The Essay of Heavenly Suji

Once it fell to the earth, it was transformed into

sparkling lakes

crisscrossing water lanes

and the misty rain

From then on, the grass grew and warblers flew, the fishes were happy, and the seedlings flourished

a living and flourishing writing of the word "Su" jumped out. Suzhou is famous for its water

It is said that Suzhou is made of water

The word "Suzhou" is a homonym for "made of water"

The word "Suzhou" is a homonym for "made of water"

The word "Suzhou" is a homonym for "made of water"

The word "Suzhou" is a homonym for "made of water".

The word "Suzhou" is originally a harmonic of the word "water"

The beauty of water is that it is a paradise, unparalleled in the world

--Suzhou is made of water

"There is a paradise up there, and there is Suzhou and Hangzhou down there," and the Suzhou that I imagined is a paradise, sacred and beautiful. I imagined Suzhou to be a paradise, sacred and beautiful.

Suzhou has always been a place I have longed for in my heart, and I often take my family, my girlfriends, or three or five of my best friends to Suzhou to wander around, and every time I do, I can't get enough.

Here there are small bridges and flowing rivers, simple and elegant centuries-old buildings, stone paved alleys, a long history and culture, delicious snacks. It is indeed a place where you will never get tired of visiting and deserve to enjoy and savor.

Recently, due to the new crown epidemic attacked Suzhou, a party in distress eight support, Jiangsu Province, the sister cities immediately extend a helping hand. The city of Suzhou is a place of great urgency. I also actively enrolled and unit partners to go to Suzhou support, fully committed to the work of anti-epidemic. The company's main goal is to provide the best possible service to its customers," he said. "The company has been working on a number of projects in the past few years, and has been working on a number of new projects in the past few years.

Suddenly, I realized that this kind of alone time is a gift and enjoyment for me. I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it, and I'm sure I'm going to be able to do it.

There is no housework or trivial distractions. So my world slowed down. There is a lot of time to sit alone, you can think casually, you can not think of anything; you can think y, you can also be quiet, completely immersed in their own world.

Slowly enjoying my own good time. At this moment, I feel that the world is my own and has nothing to do with others.

On the window shelf in the hotel lobby, I came across the book "Paradise Suji" by chance, and was attracted to it after casually flipping through a few pages, so I borrowed it and read it carefully.

It was only after reading this book that I realized that my previous understanding of Suzhou was only approximate or superficial, resting only on its beautiful scenery, food and some superficial things.

The Paradise Clerk is a compendium of the past and present, the ins and outs of the paradise of Suzhou, so that I can truly understand the cultural heritage of Suzhou.

Suzhou has a long history of humanities and through this book, it gave me a brand new knowledge and understanding of her.

There are three major regions in China that are called the Golden Zones, they are the Pearl River Delta in the south, the Bohai Bay Delta in the north, and the Yangtze River Delta in the east. Suzhou is in such a golden zone as the Yangtze River Delta.

Suzhou's most notable feature is the large area of water, the city has a total area of 8,488 square kilometers, but the water area of 3,608 square kilometers, accounting for 42.52%, almost half of the country.

Looking down on Suzhou from the air, the land is like a huge ink painting scroll, unobstructed in front of people. There are vast and colorful fields, green wheat fields, yellow rapeseed flowers, purple and red grass flowers, there is a piece of the towns and villages surrounded by trees, and mostly black and white walls and tiles.

Suzhou on the ground there are starry lakes and ponds, dense as a spider's web of rivers and bays, they are in the sunlight, as countless pearls and jade belts in general flickering stretch, so not dazzling, so not charming.

No wonder people call Suzhou "Water Country", "Embroidered Jiangnan", and is praised by the contemporary people as "East Wind Venice", "Water Paradise", "Water and Water", "Water and Water", "Water and Water", "Water and Water", "Water and Water", "Water and Water", "Water and Water" and "Water and Water". "Water Paradise", which is really true to its name.

