Throughout the history of Chinese gardens, it has entered a mature stage through the Song Dynasty, and the content and form of courtyards have also tended to be stable. This is also fully reflected in the recently popular costume drama "Menghualu".

Throughout the history of Chinese gardens, they have entered a mature stage through the Song Dynasty, and the content and form of courtyards have also tended to be stable. This is also fully reflected in the recently popular costume drama " Meng Hua Lu ". Xinhuanet Sike and "Humanities Tsinghua" jointly planned the "Things About Song Dynasty Culture" series. In this issue, Jia Jun, a professor at the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University, is invited to analyze the beauty of the garden art of the Song Dynasty.

Tang Xianzu of the Ming Dynasty has a popular line in " The Peony Pavilion ": "How can you know the beauty of spring without going to a garden?" People in the Song Dynasty should resonate most with this sentence - because many of their springs were spent in Spent in the garden.

During the Northern Song period, the center of Chinese gardening art was not the Jiangnan region, but Kaifeng, Tokyo and Luoyang, Xijing, which were located in the Central Plains.

" Tokyo Menghualu " said that "mostly around the capital, there are gardens", and there is no free and quiet area within a hundred miles. When spring comes, "thousands of flowers compete for the white walls, and thin willows slant the cage "Qi Mo", residents in the city compete to travel. From the south to the north of the city, royal gardens, private gardens, Buddhist temple gardens, Taoist gardens, official gardens and scenic spots are lined up in rows. The pavilions, pavilions, painted bridges and flowing water are so beautiful that tourists are fascinated by them. Have fun and forget to return.

The number of royal gardens in the Song Dynasty was not as large as that in the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties, and their scale was relatively small. However, the detail of the scenery was significantly greater than that of the previous dynasties. The most exquisite one was the Gen Yue built during the reign of Emperor Huizong Zhenghe. Genyue is located in the northeast of Kaifeng City. It is surrounded on three sides by large artificial rockeries. There are two square pools in the center, and there are winding rivers and small pools in between. The mountains are piled with strange rocks from Jiangnan and other regions. It is majestic and dangerous, magnificent and graceful, with various poses and expressions. In addition, Dauchi Houyuan, Yanfu Palace, Jinmingchi, Qionglin Garden, Yujin Garden, etc. also have their own beauty.

"Genyue Xianglong Stone Picture" painted by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty Picture provided by the author

Every year in early March, Jinming Pool, Qionglin Garden and Yujin Garden are all open to the general public, which is the only special case in the history of China with strict palace restrictions. The emperor and his ministers held a banquet in the Shuixin Hall of Jinmingchi. There were dragon boat races and colorful boat performances on the water. Fishing was available on the east bank. Temporary tents were set up in the open spaces of several gardens, filled with various performances, juggling, and entertainment. Gambling, eating, antiques, and department stores are all very lively.

Northern Song Dynasty Zhang Zeduan "Jinmingchi Winning Picture" Photo courtesy of the author

Luoyang, Xijing, was originally the capital of the former dynasty. It was demoted to a companion capital in the Song Dynasty. The trend of private gardening was more popular than in Kaifeng, and it was known as the best in the world. The father of the poetess Li Qingzhao Li Gefei wrote an article "Records of Famous Gardens in Luoyang", which described the 19 most famous gardens in Luoyang , including the home garden of the founding prime minister Zhao Pu, and the garden during the reign of Renzong Prime Minister Fu Bi's home garden, famous official Sima Guang's home garden, Jiedushi Miao Shizhi's home garden, Huanxi Garden and other famous gardens. These gardens generally have a small number of buildings. The rockeries are mainly earth hills, often with a pool as the center. They are more famous for various flowers, pines, cypresses, bamboo forests and other plant landscapes. Although most of the gardens belonged to the bureaucratic class, they showed a strong literati temperament and could receive foreign tourists.

