Deeply hidden for thousands of years, the sound of Langlang books never stops, searching for "Bo" Jiangsu | "Reading" with elegant woodblock | Museum | Langshu sound

Pursuing the footsteps of history in museums is becoming a trend and cultural phenomenon in daily life.

In addition to popular museums such as the Nanjing Museum and the Yangzhou China Grand Canal Museum, Jiangsu also has many distinctive museums. Modern Express reporters focus on daily life themes such as food, clothing, use, and reading, taking you to check in these characteristic museums.

At the China woodblock printing museum, visitors can still feel the millennium old glory of Chinese woodblock printing through the glass; At the Wenhui Pavilion in Yangzhou, a set of copies of the Complete Library of Four Branches, which took 10 years to complete, is waiting to be flipped through; At the Suzhou Top Scholar Museum, take a glimpse of the ancient scholar Qiong Lin's path to advancement and the hard won success of passing the imperial examinations. In the traditional Chinese concept, receiving education is equivalent to reading, and reading has become synonymous with receiving education. For thousands of years, the Chinese nation has gone from official positions to official positions, inherited wisdom, and continued its bloodline through a vast and extensive collection of books.

Yangzhou China woodblock printing museum

Yangzhou China woodblock printing museum: allowing ink fragrance to be passed down for thousands of years

On the banks of Mingyue Lake in Yangzhou, there is a Yangzhou China woodblock printing museum, which is the only woodblock printing themed museum in China.

The woodblock printing in Yangzhou began in the Tang Dynasty, developed during the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, and flourished during the Qing Dynasty. In various historical periods, countless skilled woodblock printing artists have gathered in Yangzhou, passing down their legacy and making great contributions to the cultural prosperity of the ancient city. In the Qing Dynasty, the style of carving books in Yangzhou had spread throughout the counties, cities, and counties. Its variety, quantity, scale, and quality were outstanding in previous dynasties. The establishment of Yangzhou Poetry Bureau laid the foundation for Yangzhou to become one of the important centers for calligraphy in China at that time; The publication of "Complete Tang Poems" marks the glory of Yangzhou woodblock printing with its unparalleled delicacy.

△ Ancient prints in the collection of Yangzhou China woodblock printing museum

The China woodblock printing museum has a collection of over 100000 ancient books and woodblock prints, divided into two major parts: the "China Pavilion" and the "Yangzhou Pavilion". The exhibition focuses on the woodblock printing process and historical woodblock printing, comprehensively reflecting the historical evolution of China's woodblock printing and its profound influence in world printing history. Through the glass, one can still feel the millennium old glory of Chinese woodblock printing. Whether it is woodblock prints thoroughly stained with ink or ancient books that have already been printed and bound, they reflect the diligence and wisdom of ancient Chinese craftsmen, record the development and transformation of woodblock printing in China, and witness the glory and glory of Yangzhou's woodblock printing industry.

△ Ancient prints in the collection of Yangzhou China woodblock printing museum

In addition to static displays, the Yangzhou China woodblock printing museum also invited inheritors of woodblock printing intangible cultural heritage such as Rui Mingyang and Shen Shuhua to present the complete production process of woodblock printing technology to the audience on site. Writing samples is the first process of woodblock printing. Rui Mingyang, a representative inheritor of woodblock printing for Jiangsu Province's intangible cultural heritage, has been writing samples for more than 40 years. After retiring from Guangling Ancient Book Engraving Society, he still insists on writing samples. In the interactive area of woodblock printing, Rui Mingyang focuses on writing samples. The flow of people inside the museum does not affect its focus at all. At the moment of picking up the brush, it felt like entering a state of no one. According to Rui Mingyang, woodblock printing generally requires the use of craftsman style characters. This type of font is similar to the Song style font, but different from the traditional and popular brush writing form. It is a type of font specifically designed for woodblock printing and more suitable for blade operation.