It is necessary to mention that Suzhou is very famous street called Shantang Street, I and my friend once visited this. During the day she is a realistic version of the ink painting, the night of the Shantang Street is like a dream, full of appendant lights, colorful. This is a great way to get to the top of the mountain.

Shantang Street has been famous since ancient times. There is a very nice song called "The Great Nine Consecutive Rings", the lyrics of which go like this, "There is a paradise above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below, West Lake in Hangzhou, and Shantang in Suzhou."

Comparing Shantang with West Lake, it is evident that Shantang Street is famous in history.

Shantang Street is about seven miles long, so it is commonly known as "seven miles of Shantang". Shantang Street is built alongside the river, used to be a hemp stone street, and later changed into a stone road. So there has long been a kind of praise "the world's most beautiful street, after the rain with flower shoes", said the Shantang Street.

It is said that water has a source, trees have roots, Suzhou's history is extraordinary.

In that distant time and space, there was a spectacular rainbow. It can be said that if there is no this sum of colorful ink, this paradise will be eclipsed, this paradise so far I am afraid it will not be so brilliant.

Suzhou's history is deep, but also full of legend intriguing, has made countless historians to pursue.

Suzhou in history, the Spring and Autumn Period is indispensable, "King Helu of Wu", "King Goujian of Yue", "Wu Zixu made a big city", "Ganong Moxian", "Wu Zixu made a big city", "Wu Zixu made a big city". "Gan General Muozhi", "Zhuzu assassinated Wang Biao", "the beautiful Xishi". These allusions, I think we must have heard of.

These stories are not only related to Suzhou, but also extraordinary.

Anyone who knows a bit of Chinese history knows that the Spring and Autumn period was an extraordinary time, a time of chaos and a time of storms. It began in 770 B.C. and ended in 476 B.C., a period of about 300 years.

In 585 B.C., there was a man named Shou Meng, and ever since he became the king of the state of Wu, all that has changed.

Shou Meng reigned for twenty-four years, breaking new ground and writing a new chapter for the state of Wu.

The Records of the Grand Historian (史记) says, "Shou Meng was established and Wu became king." The meaning of this couldn't be clearer, the real power of Wu started from this Shou Meng.

Great endeavors are always inherited and created by people with great aspirations and ambitions. This is probably the experience and summary of history for thousands of years.

Time came to 514 B.C., Gong Ziguang under the guidance of Wu Zixu. He directed the murderous act known in history as "The Assassination of the King's Bureaucrat," and won a great victory.

This year, Duke Ziguang made himself king, and in the year of Helu, he became the 24th king of Wu.

Historians say that Helu was the most decorated king of Wu, along with Duke Huan of Qi, Duke Wen of Jin, King Zhuang of Chu, and later Goujian, known as the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋五霸).

So, in the more than 600 years of Wu's history, why was Helu the only one to receive such high praise? Of course, this can never be touted by any one person. In fact, just take a look at those three things he did after his reign.

Nets talent, this is the first.

When Helu Lu was not yet the king of Wu, this political vision was revealed, and Wu Zixu was the first person he saw as a talent.

Wu Zixu is a talent of the world, he is "less good at literature, long practice in martial arts", "courageous in the measurement of strategy", "wise and discerning debate", is recognized by everyone. He was recognized as the talent of "ruling the country by writing and defining the world by martial arts".

The other talent is not unfamiliar to everyone, his name is Sun Wu, the author of the famous "Sun Tzu's Art of War". This book "Art of War" is he lived in seclusion in the western Suzhou vaulted mountain pass inside written, by the world called "Sage of War masterpiece".

George, a famous management expert, said in the History of Management Thought: "Do you want to become a management talent? You must read The Art of War."

The second pile is to create the capital city.

Wu Zixu said to King Helu of Wu, "Anyone who wants to secure the ruler and rule the people, to rise up and become a king, and to control the distance from the vicinity, must first build a city and castle, set up a guard, a solid granary, and an arsenal, and then the art of doing so."

