Taking Suzhou gardens as an example, discuss the literati plot of Chinese classical gardens

Lecture on the ancient city of Suzhou and Suzhou classical gardens

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In the middle of the last century, the whole world was dragged into In a cruel war, this was the Second World War in which a desperate duel between aggression and counter-aggression ended with the defeat of the fascist invaders. This war destroyed many human civilizations. More than 60 years have passed, and we are facing an era full of hope for peace and development. Comparing the two makes us cherish and love today's peaceful life even more, and understand better how to be preserved despite all the vicissitudes of life. Those human cultural heritages that have come down are so hard-won! The ancient city of Suzhou and the classical gardens of Suzhou that I want to introduce to you today are precious and excellent cultural heritage created and preserved by our predecessors.

I would like to talk about it in two parts, first talking about the ancient city of Suzhou, and then talking about Suzhou classical gardens. This is a big topic and I can only briefly talk about it. I believe that the two are closely linked and an inseparable whole. The ancient city of Suzhou is the natural and cultural environment that produced the ideal Suzhou classical gardens; the Suzhou classical gardens are an indispensable urban element and urban style of the ancient city of Suzhou.

There is a famous saying in China called "Reviewing the past to learn the new", which means that reviewing certain knowledge again, just like reading a new book, can increase knowledge again. An in-depth understanding of the history, customs, and artistic features of the ancient city of Suzhou and Suzhou gardens can be accumulated into an encyclopedia with rich content. Today I am going to work with you to review, sort out, systematize and consolidate some of the impressions and understandings we have gained about the ancient city of Suzhou and Suzhou classical gardens.

1. The ancient city of Suzhou

Suzhou was originally the capital of the Kingdom of Wu. It was first built in 514 BC (the sixth year of King Jing of Zhou Dynasty in the Spring and Autumn Period, also known as the Yuan Dynasty of Wu Helu). Year). In 514 BC, the shrewd, capable and ambitious monarch Helu of Wu State ordered Wu Zixu to build the city while he was fiercely competing with Chu State for the control of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the southern conquest of Yue State. According to historical records, before building the city, Wu Zixu He once "looked at the soil, tasted the water, and resembled the sky and the earth." In modern terms, he conducted investigations and demonstrations on the geology, hydrology, meteorology and other natural environments. Therefore, the city site he chose did not change for more than 2,000 years. Changes due to natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes. This fact proves that the choice of the Suzhou city site at that time was scientific and correct. It shows that our ancestors had rich experience in urban construction more than 2,500 years ago and reached a high scientific level. In the suburbs of Suzhou, there is a small town called Xiangcheng. According to legend, this is its origin.

The construction project lasted for 6 years, and Helv City was finally completed. It is 37 miles, 210 paces and 2 feet around. In ancient times, one step was 6 feet, and 300 steps was one mile. A circle around the city is equivalent to today's It is more than 23,900 meters, which is similar to the actual circumference of the ancient city today.

The bottom of this city wall is 2 feet 7 feet wide and 4 feet 7 feet high. It uses board construction technology, that is, wooden boards are used to block both sides, and soil is taken and tamped in the middle. A few city gates and water gates Made of stone bricks and wood. There are 8 land gates in the ***, they are Chang, Xu, Pan, Snake, Jiang, Lou, Qi, and Ping. Two of them have towers to symbolize the eight winds in the sky. There are 8 water gates to imitate the earth. of eight hexagrams. In addition, a sub-city was built in the big city. As the administrative center, the location is approximately along the current Jinfan Road, Shizi Street, Fenghuang Street, and Ganjiang Road. The current stadium and Suzhou Park are among them. Now our garden The bureau office building is also at the core. There are three land gates in Zicheng, each with a tower, and two water gates, one of which has a tower. The mounds of dirt in Zicheng were not completely demolished until the Ganjiang Road was opened in the 1990s.

At the same time, hundreds of beacon piers were built on Qizishan and other mountains that stretched between the west of the city and Taihu Lake, forming a city defense system in the southwest corner. Helu City established the scale of today's Suzhou City and was also the earliest city wall in Suzhou.