△ Yangzhou Wenhui Pavilion

Yangzhou Wenhui Pavilion: Experience the vast 800 million word masterpiece

When it comes to reading, the one that cannot be bypassed is undoubtedly the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. This vast collection of books is the largest cultural project in ancient China compiled during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Almost all disciplines in Chinese literature, history, philosophy, science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine can find their origins and bloodlines from it. The Complete Library of Four Branches includes a total of 3462 books, totaling 79338 volumes, over 36000 volumes, and approximately 800 million words. Back then, Emperor Qianlong ordered people to hand copy seven volumes of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries and ordered them to be stored in various parts of the country. The four parts that were first copied are stored in the Wenyuan Pavilion of the Forbidden City, Wensu Pavilion of Shenyang, Liaoning, Wenyuan Pavilion of Yuanmingyuan, and Wenjin Pavilion of Chengde, Hebei, which are known as the "Northern Four Pavilions". The three parts that were copied later were stored in the collections of Yangzhou Wenhui Pavilion, Zhenjiang Wenzong Pavilion, and Hangzhou Wenlan Pavilion, which are known as the "South Three Pavilions". The Jiangnan Three Pavilions, like the Northern Four Pavilions, are both royal libraries. The difference is that the Northern Four Pavilions are exclusively for the royal family, while the Southern Three Pavilions are open to scholars.

With the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty, the fate of the Seven Great Classical Novels was uncertain. The Wenzong Pavilion in Zhenjiang, the Wenhui Pavilion in Yangzhou, and the Wenyuan Pavilion in Yuanmingyuan were burned down by war. On April 19, 2023, the reconstruction of Yangzhou Wenhui Pavilion was completed and officially opened to the public. After a gap of 169 years, the ancient pavilion was restored. At the same time, a set of copies of the Complete Library of Four Branches, which took 10 years to complete, were also moved into the Wenhui Pavilion, reproducing the beautiful scene of "integrating books and pavilions".

The Complete Library of Four Branches in Yangzhou Wenhui Pavilion

The reporter saw at the scene that the main building of the restored Wenhui Pavilion respected the historical original appearance, modeled on the building regulations of Tianyi Pavilion, with six rooms wide, two bright rooms and three dark rooms, and flush gable roof tiles. Entering the Wenhui Pavilion, the first floor is mainly the historical and cultural exhibition area of the Wenhui Pavilion. In the center of the hall, there is a copying desk where readers could borrow and copy books. There is a plaque above the desk that reads "Great View of the World". According to the staff, the main hall of the Imperial Garden of Tianning Temple was called "Great View Hall" in the past, and the Wenhui Pavilion was built next to the Great View Hall. "Great View of the World" symbolizes that reading can broaden one's horizons, broaden one's mind from ancient to modern times, and broaden one's horizons.

The Complete Library of Four Branches in Yangzhou Wenhui Pavilion

On the second and third floors of the Wenhui Pavilion, there is a collection of the "Complete Library of the Four Branches". It is understood that this "Complete Library of the Four Branches" is a replica of the original, large, and original color "Complete Library of the Four Branches" published by the Commercial Press and planned and produced by Yangzhou Guoshu Culture Company in 2013. It is the same size, color, paper, and binding as the original book, with the cover still made of silk and silk in five colors: green for the classics, red for the histories, white for the sub sections, gray black for the collection, and yellow for the main section. There are a total of 6144 wooden letters and 128 bookshelves supporting books, letters, and bookshelves. The decoration of the Complete Library of Four Branches is very exquisite, with each book sandwiched between two pieces of nanmu, tied with silk ribbons, and then placed in a nanmu box. The box cover is engraved with information such as the title of the book and the order of its categories for easy reference. Now, tourists can make an appointment to visit some of the collections of the Complete Library of the Four Branches on the second floor, and experience this magnificent masterpiece firsthand.

△ Suzhou Top Scholar Museum

Suzhou Top Scholar Museum: See how top scorers were born

Jiangsu is truly known as the "hometown of top scorers". By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the number of top scorers ranked first in the country, and Suzhou was also known as the "top scorer of Suzhou's literary prosperity". From the fifth year of the Wude reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang Dynasty, the first imperial examination champion Sun Fujia, to the last champion Liu Chunlin in the 30th year of the Guangxu reign, there were a total of 596 literary champions, of which 45 were from Suzhou, accounting for 7.55% of the total; The total number of literary champions in the Qing Dynasty was 114, with Suzhou accounting for more than one-fifth of the total.

