains" and "hiding seas", people feel that perhaps, he is full of passion and ambition and has nowhere to express it, so he can only put it into a garden.

Bishop Ippolito d'Este, who established the Palace of Thousand Springs in the small town of Tivoli 40 kilometers east of Rome, would not have achieved what he did if he had not failed to run for the pope five times. A masterpiece of "anger" - a brilliant fountain garden. Bishop Ippolito d'Este was ambitious and wanted to be like the Pope and lead Rome. After the failure of his first campaign, he hired Ligorio, the best architect in Rome, with the intention of building the most ambitious garden. They demolished entire streets to create gardens on steep hillsides. In order to create a brilliant fountain effect, they rebuilt the town's water supply system and took one-third of the water from it. They can control the flow rate and direction with different sized hoses and sprinklers. There are 100 fountains on one wall, without pump assistance, the same nozzle, all the water flows at all speeds along the way, like the same piece of music. Behind this spectacle lies the bishop's pain. During the twenty years he built the garden, he competed for the papacy five times, and after each defeat the garden grew larger and more luxurious.

3.

Leave Shuzhuang Garden, meet up with JF, and continue walking along Seaside Avenue toward Neicuo'ao Pier. Some climbing sections along the way are relatively quiet, lined with closed private homes. Walking on this section of road, it feels a bit "hometown" and "local", as if we suddenly entered the distant childhood of some locals. I don’t know how many local residents still live on the island. Those quiet and leisurely days are probably getting further and further away.

Looking at the bustling tourist groups at the ferry terminal and the equally bustling individual tourists, including ourselves, the crowds seemed to be overwhelming the island. It turns out that the island residents' days of "facing the sea, spring flowers blooming" and falling asleep to the sound of the piano disappeared in the carnival filled with business and profit. Now, housing prices on the island are skyrocketing, and prices are skyrocketing. I am reminded of a real estate advertisement from "Xiamen Yard" that reads "Welcome Chinese from all over the world to come home to celebrate the New Year." I wonder if those who left home when they were young can still pick up the flavor of time here.

On the ferry leaving Gulangyu Island, a woman in her fifties played a piano. When the song ended, she stood up to pay her respects. The passengers on the boat applauded enthusiastically. When the applause fell, the man in front of me said to her from the bottom of his heart: "You play so well!"

very nice! It seems that I accidentally walked into the memories of the local residents of Gulangyu Island. One day, walking in a quiet alley, someone's child was practicing the piano...

4.

Back on Xiamen Island, we went to Zhongpu Free Trade Zone near Gaoqi Airport. I also want to see what the free trade zone is like. In a building with the advertisement of "Tao Shi Shi", there is a large supermarket on two floors, one after another of imported supermarkets. It’s just that the brands of the products sold there are basically not very common. The imported milk and facial masks that we are familiar with are basically not available here. The shop assistants were very enthusiastic, probably because it was so deserted. Occasionally I see a used brand that I know, and the price is no better than the imported supermarkets in Beijing shopping malls. It is said that it will be available from 2015, 8, 1 There is no more “tax exemption”.

I called a taxi and went to Zengcuo'an near Xiamen University.

In the car going to the free trade zone, JF and I both fell asleep. During the thirty or forty minutes from the Free Trade Zone to Zengcuo'an, we also dreamed of Duke Zhou. When we woke up and saw each other sleeping, we both laughed, what if the driver sold us? However, the drivers we met on the bus today were all very friendly and would introduce us to Xiamen. They were also quite proud to live in Xiamen. We said Xiamen looks like there are construction sites everywhere. The driver said: "Because the subway is under construction! Our efficiency in Xiamen is still very high. The subway construction started last year is expected to be available in October this year." That's quite high. The line 15 downstairs of our unit seems to have taken four years to build, and we have endured the billowing dust and smoke for four years.

5.

It is said that Zengcuo'an is "the most artistic village in the country", but I think it is more like "the street with the most delicious food". Just like Nanluoguxiang in Beijing, it was also very artistic in the beginning. The old alleys and alleys lead the lives of ordinary people, but they are close to art colleges and universities. Some people have opened several bars and cafes to facilitate intellectuals, artists, and young people to drink tea and talk. As for cultural people, they always like to come up with some interesting styles. Gradually, more and more people know that this alley has a bit of style, and more and more people come. With more people, the most important thing is to eat, so there are more and more restaurants. People depend on food, and the catering business is booming. As a result, there are fewer and fewer shops selling handicrafts and bookstores. Maybe they were there yesterday, but they turned into restaurants the next day. Finally, the whole street became Guijie. In addition, Chinese people don’t mind eating while walking, so the original shops can be divided into small shops or stalls, and Guijie becomes a snack street. At the same time, the original intellectuals, artists, literary and artistic young diaosi became more and more disgusted with this old place, and started to open up new strongholds. In the new stronghold, the plot repeats itself, and the new stronghold becomes a new snack street.

Starting from the Shengma Palace Stage opposite the entrance of Zengcuo'an Alley, follow the seaside trail toward Xiamen University. It is a pleasant walking trail around the island that can last for two hours. This trail specially built for walking and fitness is separated from the roundabout driveway by a green belt. In some places, it is separated by parks, hillsides, and buildings, so it is far away from exhaust gas and noise. It is also this coastal landscape trail that makes me envious of Xiamen people. However, there is a saying that goes well, “Tourist cities have beautiful mountains and rivers, but they are only ‘tourable’ but not ‘livable’”. The local economy of tourist cities is not strong, resulting in low incomes for local residents. However, because of their beautiful environment, they have become hot spots for foreign capital. As a result, these cities are often occupied by foreign tycoons, creating a backlog effect on local residents.

As for whether Xiamen is a first-tier city, a popular argument on Zhihu describes it this way: "Xiamen has squeezed into the ranks of second-tier cities with its foundation as a third-tier city, but it always thinks that it should be a first-tier city." Although the old man drew five circles, one of which was Xiamen, Xiamen, like the other three cities except Shenzhen, has not become a "special zone" in everyone's eyes. This is Xiamen’s pain. What’s even more painful is that both locals and outsiders are somewhat dissatisfied with Xiamen: locals are dissatisfied because of the dilution of culture brought about by the influx of people after Xiamen became bigger; outsiders are dissatisfied because of the fresh Xiamen and Xiamen promoted in the propaganda. The gap between rough new areas in reality.

We only experienced Xiamen’s beautiful environment on this trail around the island and on campus. I think the beautiful environment of Xiamen University is better than that of Peking University. Not only because of its coastal location, but also because of its architecture. Like Jimei Mei Village, the red and white Jiageng-style buildings have a very humanistic temperament. Walking there, I really envy the students of Xiamen University. However, it seems that now most students of Xiamen University and students of Jimei University like to go shopping outside. On Zhihu, a girl from Xiamen University lamented that Xiamen University is no longer suitable for academic studies.

After staying for two days, I took the high-speed train on the morning of the third day and drove from the train station on the island to the train station outside the island, preparing to transfer to another train south to Chaoshan. When crossing the sea-crossing bridge, I saw many boats parked on the water surface and the tidal flats on the shore, dotted in the morning sunshine, like impressionist oil paintings. But by the time I wanted to take a photo, it was too late. To me, Xiamen is just a stop on the journey. So I can comment on it easily and independently. If, if it were the city I live in, or my hometown, a place I am too familiar with, could I still comment on it like this?

Or the Meizhou in eastern Guangdong that I am about to visit, my ancestral homeland. I have never been to Meizhou but am familiar with it in my family tree, in the familiar Hakka dialect, and in the food customs and habits. How can I comment on it like this? ?