In 1986, the people of our city held a grand celebration for the 2500th birthday of the ancient city of Suzhou. Most of the people here today were not invited to attend that celebration. I hope that when Suzhou is founded in 2600, that is, in 2086, everyone can participate. It would be better if you could participate in Suzhou's 3000th anniversary.

The most noteworthy thing about the ancient city of Suzhou is that its location, scale and planning pattern have not changed significantly since the city was founded. This is rare in China and even in the world, and even Unique.

In order to help everyone understand and understand the ancient city of Suzhou concretely and vividly, let us now take a look at an ancient city map of Suzhou. This map is called "Pingjiang Map" and was carved in 1229 AD, the second year of Shaoding in the Southern Song Dynasty of my country. "Pingjiang" was the rename of Suzhou at that time, which means: the river in Suzhou has flat water and banks, and gentle flow, which has the auspicious meaning of eternal peace.

Because this map was carved on a huge bluestone, it has been well preserved. It is 777 years old. This is the oldest and most complete city map in the world. It is similar to a slightly later one. Three famous inscriptions from the Song Dynasty, including the Astronomical Map, the Geographic Map and the Emperor's Shao Yun Map, are stored together in the Suzhou Confucian Temple and have been listed as key national cultural relics protection units. (Recently in Suzhou Park)

This map was drawn using traditional Chinese drawing methods, with a scale of approximately 3000:1. There are 643 natural geographical sites and man-made structures drawn on the map, of which 613 are named. The important value of this map is that it faithfully plots the geographical overview of Suzhou's water town at that time. The picture shows the double city wall, 5 water and land gates, 65 squares and exteriors. The city is crisscrossed by rivers, extending in all directions, with 6 longitudinal rivers and 14 transverse rivers. The total length of the rivers is more than 80 kilometers, and there are 314 bridges. . The streets and alleys in the city run parallel to the rivers, forming a double checkerboard pattern of parallel streets and rivers, as well as the characteristics of a water town with small bridges, flowing water and houses.

According to historical records, the rivers in Suzhou already existed when the city was built. These gridded rivers, excavated manually according to the plan, are not only channels for urban water diversion, drainage and transportation, but also It has the functions of urban defense, fire isolation, groundwater level reduction and urban space allocation. It is also a link between urban and rural areas and the whole country. It can be said that in the construction of the ancient city of Suzhou, the predecessors have become very comfortable in controlling and using water. To this day, the rivers in Suzhou have generally maintained their original pattern and continue to perform certain functions and benefits, becoming the oldest, grandest and most regular urban rivers in the world.

In addition, we can still see an ancient painting that faithfully depicts the prosperity of Suzhou. This is the "Prosperity of Suzhou" painted by Xu Yang in the Qing Dynasty, also known as "The Prosperity of Suzhou". It shows the cityscape from Mudu through Xumen, Changmen to Huqiu. It is more than ten meters long and contains more than 12,000 figures of various colors. It is the largest painting scroll in history and depicts Suzhou, an important town in the south of the Yangtze River. The prosperous scene is a true portrayal of Qianlong's prosperous era.

The above can be summarized in four sentences: 1. The ancient city of Suzhou was built in 514 BC and is an ancient city with a long history of more than 2,500 years; 2. The ancient city of Suzhou has its site, The scale and layout have not changed significantly, which shows that the original choice of the city site was scientific and correct; 3. The ancient city of Suzhou is a water town, and its rivers throughout the city are the oldest, most majestic, and most regular city in the world. The river course has important historical and scientific value; 4. The ancient city of Suzhou is a beautiful living environment and a model of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