The Top Scholar Museum is located at No. 3 Niujia Lane, Pingjiang Road Street, Gusu District, Suzhou. It is the former residence of the Qing Dynasty's top scorer Pan Shien. Pan Shi'en was the top scorer in the 58th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, and was the "Four Dynasties Elder" of Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng; The Pan family, with the titles of first scholar, second scholar, eighth jinshi, and sixteen juren, became a typical representative of Suzhou officials and gentry in the Qing Dynasty, enjoying the reputation of "having no second family in the world.".

The Suzhou Zhuangyuan Museum has distilled and summarized the spirit of "diligence, love for the people, economy, and utilization" behind the Suzhou Zhuangyuan, aiming to tell the story of the Zhuangyuan and promote Jiangnan culture through the Zhuangyuan Mansion. It mainly introduces the Suzhou Zhuangyuan group represented by Pan Shien, and displays nearly 400 precious collections related to Jiangnan imperial examination culture.

Entering the museum, the first thing to enter is the "sedan hall", which is the place to rest and prepare tea. The horizontal plaque "Kejia Dingshi" points out the theme of this hall, mainly introducing the overview of the top scorer group in Suzhou. The central hall door panel shows the regional distribution map of Suzhou's top scorers. The staff told Modern Express reporters that according to historical records, during the implementation of the imperial examination system from the Sui Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1300, Suzhou produced more than 3000 successful candidates.

△ Part of the Ziyang Academy Meeting Textbook in the Collection of Suzhou Top Scholar Museum

The Mandarin Duck Hall in the museum is a themed exhibition hall with the theme of "Why is the top scorer". Through physical exhibits, it reproduces the ancient imperial examination process and introduces how a top scorer was born. Modern Express reporters learned that in 2001, during the renovation of the Mandarin Duck Hall, a plaque was found above that was covered by a "suspended ceiling" added by later generations. After becoming the top scorer in high school, Pan Shien served as an official for more than 50 years, went through four dynasties, and was deeply favored by the emperor, earning him the title of "the most fortunate person of three hundred years". On occasions of great birthday, the emperor personally bestows an imperial plaque. After expert verification, it was found that the plaque was a black background pan long gold calligraphy plaque gifted by Emperor Daoguang on the occasion of Pan Shi'en's 60th birthday.

It is worth mentioning that the long corridor prepared in the museum displays the official records of Xu Xianqing, a successful scholar from Suzhou during the Ming Dynasty. The original work is housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing. The eunuch plot is a special form of using images to express important activity nodes in the life of officials, telling the entire life cycle of Xu Xianqing's ancient career from being a child at the age of eighteen to becoming a high-ranking official.

△ Suzhou Top Scholar Museum Collection Woodcut Colorful Selection Drama

The textbooks of Ziyang Academy and the selection of woodcut colorful plays are treasures of the town. Ziyang Academy was established in the 52nd year of the Kangxi reign and is located within the Suzhou Prefectural School. It was discontinued in the thirtieth year of the Guangxu reign and in less than two hundred years, it cultivated five top scorers and numerous scholars. The collection of this Qing Dynasty children's "Huixue Scroll" is the daily evaluation scroll in Ziyang Academy.

Caixuan Opera, also known as the Study and Promotion Map, originated in the Tang Dynasty. The map goes from Bai Ding, Tong Sheng, the desk to the positions of Grand Tutor, Grand Tutor, and Grand Protector in the Cabinet and Yamen. It is an ancient folk puzzle toy. Caixuan Opera combines the concepts of diligent learning and moral cultivation with entertainment through game rules, making it full of fun. The dice of this toy generally use a four character gyro, which is respectively "virtue", "talent", "achievement", and "gain", guiding the player's degree and official promotion. This set in the collection was produced in the Qing Dynasty and is even more precious due to its woodcut design.

Modern Express+Reporter Gu Xiaogaoda