The Legend of Mirror Lake
The Legend of Jinghu
There used to be a "big garden" next to Jinghu (Taotang) in Wuhu, Anhui. It was also called "Li Park" in history? "Taotang" was named after Zhang Xiaoxiang, the champion of the Southern Song Dynasty and a patriotic poet, who donated hundreds of acres of land to form a lake. He learned from Tao Yuanming and named it "Taotang" because the water is clear and can be seen, and the shape is like a round mirror. Also called Mirror Lake.
Shangyi is Jinghu (Taotang) in the 1930s
Wuhu’s large garden is located in the southwest corner of Jinghu, close to the bustling Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street and Guohuo Road today. So close.
The picture above shows the Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street in Wuhu
The picture below shows the scenery photo of the Wuhu Grand Garden in 1928
Why is the "Grand Garden" also called "Le Park"?
After Wuhu opened for trade in 1876, it became the first of the four major rice markets in my country. Li Hongzhang's relatives came to Wuhu from their hometown of Hefei to develop. While they invested heavily in real estate, they built bridges along the "Tao Pond", built roads along the slopes, built pavilions and pavilions around the "Tao Pond", planted flowers and willows, and built rockeries. Build pavilions and pavilions. Among them, the area around Taotang, known as "the most scenic spot in the city" in Wuhu, was almost plundered as a private garden by the Li Hongzhang family. Especially in the southwest corner of Taotang, near the main road (today's Zhongshan Road), a large area of land was covered with bamboo trees. Surrounded by a fence and no one is allowed to enter, this land is the private land of Li Hongzhang's son Li Jingfang, called "Li Family Garden".
(The picture above shows a group photo of Li Hongzhang and his descendants)
? This is the "Li Family Garden" of the Li Hongzhang family, which was later called the "Big Garden" by the old Wuhu people. , also called "Lee Park". At that time, there were rockeries, wisteria trellises, and hollies surrounding the path. There was a quiet path next to the pottery pond, covered with thick willow shade, and a wooden bridge stretched to a small island in the pottery pond. , that is, Yanyudun. Every July and August, the "Menglan Shenghui" is held in the big garden. During the day, monks worship and bells and drums are noisy. At night, paper lotus lanterns float in the pottery pond, with small candles burning inside, illuminating the pond. .
(The picture above shows the scenery of Wuhu taken in the 1920s and 1930s. The large garden was once called "Li Park")
In the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915), the Yangtze River The floods were raging, washing away all the flowers and trees in the large garden. The Li family then rented this place to "Tao Yixuan Restaurant". In order to attract business, the restaurant filled the wine tables along Jinghu Lake. Guests could enjoy the beautiful scenery of Jinghu Lake while eating, drinking and having fun. The business was very prosperous.
Until the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931), there was another severe flood in the Yangtze River. Wuhu City, which is close to the Yangtze River, was not spared. The large garden was robbed by the flood, and all the flowers and trees in the garden were destroyed. Only the A vast expanse of bare wasteland. From then on, those who practiced martial arts, sold herbal medicine, and snack stalls, etc., occupied their own land as a place to live. Until the 1950s and 1960s, the Grand Garden was still the main place for leisure and entertainment for Wuhu citizens. There were small theaters (where Wuhu local opera "Taipei Opera" was performed), jugglers (circus, martial arts), and drummers and drummers. In the "Kangleball", the large garden is home to many Wuhu food stalls. On holidays, the large garden is crowded and lively.
(The picture above shows the Wuhu market map in 1934 marked as "Li Family Garden")
(The picture above shows the old "Big Garden" in Wuhu in the 1920s and 1930s Photo)
Seventy years have passed, and the once large garden has become history and faded out of people’s sight. However, the many stories accumulated in it are the memories of Wuhu people and have become eternal traces of Wuhu city. . Nowadays, the Phoenix Nirvana of Jinghu Lake has become a symbol of the beautiful and livable Wuhu, which is "half city, half city, half city water".
Above picture: The beautiful scenery of Jinghu Lake today
? The information in the article comes from "Wuhu Archives"