Of course, the ancient city of Suzhou also has many informative and interesting things worth mentioning. There are some folk sayings about Suzhou, such as "seven towers, eight buildings and nine steamed buns", "six gates, three gates and five drum towers", "three palaces, six views and twenty-four squares", etc. Many nicknames of Suzhou also contain profound content. Such as Wu, Wucheng, Helvcheng, Wujun, Dongwu, Wuchu, Wumen, Wuxia, Wuzhong, Zhongwu, Gusu, Wudu, Heshi, Hongcheng, Pingjiang, Changzhou, Maoyuan etc. Due to time constraints, we cannot go into details one by one. Interested comrades can find opportunities to communicate in the future. Generally speaking, Suzhou has been a land of plenty since ancient times. Rice was planted more than 4,000 years ago. Today, its agricultural technology still ranks among the top in the country. Its freshwater fish, shrimps and crabs are the most delicious in the country. You will never get tired of eating it; it is a silk capital, and is known as China's three major silk production centers along with Nanjing and Hangzhou. In the 13th century AD, the Italian Marco Polo came to Suzhou and praised Suzhou's silk fabrics. It is a traditional place of arts and crafts. Suzhou's embroidery, tapestry, jade carving, lanterns, ethnic musical instruments, woodcut prints, lacquer carvings, furniture, etc. are famous at home and abroad. Suzhou can be seen on display in various famous museums in China. It produces ancient handicrafts; at the same time, it is also a garden city, which is what I will talk about next.

2. Suzhou Gardens

Now I will talk about Suzhou Gardens.

First of all, let's introduce the origin of the saying "China - the mother of gardens"

In 1899, a young British horticultural scholar E.H. Wilson set foot on the land of China , began his long-term and far-reaching work of collecting and introducing flowers and plants to the West. Being in the "Kingdom of Flowers", he was deeply moved and intoxicated. Later, as his understanding of Chinese flowers and gardens increased, he realized that China had a decisive influence on gardens around the world.

In 1913, he wrote the influential book "A Naturalist in West China". When this book was reprinted in 1929, it was renamed "China Mother of Gardens". For more than a century, the term "China - the mother of gardens" has been accepted by many botanists and horticulturists.

In 1954, the International Federation of Landscape Architects held its fourth congress in Vienna. British gardening scientist G.A. Jellicoe said in his speech that the three major schools of gardening in the world are Chinese and West Asian. and ancient Greece. These three ancient areas all produced splendid ancient cultures.

In this part, I will also talk about three points: First, I will talk about the conditions for the emergence of Suzhou gardens. Why are there so many gardens in Suzhou and are they so famous? Second, let’s briefly talk about the history of Suzhou gardens. The third is to talk about some characteristics of Suzhou gardens and how their beauty is formed, so that everyone can better appreciate the beauty of Suzhou classical gardens.

1. Conditions for the emergence of Suzhou gardens

Suzhou gardens are the essence and one of the important features of the ancient city of Suzhou, so it is known as the "City of Gardens". There is another saying that people praise Suzhou gardens. In the past, we Suzhou people were not willing to say it because it sounded not modest enough. Now that Suzhou gardens have been officially included in the World Cultural Heritage, we can proudly say that this sentence is "Suzhou gardens are the best in the world". Why are there so many gardens in Suzhou and why are they so good? We say this is because Suzhou has superior natural and humanistic conditions for the emergence and development of gardens. In other words, Suzhou's superior natural conditions, long history and excellent cultural traditions gave birth to Suzhou gardens.

In terms of natural conditions, Suzhou is located on the shore of Taihu Lake in the Yangtze River Delta. It has a mild climate and beautiful mountains and rivers. The whole area is like a large garden. It is a natural painting that is closely simulated by Suzhou gardens. Many landscapes in Suzhou gardens are All come from the landscape of Taihu Lake. At the same time, the Taihu area has a wide variety of flowers and trees, and also produces a unique stone called Taihu stone. These are important materials for building gardens. Let me tell you a historical anecdote. Because the flowers, trees, lakes and stones in Suzhou are the most ideal components for gardening, Emperor Huizong Zhao Ji in the late Northern Song Dynasty ordered a large collection of them, and then transported them to Bianliang (now Kaifeng, Henan) in the capital to build gardens. The person in charge was a Suzhou native named Zhu Meng. He took this opportunity to extort money, searched for strange stones and flowers, and organized a fleet to send them to Bianjing. This was the famous "Hua Shi Gang" incident in Chinese history. The exquisite Taihu jade in Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai and the Ruiyun Peak in the Zhizao Mansion site in Suzhou are said to be relics of the "Flowers and Stones" that were collected but not transported away in time. It can be seen from this that Suzhou gardens use local materials, which has the advantage of "first come first served near water and towers".