Wu Zixu is an outstanding statesman, he stood high and looked far, he put forward for King Helu of Wu, "the king of the people" strategy, both far-sighted and pragmatic and feasible.

After a few years of hard work, a new capital city of Wu was built, which is now the ancient city of Suzhou.

This was first-rate at the time in terms of scale, defense, and function. Even today, more than 2,500 years later, even with the critical eye of modern people to scrutinize, she is also the world's admiration. Of course, it is also an image and symbol of the hard power, cohesion and deterrence of King Helu of Wu's rich country and strong army to fight for supremacy.

The third pile, is to break Chu into the army.

To say that the war between Chu and Wu began as early as the Shou Meng era. The first thing he did after coming to power was to adopt the strategy of encroachment put forward by Wu Zixu, which was "to control the distance from the near", and eventually to win the deer in the Central Plains and seize the hegemony.

The story of the "whipping of 300 corpses" happened after King Helu of Wu took the capital of Chu, the county.

Wu Zixu wanted to take revenge, he wanted to capture King Zhao of Chu alive, so that his father can pay back his debt, but he did not realize that King Zhao of Chu had already escaped. Wu Zixu could not give up, his anger burned to the extreme: "The living can not be found, the dead is not still there!" He went straight to the tomb of King Ping of Chu, the body dug out, hard to whip the whole 300 lashes "to solve the heart of hate.

This incident was recorded in Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian" (史记-伍子胥列传).

There are no righteous battles in the Spring and Autumn, as people seem to say later.

The successive kings of Wu, especially from Tai Bo, Zhong Yong ran to Wu to establish the state of Gou Wu, to Shou Meng, Helu Lu, and even Fu Chang, they always harbor a great dream of a strong country, they never fear of difficulties and obstacles, and strive to govern, and then go on until from the small and humble to the world's proud of one of the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, from which Wu's fame has spread all over the world.

Although it was only a flash in the pan, and eventually ended up with the collapse of the country, but after all, they realized their dream ambitions, but also for the history of the state of Wu has won the glory and status. In this sense, Wu is worthy of praise, they are good.

Then from another level, this can be said to be a nation, a country, and even a place, always in the invincible indispensable spiritual wealth.

If you do a questionnaire survey, what is your deepest impression of the paradise of Suzhou?

I don't dare to say 100%, but there is one thing is certain, at least eighty to ninety percent of people will make the first reaction, that is, the garden.

"The gardens of Jiangnan are the best in the world, and the gardens of Suzhou are the best in Jiangnan". Indeed, in my opinion, if Suzhou than paradise, Suzhou gardens are paradise in paradise.

In the bustling city, have a belong to their own living, natural beauty, humanistic atmosphere as one of the home, both material enjoyment, but also spiritual pleasure, you do not have to think about it, this is probably the appearance of paradise on earth!

Suzhou gardens are unique in Han architecture, mainly private gardens. Among them, Canglang Pavilion, Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden and Liouyuan are known as the four major gardens in Suzhou.

What kind of style is this Suzhou garden? What are the characteristics and features?

Because of the different experiences of people, their views are not the same. In this regard, many experts and scholars have put forward this or that point of view, there are unique insights.

No matter how you summarize the generalization, there are a few can not deviate from, summarize her as "three beauties": first, the beauty of the small, small in the big; second, the beauty of the exquisite picturesque; third, the beauty of the natural, the unity of man and nature. This is not only the starting point and landing point of Suzhou Garden, but also the biggest highlights of Suzhou Garden and the fundamental point.

First of all, small.

The word "small" is precisely a reflection of the great characteristics of Suzhou Gardens: small in the big, which is exactly where Suzhou Gardens is different.

From the existing gardens in addition to the Humble Administrator's Garden by the original three gardens into one covers an area of more than 60 acres, the rest of the majority of only ten acres, seven or eight acres, such as Liou Yuan, the network of masters of the garden, etc. There are also such as the Huanxiu Mountain Villa only ten acres. Others, such as the Huanxiu Villa is only one acre; One Garden is only three hundred square meters, half an acre is less than; the remnants of the grain garden is only 140 square meters.

