After finishing the third school of "Yanhuang Culture" this year, I walked out of the office and felt the elegance of the early summer season of the Presidential Palace.
Our Jiangsu Yanhuang Culture Research Association and the office of the magazine Yanhuang Culture were originally part of the former National Government Ceremony Bureau in the Presidential Palace. The Ceremony Bureau should be the office responsible for national celebrations, ceremonies, diplomatic etiquette and other etiquette affairs at that time. It is located on the west side of the central axis of the Presidential Palace, and consists of four entrances and three courtyards in front and back. The building of the ceremony bureau is a traditional house-style house with pink walls and black tiles and brick and wood structure. Although it is a bungalow, it feels very clear that it is warm in winter and cool in summer. Each courtyard is a unique touch, some are L-shaped corridors, and some are surrounded by back-shaped corridors, connected by side doors and preparatory halls. The courtyard formed between the two houses is covered with flowers and plants, common ones include osmanthus trees, green tung trees, wintersweet trees, maple trees, Ophiopogon japonicus grass, dandelions, wild purple clouds, etc. The scenery changes at any time all year round, and through their ever-changing colors, it will tell you the information about nature over and over again. In recent years, through the maintenance of ancient buildings and the pruning and removal of trees, flowers and plants, and after the nourishment and baptism of spring, in early summer, the small courtyards in this relatively quiet presidential palace courtyard have become more and more vigorous.
Visitors come to the Presidential Palace to visit the West Garden on the west side of the central axis is a must-see place. When you come to the "Xiyuan" in the garden, although you can pass through the full moon-shaped arch in just three or five steps, the ridge covered by the green tiles is like a green dragon swimming and winding upwards. There are two sets of brick-shaped windows embedded on the white walls. The green banana and bamboo growing up close to the piles of stones at the foot of the wall still force you to stop and feel what a square world is. Through the full moon-shaped arch of Xiyuan, the free and easy Taihu rockery stones and tall ginkgo trees outside the door are already approaching the eye, making you feel invisible and more likely to develop the greed of "eating in the bowl and looking in the pot".
Step into the West Garden, where there are several sets of Taihu Rock Mountains with different shapes and profound meanings stand in it. They accompany ancient trees and famous trees, making people naturally feel a kind of ancient and vicissitudes of life and tallness and tenacity. At that time, under the wisdom and wonderful hands of the masters of Diishi, there was a group of rockery that was said to be piled into the shape of the traditional Chinese character "Shou". However, only when you look at it closely and then take three steps back and look at it from a distance may you feel that it has a little "taste". Viewing the rockery is like viewing oil paintings, and the effect of viewing may be better. Passing through the rockery and stepping into the water plank road made of two rows of bluestone, you will come to the "stone boat" located in the middle of the water surface and be deeply attracted by its delicate and beautiful shape.
The cabin on the upper part of the stone boat is imitated with wooden boat structure, painted and painted in color, giving people the beauty of a "flower boat"; the top of the hull is composed of stone, and the edge of the bow is also carved with gold-painted floral patterns; the entire hull cannot move at all. It is said that after Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty boarded the stone boat, he specially named it "No Boat". But I don’t know when, in the East Garden of the Presidential Palace compound, a fake inferior stone boat appeared on a small waters, which can be regarded as a typical example of the “Dongshi Epistle” in the protection of cultural heritage and environmental improvement, making it difficult to distinguish the authenticity after tourists enter the Presidential Palace.
Some tourists may have visited the Presidential Palace more than once, and they were surprised when they heard that there was another stone boat in the East Garden. I once met a group of tourists, one of whom was betting with his companions said no, but when they asked me this "old man", I could only tell the truth. When you imitate the real thing by fake or blindly plagiarize it, it will inadvertently cause great damage to the real thing, not to mention that the phenomenon of fake or cheating on the real thing by fake or cheating on your own in the heart of the Presidential Palace Courtyard, a key cultural relics protection unit in the country. As an old cultural relics worker, sometimes feel ashamed.
Fortunately, in recent years, with the scientific planning and precise policies of the current leaders and the joint efforts of all colleagues, the environmental landscape improvement of the Presidential Palace Courtyard has reached a new level, especially the water pollution problem has been scientifically controlled.I saw that the water area where the stone boat was located had completely changed. The turbid and fishy water surface in the past had been replaced by a clear pool of clear water. With the assistance of professional departments, aquatic plants with the function of purifying water quality were planted at the bottom of the water, and some small and ornamental fish that mainly eat plankton were used in moderation. In addition, the hard work of cleaning and sanitation work kept the water quality clean, making the water surface of the Presidential Palace scenic spot truly a beautiful scenery, allowing tourists to linger in the boats and pools.
Due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic and not on holidays and Sundays, the tourists who came to the Presidential Palace to visit were incomparable to the scene of shoulder to shoulder in the past. Despite this, in terms of environmental sanitation, security guarantee, venue opening services, etc., the managers' work attitude is more perfect. They are always ready to welcome the grand arrival of tourists from all over the world with high-quality service standards and a harmonious environment of beautiful humanities and nature.
I also clearly found that the green area in the north of the Presidential Palace compound has become larger, making the space for tourists to stay more open. Some buildings in the Presidential Palace have been subject to certain restrictions due to the need for indoor epidemic prevention and control and cannot be fully opened, but outdoor visits and tour routes have become more abundant, making up for the shortcomings caused by the disaster. The most attractive thing is the tall loquat trees, which are full of fruits, and have begun to turn from green to yellow and are about to mature. In the dense small bamboo forest, the spring bamboo shoots have long grown into bamboo. The new and old bamboos are close to each other, always presenting the prosperous scene of the bamboo family, adding infinite vitality and poetry to this courtyard.
In early summer, most of the flowers have passed away. The flowers have given their style to the grass and green leaves, and are willing to turn into soil to protect the roots. The thick, layer after layer, piece after piece of green has dressed up the Presidential Palace compound as if it was wearing green military uniforms. When you walk into the Presidential Palace compound in May, you will definitely have the wonderful illusion of entering the urban forest. There is a poem praising:
The old two rivers in Jiangnan and Jiangxi, and the wind and rain are new scenery. The deep courtyard has been hiding for a century, and the loquats are ripe and you can taste them.
日本司
May 13, 2022 at Sihezhai, Jinling
Author Shu Youchun is a master of literature, researcher, and expert in literature and history. He has been engaged in the research on cultural history and protection of cultural heritage in my country for a long time, and has published many academic works such as "Seeing the Era of Sex" and "Jinling Sihezhai Poetry (Fukuai Collection)". He is currently the deputy editor-in-chief of "Yanhuang Culture" magazine.