In terms of humanistic conditions, Suzhou has been the political, economic and cultural center of the Jiangnan region since King Wu established the capital here. It has a developed economy, prosperous industry and commerce, and a gathering of humanities, and its urban construction has reached a high level. level. Especially in majors such as architecture, painting, arts and crafts, and gardening, which are closely related to gardening, there are many talents with superb skills. For example, Suzhou's architecture is world-famous. Kuai Xiang, who presided over the design and construction of the Purple City Palace in Beijing, was from Xiangshan, Suzhou. Due to the exquisite craftsmanship of Xiangshan craftsmen, they were called the "Xiangshan Gang". important genre. In the history of Chinese gardens, there are two classic works. One is "Yuanye" written by the famous gardening master Ji Cheng, who was born in Tongli, Suzhou. There is also a book called "Long Things", which specializes in the interior decoration and furnishings of gardens. The author Wen Zhenheng is a native of Suzhou and the great-grandson of Wen Zhengming, the leader of the Wumen School of Painting.

Another example is Suzhou's painting which has a long tradition. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties (from the 14th century to the end of the 18th century AD), the "Four Ming Schools" of Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, Tang Yin, Qiu Ying and Wang Shimin and Wang appeared. There are many famous painters such as Jian, Wang Hui and Wang Yuanqi, the "Four Kings of the Qing Dynasty". The artistic style of their masters' literati freehand painting has an important influence on the design and construction of Suzhou gardens.

For example, Suzhou's arts and crafts and Suzhou's horticultural bonsai are world-famous. It is under such historical background and humanistic conditions that Suzhou gardens have developed to such a superb level.

2. The history of Suzhou gardens can be traced back to the gardens of the State of Wu in the Spring and Autumn Period. The famous ones include Gusu Terrace, Guanwa Palace, Wutong Garden, Changzhou Garden, etc. These palace gardens are the most representative Chinese gardens. One of the earliest sources.

The earliest recorded private garden in Suzhou is Gu Pijiang Garden in the Jin Dynasty (4th century AD). According to records, Wang Xianzhi, the son of the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi, came to visit because of his arrogance and lack of courtesy, so he was kicked out by the owner of the garden, Gu Pijiang. However, the exact address of this garden is no longer clear, and it has become a major mystery in the history of Suzhou gardens.

After the Tang and Song Dynasties, with the development of our country's painting art, the art of gardening improved day by day. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Suzhou became the most prosperous city in the country. It was built by literati, retired bureaucrats, and wealthy businessmen. Private gardens were spread throughout the city and beyond, with more than 200 large and small gardens, reaching its heyday. After the late Qing Dynasty, the country was poor, social unrest, and Suzhou's economy tended to decline. Suzhou's gardens were gradually damaged and reduced, and some of the remaining gardens became increasingly obsolete and dilapidated. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the state resolutely allocated funds for emergency garden repairs despite relatively difficult financial conditions, which restored Suzhou gardens and became the most colorful flowers in the ancient city of Suzhou. They were officially included in the World Heritage List by the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Committee. , we can believe that Suzhou gardens will be properly protected and become art treasures enjoyed by people all over the world and will last forever.

3. The nature and characteristics of Suzhou gardens:

(A) Suzhou gardens include various types such as residential gardens, temple gardens, academy gardens, scenic spots gardens, etc., and private gardens Residential gardens are the most common and are representatives of private gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, an important school of Chinese gardens. Compared with the royal gardens concentrated in Beijing, there are obvious differences in specifications, layout, volume, style and color:

The royal gardens are famous for their grandeur, strictness, grandeur and richness. .