The most praised among the famous gardens in Luoyang is Sima Guang's Du Paradise. With the theme of "Single Joy", this garden has seven scenic spots, including the Reading Hall, the Nongshui Pavilion, the Bamboo Planting Studio, and the Mountain Viewing Terrace, which correspond to the seven ancient sages admired by the owner, reflecting the profound philosophy. And his accessible attitude towards life was regarded by later generations as a model for civil servant gardens. Another lake garden is centered on a large lake, with large islands and Baihua Islands in the water, and four parallel halls built in Hubei to show that it has the four advantages of "good time, beautiful scenery, enjoyment, and fun" at the same time.

Ming DynastyQiu YingThe reading hall in "The Picture of Du Paradise" Photo provided by the author

Luoyang's water and soil conditions are excellent, which is very suitable for cultivating flowers and trees. In spring, hundreds of flowers bloom, among which peonies are the most beautiful. People in Luoyang cherish them so much that they even use a separate word "hua" as the specific name for peony. During March and April, people all over the city, regardless of gender, old or young, rich or poor, like to put a flower in their hair and then go to various gardens.Generally, when entering a private garden, you need to give the gatekeeper a little "tea money" - this may be regarded as the earliest park ticket in China. The famous peony "Wei Zi " was secretly cultivated in the residence of high-ranking official Wei Renpu on a small island in the pond. It is not easily seen. Tourists can only take a boat to see it after paying more than ten dollars. The gardener of Duyuan Garden was named Lu Zhi. He received more than ten thousand coins and was unwilling to keep it for himself, so he took the initiative to build a well pavilion in the garden.

Literati prefer to hold various elegant gatherings in gardens. In the sunny spring, the activities are particularly frequent, especially on the Beginning of Spring, the Flower Festival on February 12, the third day of March Shangsi, and the Qingming Festival. You should enjoy flowers, feast, and recite poems in the garden, and be full of interest. Many poems from the Song Dynasty that we are familiar with were written when visiting the garden in spring, such as "The garden is full of spring beauty, and a branch of red apricot comes out of the wall." "There is no choice but the flowers fall, and the familiar swallows return, and the fragrant path of the small garden wanders alone." Luoyang looks across the famous garden, and the flowers outside the wall are better than what you see inside." The most famous literati gathering in the Song Dynasty was undoubtedly the Senior Elite Meeting organized by Lu Guogong Wen Yanbo when he stayed in Luoyang. Retired officials with high moral standards were invited to take turns to hold banquets in famous gardens. They are all white and set off against the beautiful peonies , making them a good story.

After the Jingkang Incident, the two capitals, which were repeatedly attacked by war, fell into ruins and were occupied by the Jinren. All famous gardens were in ruins. The territory of the Song Dynasty retreated to half of the country in the south. Lin'an (Hangzhou), Pingjiang (Suzhou), Wuxing (Huzhou), and Yangzhou emerged as a new generation of famous garden cities, and the scenery became more graceful and beautiful. The gardening style of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties had a profound influence.

During the Southern Song Dynasty , the custom of visiting the garden in spring still continued. Lin'an Palace hosted a flower-viewing ceremony in the back garden. The pavilions and pavilions were decorated with flowers and trees. Brocade curtains, utensils, pots and nests, and rare birds and foreign objects were displayed everywhere. Young eunuchs were also asked to pretend to be waiters, open shops, and sell various kinds of flowers. Porcelain, toys, jewelry, dragon boats, and food are just no longer shared with the people. High-ranking officials each have their own private gardens, and they are keen to gather among flowers and drink. Common people mainly visit scenic spots with garden attributes such as West Lake, Tiger Hill, etc., and they also live up to the wonderful spring.

Southern Song Dynasty Liu Songnian "Four Scenic Landscapes" Photo courtesy of the author

No matter how beautiful the spring is, it will eventually pass away. Hundreds of years later, the elegance of the gardens of the Song Dynasty seems like a spring dream, which has long since passed away with the wind. However, it has been left to future generations with a few relics, famous paintings and texts such as "Tokyo Dreams" and "Like a Dream". The huge space for imagination, its emotions and scenery are extremely fascinating. (Author: Jia Jun, Professor, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University)

Producer: Tang Xinyi

Editor: Zhou Jiamiao Yang Liu

Proofreading: Sun Hui