Mingjingtang _2750 words
Mingjingtang, also known as "Tang Ming the Lion", is just north of Zhisi's residence. The Tong family can make a fortune by opening a "Yuheng" restaurant in a family, and built this two-story quadrangle in Tongzhi period of Qing Dynasty. Siheyuan sits facing south, with double eaves terrace doors. The inverted seat width is 5 rooms and 2 lanes, the wing is 5 rooms 1 lane, and the main hall is 3 rooms and 2 lanes. The whole courtyard is 25.2 meters wide and 24 meters deep, covering an area of 604 square meters. In this ordinary house with a small building scale, the architectural decoration used in it combines the cultural connotation of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in the language, vividly highlighting the cultural color of Jiangnan folk customs under the cultural background of China.
This cultural blending is first manifested in the platform door building of Mingjingtang.
Approaching the Mingjing Hall, when I looked up, the first thing that caught my eye was the plaque of Mingjing hanging high on the threshold of the double-eaved terrace. This plaque, which stood in "Gui Yue Gudan during the reign of Daoguang Renwu", was inscribed by Dai from Zhejiang and presented to Tong Peijin (Tong Keli's grandfather), then the academic supervisor of Wuyi County. The Ming Classics, originally referring to the familiarity with Confucian classics, was listed as one of the examination subjects in the imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty, which was tied with Jinshi, and its main examination was Confucian classics. Used as another name for Gong Sheng in Qing Dynasty. Taking "Ming Jing" as the name of the house not only embodies the Confucian thought of "learning to be an excellent official", but also reflects the life ideal of the house owner. There is a scroll-shaped plaque with the word "Li" on the left and the word "Xiao" on the right, both of which are Yang seals. Courtesy, righteousness, filial piety are the contents of Confucian moral standards. Carving these four words on doors and walls clearly reveals the moral demands of homeowners. The roof of the door is decorated with a roll shed roof, with porch truss, sparrow replacement and door bolt, and the back eaves column is decorated with eight immortals. The Eight Immortals is a traditional painting and decoration theme in China. In the ancient houses in Ninghai, we can often see wood carving, stone carving, brick carving and gray carving with the theme of the Eight Immortals. The characters of the Eight Immortals are familiar, and the story of the Eight Immortals is well known. The Eight Immortals are just eight immortals in Taoist legends and a carrier of Taoist culture. On the building of a platform gate, the characteristics of Confucian culture and Taoist culture are displayed at the same time, but at that time, the owner of the house didn't feel anything wrong, and even now, we don't feel very abrupt. I'm afraid the reason is the unique inclusiveness of China culture, which makes Confucianism and Taoism blend and influence each other in the flowing water of the people, thus forming a new folk culture.
This cultural blend is also manifested in the architectural decoration of the Ming Jing Tang in the "Heaven" and "Earth".
Entering the Mingjing Hall, the pattern of "Lion Rolling Hydrangea" made of cobblestones in the center of the courtyard is particularly eye-catching, hence the name "Tang Ming the Lion". In the ancient residential buildings, the decorative patterns of pebble patio construction are very common, and there is almost no repetition of the patterns. Money, Pisces, running deer and other patterns show the meaning of praying for good luck and celebrating wealth, and entrust the owner with an ideal of life and spiritual pursuit. The lion, called the lion in ancient times, has an explanation in Er Ya Shi Beast: "The lion is like a cat, eating tigers and leopards." It is not a native animal of China, but a tribute from the king of Shule (the ancient western regions) when Emperor Shun of Han Dynasty was in power. But since entering China and becoming an artistic image, lions have not been monopolized by the emperor. As a mascot, it is widely circulated among the people and is often used in various decorations and folk activities. Lions are famous for their fierceness, and their images naturally show a trend of bravery and ferocity. But judging from the lions in various architectural decorations, their images are various. There are fierce, docile, serious and naughty. Fierce and serious shapes are used to ward off evil spirits, while docile and naughty shapes are homophony of "lion" and "thing", showing many auspicious themes: the two lions in the picture mean "all the best", the lion with a long ribbon means "good things keep happening" and the money pattern means "abundant financial resources". The lion is also the mount of Manjusri Bodhisattva, who is in charge of wisdom in Buddhism, so it is also an auspicious beast of the main fortune. Therefore, this "lion rolling hydrangea" not only means to ward off evil spirits in the town house, but also entrusts the Confucian thought of "learning to be an official", and also means to pray for Manjusri Bodhisattva to bless the wisdom of future generations.
Look at Heaven again. The ridge decoration of Mingjingtang is a very exquisite brick-carved Taoist Tai Chi map, named "Tai Chi Bi Fish Flame Beads". The Book of Changes says: "Yin and Yang poles", and the Taiji diagram represents the Yin and Yang poles. Because it looks like two fish, it is commonly known as Pisces. Fireballs also represent yin and yang. Flame represents the "fire" in the five elements and belongs to Yang. The orb is the essence of water, representing the water in the five elements, belonging to Yin. Tai Chi Pisces and Flame Beads both represent the harmony of Yin and Yang, which is a sign of hope to close the door smoothly and eliminate disasters.