Suzhou gardens are famous for their small size, freedom, exquisiteness and elegance.

(B) In terms of its fundamental nature and function, Suzhou gardens are a place for residence, leisure, and recreation. This kind of living model that combines houses and gardens is suitable for a large population and lack of natural scenery. In the city, people are attached to and yearn for nature, pursue harmonious coexistence with nature, build ideal living spaces, and beautify and improve their own living environment. This creation embodies a high degree of residential civilization and lifestyle in the ancient Jiangnan region of my country. A great contribution to human civilization.

(C) From the perspective of the construction connotation of gardens, Suzhou gardens, like gardens across China, are composed of two series of elements, material and spiritual; material elements include landscapes, flowers, trees and buildings. . The spiritual ones are those traditional Chinese philosophical concepts, cultural consciousness, literary artistic conception, historical and scientific information, etc. carried and reflected by the plaques, couplets, writing stones, paintings and sculptures in the garden.

The material elements are combined according to certain rules to form the beauty of the landscape, flowers and trees, and architecture of the garden.

Spiritual elements can set off and exaggerate the scenery in the garden, give the garden a certain artistic conception, and form a kind of humanistic beauty, making people happy physically and mentally, cultivating their sentiments and gaining a noble spirit during the tour. Cultural enjoyment.

(D) From the perspective of garden layout, Suzhou gardens generally have water as the center, buildings as the main body, and rockeries, peaks, flowers and trees as embellishments.

Water is the soul of Suzhou gardens. Whether divided or gathered, it is a true portrayal of the scenery of the Jiangnan water town. With water, all the scenery in the garden appears more beautiful and soft.

Mountains and water correspond and set off each other, making the garden landscape more natural and wild, because rockeries and ponds are the embodiment of nature and symbols of nature. There are four different types of rockeries in Suzhou gardens: lake stone, yellow stone, earth-rock combination and earth mountain. There are also many individually arranged peak stones. Chinese literati have always had the custom of hiding, admiring and appreciating stones. This is a respect for nature. and friendly expressions.

The flowers and trees in Suzhou gardens are full of local, seasonal and national characteristics. Each garden has its own famous flowers and ancient trees. For example, the lotuses in the Humble Administrator's Garden, the bamboos and plum blossoms in the Canglang Pavilion are all famous because these flowers and trees are regarded as noble and self-reliant gentlemen, with a character that is not afraid of cold and violence, so they are loved by people.

The buildings in Suzhou gardens are the main body and center of the garden landscape. They are used for living, reading, reciting poetry, painting, playing the piano, singing, playing chess, tasting tea, drinking banquets, and recreation. According to the needs, different forms such as halls, halls, pavilions, pavilions, buildings, pavilions, pavilions, boats, corridors, pavilions, and platforms were built, supplemented by exquisite interior decoration, furniture, furnishings, and various outdoor flower windows and paving. Etc., the function, structure, and art of the building are perfectly unified, showing the exquisite skills of ancient residential buildings in the south of the Yangtze River in my country, and becoming the most complete and colorful museum of traditional architecture and residential buildings in my country today.

The humanistic connotation in gardens is something we cannot let go of when understanding gardens. You should understand the history of each garden and the anecdotes of celebrities related to it, and understand the meaning and origin of the name of the garden and the naming of each building in the garden. Those who like poetry and literature should pay attention to the couplets in the garden, those who study history should pay attention to the inscriptions in the garden, those who like calligraphy can look at the handwriting of celebrities on the calligraphy stones, and those who like decorations can study the various furniture and furnishings in the garden. In short, Suzhou The humanistic connotation of gardens is extremely rich, reflecting Suzhou's excellent cultural and artistic traditions, and should be appreciated in detail.