And then from the history of Suzhou recorded garden name, such as what "Firefly Garden", "Spoon Garden", "a branch of the garden", there are "small", "South Park," "small hidden garden. South Park, "small hidden pavilion", "small hidden hall", "small Xiaoxiang" and so on, can also be seen.

And do not say with the European royal gardens than, that is, with the northern royal gardens such as the Yuanmingyuan, Summer Palace, Summer Palace to compare, the scale is also incomparable.

The small story is that there are many inherent shortcomings, but he can use the trick to make up. This "tricky" really unfavorable into a wonderful, small in the big article, so that the place at hand, bloomed out of the infinite reverie.

First, "skillful" in the path.

We often say that the "winding road", "dark flowers and a village". The Humble Administrator's Garden of Liu Meng Road corridor, from the cave to see the mountain building, only 100 meters in diameter, but it is by this corridor winding under the Liu Meng, beside the curved water, between the rocks, and thus the scenery continues to change, it seems that the garden is also layers and layers of openness.

Second, in the "hide and expose".

"The more the scene is hidden, the larger the scene boundary: the more the scene is exposed, the smaller the gathering boundary," which is the summary of the former, which is very reasonable.

Stay in the garden after the disposal of the door is very typical. A selection of the door is a bit "depressing", the first is a long, narrow and slightly dark aisle, and then left and right, only to see an open hall facing the sky and is a bit of a sense of the sun.

That's not all. From here, you go through a narrow alley and come to the patio called "Ancient Woods". And here, you through the six leaky windows on the north wall, or again towards the west through the cave door, which saw the true face of the garden in the middle of the scenic area.

Here, the owner of the garden is through the long narrow aisle between the high walls and the patio of the dark and light, and finally open up, so as to achieve the infinite space of the desire to raise the first suppression.

In the Lion's Grove, the "Crouching Cloud Room", which is a unique double-storey pavilion-style structure, if you do not pay attention, you can not see it, because it is surrounded by rocky rock and rocky peaks.

If you want to see the true face of its Mount Lushan, through the holes in the lake stone, or to look up at the rocky peaks of the rocky mountains, it is a bit of a "common invisible, occasionally reveal the lofty" hidden flavor. This also expands the spatial scope of the garden.

Third, in the "separation".

Or the use of walls and courtyards relative isolation, or the use of flowers and trees seem to separate non-separation, half cover half cover.

Suzhou Garden, is through the courtyard building to the garden is divided into more than 30 different sizes of the region, composed of a garden in the garden, garden outside the garden pattern, and very natural, both divided and together, natural, thus increasing the depth and breadth of the landscape.

Fourth, skillfully in the "borrowed scenery".

You stand in different positions in the garden, you will be able to bring the garden, including the scenery outside the garden into their own field of vision, thus expanding the spatial scope of the garden. This is mainly far borrowing, neighbor borrowing, up borrowing, down borrowing, water borrowing and other means.

To have been to the Humble Administrator's Garden know, the guide usually take visitors to the garden in the center of the rainbow pavilion to. Here is the name of the "far borrow" the best place.

You look up and look west, near a pool of water reflecting the green sky and white clouds, both sides of the rocky shores of the trees go leisurely. Not far away from the vaguely visible is the curved corridor, curved bridge, rockery, pavilion and so on.

And then send the eyes to the distance, is the towering North Temple Tower, not to explain, most tourists still think that the North Temple Tower in the garden, in fact, it is located farther away from the people's roadside.

If it is evening, when the western sky red haze, that the Humble Administrator's Garden will be cloaked in red and gold, colorful, infinite light and shadow, more enchanting and charming, Chu Chu moving.

Then look at the exquisite.

Exquisite mainly embodied in the following three aspects:

First, the careful layout

This is an important premise of the garden. That is, the garden to express the theme of thought, style and so on to have a general consideration and ideas. This reasoning as we write an article, beforehand, there is a central theme, there is a basic framework, and then clear the main and secondary, layer by layer, before and after the echo, into one.