It can be seen that the patio and ridge decoration of Mingjingtang also integrate the three cultural connotations of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.
The shoulder of the mirror hall is made of pebbles. On the Y-shaped wall in the north of the East Wing, the words "Xia Wei Yun Zheng" are piled up, while on the Y-shaped wall in the south of the West Wing, the words "Gather friends and have a unique residence" are piled up. "Xiaweiyun Steaming" is a metaphor for the beautiful scenery of Mingjingtang; "Drinking in seclusion" means that living here is very stable. Just like "Qunfengdang" and "Liu Qing Dai Ying" piled on the gable of Qunfengdangzhai, the ancestors of Gantong people attached great importance to choosing geomantic omen when building houses, and liked to display them on the walls.
The best embodiment of the unity of Confucianism and Taoism is the gold plaque "Dunlun Ningdao" hanging on the black land between nave's gold pillars in the main hall. The wood carving in the main hall of Mingjingtang is more exquisite. A semi-circular cover is placed horizontally between the Ming-style gold pillars, and two soft rattan knots are embedded. There is a small scroll-shaped plaque in the middle with the words "harmony and auspiciousness" written on it. The eaves gallery is dotted with square carvings with the pattern of "plum blossom and hidden dragon"; There are semicircular hanging beams carved on both sides of the square, commonly known as "cat fish beam" or "hippocampus rainbow beam"; Liang Fang is also engraved with patterns such as "West Wind on the Ancient Road", "Long Life", "Five Old Men Looking at Pictures", "Sleeping Deer with Flat Peach", "Flying geese", "Flying dragons catching pearls" and "Hundreds of birds riding cranes". The plaque of "Dunlun Ninglu" is hung between gold pillars. Dun, Dunhou; Ethics, morality, and moral relations between people. In feudal society, the monarch, ministers, father and son, husband and wife, and friends were five ethics. Solidification, solidification, solidification; Tao, Avenue, Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching begins by saying, "Tao can be Tao, but extraordinary." "Tao" has the meaning of the source of all things, the law of all things and the criterion of life. Here refers to the highest moral standards and life principles of human society, namely "morality". Therefore, "Dunlun Ningdao" can be interpreted as: Honesty and simplicity, abiding by ethics, can finally reach the highest realm of life. Dunlun can also refer to husband and wife's affairs, so "Dunlun Ningdao" can also be interpreted as: even family chores such as husband and wife's affairs are related to the avenue, which means that everything should be regulated by high standards. These four words not only have Confucianism, but also embody the spirit of Taoism, which is the product of the integration of Confucianism and Taoism.
It is also worth mentioning that there is a stone window on the Nanshan wall of Mingjingtang. There are three stone windows on the south wall of Mingjingtang. There are two French windows, half-window-shaped, engraved with the words "Fu" and "Shou" respectively. The stone window downstairs is the most complicated in shape and can best reflect the life ideal of the previous child. This stone window is carved with two bats, the birthday boy rides a deer, and Liu Hai plays a toad in the vase. "Bat" symbolizes good luck; "Shouxing riding a deer" symbolizes longevity; "Liu Hai hits toad" symbolizes wealth; The vase symbolizes peace. Blessing, longevity, wealth and peace are the secular wishes that secular people want to achieve most, and among these wishes, peace is the most important and ultimate goal. In a small stone window, there are many symbolic meanings, which are amazing.
"China architecture makes full use of the possibility and characteristics of wood structure. From the beginning, it is not aimed at a single independent single building, but is characterized by a large, flat, interconnected and coordinated group building. It attaches importance to the organic arrangement of the whole plane between various buildings. " (Li Zehou: The Course of Beauty, Cultural Relics Publishing House, 198 1 Edition, p. 62. "The quadrangle is built in China. Generally, large and medium-sized groups are not single quadrangles, but are composed of several quadrangles or even dozens of quadrangles. They form one or several deeply connected hospitals. This layout not only highlights the expressive force of the courtyard inward space, but also greatly highlights the space-time composition inside the building complex due to the separation and connection between the courtyards. " (Hou Youbin: Architectural Aesthetics in China, Heilongjiang Science and Technology Press, 1997, p. 1 18. )
As the representatives of the buildings in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the buildings with numerous peaks, knowing and thinking, and bright and clean halls are only a small part of the buildings in the quadrangle. The buildings in Qiantongming and Qing Dynasty are composed of more than 40 courtyards, such as Qunfeng Hairpin House, Zhisi Residence and Mingjing Hall. It not only embodies the superb architectural level of Ninghai in Ming and Qing Dynasties, but also embodies the humanistic spirit that the ancestors of Gantong paid attention to "farming and reading" and paid attention to clan and blood relatives. Standing on Tashan Mountain and Lushan Mountain, I looked at my former children, who have become very old. Under a gloomy roof, the modern lifestyle and life concept are impacting the hearts of children in modern times with lightning speed. Although there are still many roommates and descendants who are enthusiastic about protecting ancient buildings, the ancient houses with wooden structures still make people feel uneasy about natural and man-made disasters. I hope she can run away from them.