If I could sum up the main features of each garden included in the "World Heritage List" in one sentence, I think it should be roughly like this:

The Humble Administrator's Garden has a clear and elegant waterside style and a freehand landscape. The outstanding painting book

The Liuyuan's exquisite and rich spatial treatment, the artistic integration of calligraphy by Shi Feng

The Master of the Nets Garden is a typical example of a refined and elegant house garden with its small garden where less wins over more.< /p>

Huanxiu Villa is unique in the south of the Yangtze River, a vivid teaching material of beautiful lakes and rocks, beautiful structures, gardens and stacked mountains

Canglang Pavilion is a school that inherits the eternal cultural context of urban mountains and forests in Fu and Guangshui

< p>The Lion Grove, the boundless Zen atmosphere, the zigzagging stone cave sky

The art garden cuts the mountains and rivers, the corner of Taihu Lake, the elegant and upright gentleman's residence

The couple in the garden The love poems of Shuangyin talk about the people in Shuicheng who are pillowed on the waves and face the street

The Tuisi Garden adapts to local conditions and the water is cleverly constructed to create the scenery of wild sailing in the rivers and lakes

The above are some basic common sense about Suzhou gardens , as a garden worker, I am often proud of doing this work. I hope that everyone can go further on the original basis and become experts who are proficient in garden culture and garden art.

They are also world heritage sites, like the Forbidden City. Their experts on ancient architecture are among the best in the country. Their calligraphy and painting experts are among the best on calligraphy and painting in the country. Experts on bronzes, jades, porcelain, and clocks... The same is true. Who said that our gardens Why can’t the system produce national Suzhou garden experts? I believe that everyone today will achieve this achievement! If what I said can arouse your interest and help you, I will be very honored!

Thank you everyone!

2006-08-18 15:17:39

Large, medium and small

Lecture on the ancient city of Suzhou and Suzhou classical gardens

In In the middle of the last century, the whole world was dragged into a cruel war. This was the Second World War, a desperate duel between aggression and counter-aggression that ended with the defeat of the fascist invaders. This war destroyed many human civilizations. More than 60 years have passed, and we are facing an era full of hope for peace and development. Comparing the two makes us cherish and love today's peaceful life even more, and understand better how to be preserved despite all the vicissitudes of life. Those human cultural heritages that have come down are so hard-won! The ancient city of Suzhou and the classical gardens of Suzhou that I want to introduce to you today are precious and excellent cultural heritage created and preserved by our predecessors.

I would like to talk about it in two parts, first talking about the ancient city of Suzhou, and then talking about Suzhou classical gardens. This is a big topic and I can only briefly talk about it. I believe that the two are closely linked and an inseparable whole. The ancient city of Suzhou is the natural and cultural environment that produced the ideal Suzhou classical gardens; the Suzhou classical gardens are an indispensable urban element and urban style of the ancient city of Suzhou.

There is a famous saying in China called "Reviewing the past to learn the new", which means that reviewing certain knowledge again, just like reading a new book, can increase knowledge again. An in-depth understanding of the history, customs, and artistic features of the ancient city of Suzhou and Suzhou gardens can be accumulated into an encyclopedia with rich content. Today I am going to work with you to review, sort out, systematize and consolidate some of the impressions and understandings we have gained about the ancient city of Suzhou and Suzhou classical gardens.

1. The ancient city of Suzhou

Suzhou was originally the capital of the Kingdom of Wu. It was first built in 514 BC (the sixth year of King Jing of Zhou Dynasty in the Spring and Autumn Period, also known as the Yuan Dynasty of Wu Helu). Year). In 514 BC, the shrewd, capable and ambitious monarch Helu of Wu State ordered Wu Zixu to build the city while he was fiercely competing with Chu State for the control of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the southern conquest of Yue State. According to historical records, before building the city, Wu Zixu He once "looked at the soil, tasted the water, and resembled the sky and the earth." In modern terms, he conducted investigations and demonstrations on the geology, hydrology, meteorology and other natural environments. Therefore, the city site he chose did not change for more than 2,000 years. Changes due to natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes. This fact proves that the choice of the Suzhou city site at that time was scientific and correct. It shows that our ancestors had rich experience in urban construction more than 2,500 years ago and reached a high scientific level. In the suburbs of Suzhou, there is a small town called Xiangcheng. According to legend, this is its origin.