As the famous educator Ye Shengtao in the "Humble garden to send deep love" as eloquently discussed: the designers and craftsmen have been pursuing is to be sure to make the visitors no matter what point standing in front of the eyes is always a perfect picture. In order to achieve this purpose, they pay attention to the layout of the pavilion, pay attention to the wigwam pond with the marsh, pay attention to the reflection of flowers and trees, pay attention to the level of near and far view.

In short, everything is to constitute a perfect picture of the existence of the United States, will not allow a lack of beauty to hurt the United States defeat.

Second, is a fine selection of fine peach

That is, all the materials for the garden, are to be strictly screened. Take the garden of Taihu Lake stone to see, first of all, to ask its birthplace. The best choice, to come from the hometown of Suzhou East Mountain West Mountain Taihu Lake stone. This is only the first pass.

The second best is to be dug out of the Taihu Lake water Taihu Lake stone, its texture, color is more superior, and finally is to look at its shape and texture. There are also what trees planted in the garden, including the size, posture, but also to repeatedly conceptualize, rational choice.

Third, it is carved

In the Suzhou gardens, especially in the decoration, whether it is windows and doors, or furnishings, all seem to be so elaborate materials, fine workmanship.

For example, the net master garden on the gate tower "Zao Yao Gao Xiang" brick carving, coupling garden landscape between the floor of the long window carved on the "three friends", knife refined, vivid, lifelike, breathtaking.

As we all know, Suzhou net garden known as "fine garden" of the reputation. No wonder Mr. Liu Dunzhen, a great gardener, appreciated its exquisite style: "The garden building is beautifully shaped, exquisite and small."

For example, "Bamboo outside a branch of the Xuan", "shooting duck gallery" area, where there are ten thousand Chuan hanging down, under the ten thousand words of the beauty of leaning, all so delicate and exquisite. There are also Xuan Gallery of empty windows and doors, there is a square, there are vertical square, horizontal quadrilateral, horizontal octagonal, the proportion is appropriate, just right.

And then look at the carved Xuan east wall of the jade relief, pine, stone, bamboo, orchids, chrysanthemums, as well as the sea fairy mountain pavilion, are very fine and elegant, pleasing to the eye.

This is undoubtedly the most wonderful place in Suzhou Garden.

As the Ming Dynasty gardening master Ji Cheng said, "Although made by man, just like heaven." These eight words are also a classic summary of the natural beauty of Suzhou Gardens.

Some people may not think so, and some people will even question, where there is no such thing as nature, as long as you open your eyes, everywhere is a natural landscape, the mountains and high mountains of the original, the loess high slopes of the wild, green mountains and green water of the lyrical, red sorghum ground of the simplicity of the grass and trees of the fun, and so on.

However, this is precisely the Suzhou Garden is the most stunning place. Because this nature is happening in a bustling city, is in their own homes, you have ever thought? You've seen it before?

In my opinion, this is entirely the Oriental people to the traditional Chinese culture of the unity of heaven and man, into the life of the human environment.

Those who know a little about traditional Chinese culture know that both Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, although there are differences in the understanding of many issues. But in the relationship between man and nature is the same, that is, man and nature should be harmonious, **** at the same time, is also coordinated.

Therefore, in this sense, Suzhou Garden is more in the history of human civilization, for the first time in the perfect combination of life and nature in a new creation.

This is probably the reason why Suzhou Gardens was included in the World Heritage List.

It is no wonder that UNESCO has made such a pithy and insightful comment: "There are no gardens that better embody the ideal qualities of classical Chinese garden design than those in the historic city of Suzhou, which recreate the world within a stone's throw."

These years seems to have long been forgotten Kunqu, as if overnight, the spring breeze blowing again, and lively.

Especially on May 18, 2001, when she was declared by UNESCO to be included in the world's first "masterpieces of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of mankind", it quickly came into people's attention.