The construction project lasted for 6 years, and Helv City was finally completed. It is 37 miles, 210 paces and 2 feet around. In ancient times, one step was 6 feet, and 300 steps was one mile. A circle around the city is equivalent to today's It is more than 23,900 meters, which is similar to the actual circumference of the ancient city today.

The bottom of this city wall is 2 feet 7 feet wide and 4 feet 7 feet high. It uses board construction technology, that is, wooden boards are used to block both sides, and soil is taken and tamped in the middle. A few city gates and water gates Made of stone bricks and wood. There are 8 land gates in the ***, they are Chang, Xu, Pan, Snake, Jiang, Lou, Qi, and Ping. Two of them have towers to symbolize the eight winds in the sky. There are 8 water gates to imitate the earth. of eight hexagrams. In addition, a sub-city was built in the big city. As the administrative center, the location is approximately along the current Jinfan Road, Shizi Street, Fenghuang Street, and Ganjiang Road. The current stadium and Suzhou Park are among them. Now our garden The bureau office building is also at the core. There are three land gates in Zicheng, each with a tower, and two water gates, one of which has a tower. The mounds of dirt in Zicheng were not completely demolished until the Ganjiang Road was opened in the 1990s.

At the same time, hundreds of beacon piers were built on Qizishan and other mountains that stretched between the west of the city and Taihu Lake, forming a city defense system in the southwest corner. Helu City established the scale of today's Suzhou City and was also the earliest city wall in Suzhou.

In 1986, the people of our city held a grand celebration for the 2500th birthday of the ancient city of Suzhou. Most of the people here today were not invited to attend that celebration. I hope that when Suzhou is founded in 2600, that is, in 2086, everyone can participate. It would be better if you could participate in Suzhou's 3000th anniversary.

The most noteworthy thing about the ancient city of Suzhou is that its location, scale and planning pattern have not changed significantly since the city was founded. This is rare in China and even in the world, and even Unique.

In order to help everyone understand and understand the ancient city of Suzhou concretely and vividly, let us now take a look at an ancient city map of Suzhou. This map is called "Pingjiang Map" and was carved in 1229 AD, the second year of Shaoding in the Southern Song Dynasty of my country.

"Pingjiang" was the rename of Suzhou at that time, which means: the river in Suzhou has flat water and banks, and gentle flow, which has the auspicious meaning of eternal peace. Because this map was engraved on a huge bluestone, it has been well preserved. It is 777 years old. This is the oldest and most complete city map in the world. It is similar to a slightly later one. Three famous inscriptions from the Song Dynasty, including the Astronomical Map, the Geographic Map and the Emperor Shao Yun Map, are stored together in the Suzhou Confucian Temple and have been listed as key national cultural relics protection units. (Recently in Suzhou Park)

This map was drawn using traditional Chinese drawing methods, with a scale of approximately 3000:1. There are 643 natural geographical sites and man-made structures drawn on the map, of which 613 are named. The important value of this map is that it faithfully plots the geographical overview of Suzhou's water town at that time. The picture shows the double city wall, 5 water and land gates, 65 squares and exteriors. The city is crisscrossed by rivers, extending in all directions, with 6 longitudinal rivers and 14 transverse rivers. The total length of the rivers is more than 80 kilometers, and there are 314 bridges. . The streets and alleys in the city run parallel to the rivers, forming a double checkerboard pattern of parallel streets and rivers, as well as the characteristics of a water town with small bridges, flowing water and houses.

According to historical records, the rivers in Suzhou already existed when the city was built. These gridded rivers, excavated manually according to the plan, are not only channels for urban water diversion, drainage and transportation, but also It has the functions of urban defense, fire isolation, groundwater level reduction and urban space allocation. It is also a link between urban and rural areas and the whole country. It can be said that in the construction of the ancient city of Suzhou, the predecessors have become very comfortable in controlling and using water. To this day, the rivers in Suzhou have generally maintained their original pattern and continue to perform certain functions and benefits, becoming the oldest, grandest and most regular urban rivers in the world.