The next step was a series of great performances and climaxes. First, in the winter of 2004, the new version of "The Palace of Eternal Youth" was performed in Beijing, which caused a lot of reactions. Then a new version of 1699 - Peach Blossom Fan, which was another eye-opener.

The most unexpected is that in 2006, by the Taiwan writer Bai Xianyong brand new planning and hosted the production, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong artists work together to create a youth version of the Peony Pavilion, in the other side of the ocean on the west coast of the United States for 12 consecutive performances, a full house, as if in a silent place to listen to the thunder, and at once the U.S. audience was stunned.

The Kunqu Opera from the ancient Oriental China will have such a wind difficult to know the skin power, they can not help but marvel, can not help but be convinced.

Once the kunqu has gone through six hundred years of history, is so starry-eyed, kunqu beauty is breathtaking, charming, then she in the end where is the beauty? The kunqu is so starry-eyed that it is breathtakingly beautiful and charming, so what is her beauty?

The biggest feature of Kunqu, or the biggest feeling, is the word "elegant". This is the soul of the kunqu, the god of the kunqu, and even the great beauty of the kunqu.

First, it is elegant in the singing.

It goes without saying that anyone who hears kunqu for the first time, or just touches kunqu, I'm afraid they will say that they don't understand it very well, but then a strong feeling will arise, and this kunqu is too good to listen to, like the soft Wu Nong language, gentle, lingering, melodious.

By this time, whether you understand what, seems to have been no longer important, the important thing is that she has long been with the water grinding cavity of the tune of the singing voice, you grinding ah grinding ah, as if you sing lullabies, straight into a quiet and full of dreamy realm.

Undoubtedly, you have been conquered, and let you can not resist the cha and consciously and voluntarily opened their own heart, which will produce the kind of a beat with a huge **** Ming.

Perhaps this is where the elegance of the Kunqu is, where the charm lies.

Second, it is elegant in the performance.

Understanding a little Chinese opera, we all know that the combination of song and dance is a significant feature of Chinese opera that distinguishes it from other theater genres in the world.

The earliest Western was first combined into one, such as the Greek tragedy, there is also singing, there is also dance, and finally divided into the way we see now, drama is talking, opera is standing there singing, dance, including dance ballet is jumping there.

And our kunqu through continuous polishing, it formed now such a song and dance, singing and doing the same performance art.

"No sound, no song, no movement, no dance" is one of the characteristics of kunqu singing.

And such performances and Kunqu's Shuimo accent complement each other, which makes Kunqu's original single song into a singing and dancing "three-dimensional" elegance.

Third, is elegant in the lyrics

Learned a little literature are clear, the highest state of literature is poetry.

And Kunqu's lyrics are the Song lyrics on the opera stage, and even better. Kunqu as an elegant art, not only the tune is soft and elegant, singing elegantly, and its lyrics are also very elegant, so that the Kunqu is the icing on the cake, such as poetry, like a painting, like a song like water.

For example, we are more familiar with the "Peony Pavilion - Garden Tour" in which Du Liniang and Chunxiang sang together: "The original beautiful flowers and reds bloomed all over the place, and like this, they were all paid with broken wells and decaying walls. Who's home is it to enjoy the beauty of a good time and a beautiful day? Flying towards the twilight roll, clouds CuiXuan, rain wind piece, smoke wave painting boat, JinPing people too see this Shaoguang cheap."

Listen to the lyrics, how touching the scene sad sadness, and how poetic and full of reverie.

Who has no way not to praise her,

Two thousand years of cultural river, moistened with the growth of the city of embroidery.

She is the model of the world's water city, she is the representative of the Oriental garden.

The embroidery, commentary and Kunqu opera are all exquisite.

As early as in the ancient farming era, she was already the capital of the three Wu.

Today, with the reform and opening up, she is the economic capital of the Yangtze River Delta.

(This article was written in February-March 2022 in support of Suzhou's fight against the epidemic)