In addition, we can still see an ancient painting that faithfully depicts the prosperity of Suzhou. This is the "Prosperity of Suzhou" painted by Xu Yang in the Qing Dynasty, also known as "The Prosperity of Suzhou". It shows the cityscape from Mudu through Xumen, Changmen to Huqiu. It is more than ten meters long and contains more than 12,000 figures of various colors. It is the largest painting scroll in history and depicts Suzhou, an important town in the south of the Yangtze River. The prosperous scene is a true portrayal of Qianlong's prosperous era.

The above can be summarized in four sentences: 1. The ancient city of Suzhou was built in 514 BC and is an ancient city with a long history of more than 2,500 years; 2. The ancient city of Suzhou has its site, The scale and layout have not changed significantly, which shows that the original choice of the city site was scientific and correct; 3. The ancient city of Suzhou is a water town, and its rivers throughout the city are the oldest, most majestic, and most regular city in the world. The river course has important historical and scientific value; 4. The ancient city of Suzhou is a beautiful living environment and a model of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

Of course, the ancient city of Suzhou also has many informative and interesting things worth mentioning. There are some folk sayings about Suzhou, such as "seven towers, eight buildings and nine steamed buns", "six gates, three gates and five drum towers", "three palaces, six views and twenty-four squares", etc. Many nicknames of Suzhou also contain profound content. Such as Wu, Wucheng, Helvcheng, Wujun, Dongwu, Wuchu, Wumen, Wuxia, Wuzhong, Zhongwu, Gusu, Wudu, Heshi, Hongcheng, Pingjiang, Changzhou, Maoyuan etc. Due to time constraints, we cannot go into details one by one. Interested comrades can find opportunities to communicate in the future. Generally speaking, Suzhou has been a land of plenty since ancient times. Rice was planted more than 4,000 years ago. Today, its agricultural technology still ranks among the top in the country. Its freshwater fish, shrimps and crabs are the most delicious in the country. You will never get tired of eating it; it is a silk capital, and is known as China's three major silk production centers along with Nanjing and Hangzhou. In the 13th century AD, the Italian Marco Polo came to Suzhou and praised Suzhou's silk fabrics. It is a traditional place of arts and crafts. Suzhou's embroidery, tapestry, jade carving, lanterns, ethnic musical instruments, woodcut prints, lacquer carvings, furniture, etc. are famous at home and abroad. Suzhou can be seen on display in various famous museums in China. It produces ancient handicrafts; at the same time, it is also a garden city, which is what I will talk about next.

2. Suzhou Gardens

Now I will talk about Suzhou Gardens.

First of all, let’s introduce the origin of the saying “China – the mother of gardens”

In 1899, a young British horticultural scholar E.H. Wilson set foot on the land of China , began his long-term and far-reaching work of collecting and introducing flowers and plants to the West. Being in the "Kingdom of Flowers", he was deeply moved and intoxicated. Later, as his understanding of Chinese flowers and gardens increased, he realized that China had a decisive influence on gardens around the world.

In 1913, he wrote the influential book "A Naturalist in West China". When this book was reprinted in 1929, it was renamed "China Mother of Gardens". For more than a century, the term "China - the mother of gardens" has been accepted by many botanists and horticulturists.

In 1954, the International Federation of Landscape Architects held its fourth congress in Vienna. British gardening scientist G.A. Jellicoe said in his speech that the three major schools of gardening in the world are Chinese and West Asian. and ancient Greece. These three ancient areas all produced splendid ancient cultures.

In this part, I will also talk about three points: First, I will talk about the conditions for the emergence of Suzhou gardens. Why are there so many gardens in Suzhou and are they so famous? Second, let’s briefly talk about the history of Suzhou gardens.

The third is to talk about some characteristics of Suzhou gardens and how their beauty is formed, so that everyone can better appreciate them