What is special about the Wenzong Pavilion, an ancient "library" in the Shucang Lake Pavilion? Siku Quanshu | Cangshu Ge | Wenzong Ge

The Siku Quanshu, the largest series of books in China's ancient history, was compiled during the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. After it was compiled, seven versions were copied and stored in seven book collecting pavilions across the country. Among them, the "four northern pavilions", also known as the "four inner court pavilions", are the Wenyuan Pavilion in the Forbidden City, the Wenyuan Pavilion in the Old Summer Palace, the Wensu Pavilion in the Shengjing Palace, and the Wenjin Pavilion in Chengde Mountain Resort; The other three parts are stored in the "South Three Pavilions", also known as the "Jiangnan Three Pavilions", which are the Wenhui Pavilion of Tianning Temple in Yangzhou, the Wenzong Pavilion of Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang, and the Wenlan Pavilion in Hangzhou today. A small pavilion, with a collection of thousands of books, covering every inch of heaven and earth, encompassing a thousand years of civilization.

Zhenjiang Wenzong Pavilion

The earliest completed South Three Pavilions

Among the seven pavilions containing the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, Jiangsu, which has a prosperous literary style and a long cultural background, occupies only two pavilions. One is the Wenhui Pavilion located in Yangzhou, and the other is the Wenzong Pavilion. The Wenzong Pavilion is located at Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, and is the earliest completed library among the three southern pavilions. After several wars and damages, it was rebuilt near the original site in 2010 and has now become a famous tourist attraction and cultural landmark in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu.

Among the "Seven Pavilions", Wenzong Pavilion is the only library without the water character in its name. So why are the names of the other six libraries all related to water? According to experts, this is because the book collection is afraid of fires, and its name carries "water", meaning "water can extinguish fires". Why does the name of Wenzong Pavilion not include the character "water" next to it? We followed the reporter's footsteps to Wenzong Pavilion to take a look ↓↓↓

Wenzong Pavilion: Intersection of Rivers and Rivers

Shucang Lake Pavilion

The Yangtze River runs through the east and west, and the Grand Canal connects the north and south. At the intersection, this lush area with dense water networks is the Jinshan Scenic Area in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, which is now the most famous local attraction. The Cishou Pagoda stands tall and towering on the top of Jinshan. Under the tower, this two-story classical courtyard is the Wenzong Pavilion, located on a small island in the lake to the east of Jinshan Temple, backed by a green mountain surrounded by the water of Jinshan Lake. In ancient times, the most important aspect of book collection was fire prevention. Obviously, the Wenzong Pavilion had unique conditions. The Wenzong Pavilion we see now was rebuilt more than 10 years ago, basically following its historical appearance. So, even after experiencing war damage, later generations still chose to rebuild this famous library 200 meters near the original site.

The rebuilt Wenzong Pavilion takes on a quadrangle shape, with lush trees and pavilions and corridors, showcasing the former style of the Royal Library. The scenery here varies throughout the year, but all have the same comfort and tranquility.

Wenzong Pavilion: Collection of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries

Collection of Ancient and Modern Books

The Wenzong Pavilion is famous for its collection of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, but it was not originally built for the collection of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, but for the collection of the Collection of Ancient and Modern Books, which was compiled earlier than the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. The Collection of Ancient and Modern Books was compiled by Emperor Kangxi, the grandfather of Emperor Qianlong, and Emperor Yongzheng, the father.

CCTV reporter Xu Dawei: The Wenzong Pavilion was first built in 1779. At that time, the Wenzong Pavilion was built to collect the large book "Collection of Ancient and Modern Books". With the completion of the compilation of the "Complete Library of Four Branches", it became one of the seven pavilions for collecting the "Complete Library of Four Branches". The original site of the Wenzong Pavilion is about two hundred meters west of where I am now. After several wars, the Wenzong Pavilion was almost completely damaged. Therefore, in 2011, the rebuilt Wenzong Pavilion was officially opened to the public.

In the 42nd year of the Qianlong reign, Emperor Qianlong bestowed a copper movable type edition of the "Collection of Qinding Ancient and Modern Books" in the fourth year of the Yongzheng reign in Zhenjiang. The Salt Administration of the Two Huai Rivers requested the construction of a book pavilion and treasure trove of large books in the Jinshan Palace. The Library Pavilion has been built. Emperor Qianlong wrote the name of the pavilion with his imperial pen and bestowed it with a plaque of "Eternal Beauty of the Mountains and Rivers".

There are two inscriptions standing at the entrance of the Wenzong Pavilion, both of which are imperial poems of Emperor Qianlong. In the poem, "Xiucui Jiangshan is known as this place, and the ancient storage layer of Emperor Wenzong" clearly means "reverence" for the Emperor's book "Collection of Ancient and Modern Books". The Wenzong Pavilion was built to collect the "Collection of Ancient and Modern Books". In the 55th year of the Qianlong reign, in 1790, the Salt Administration History of the Two Huai Rivers brought back the complete set of the "Complete Library of the Four Treasuries" from the capital, which was included in the Wenzong Pavilion and compiled the "Complete Library of the Four Treasuries of the Wenzong Pavilion with a Letter Collection". The Wenzong Pavilion has also become a library for collecting both the Complete Library of Four Branches and the Collection of Ancient and Modern Books.

CCTV reporter Xu Dawei: The construction of the Wenzong Pavilion was also modeled after the style of the Ningbo Tianyi Pavilion Library, with a focus on fire prevention. It is not difficult for everyone to notice that in the middle of the seven pavilions, they all start with the character "wen" and end with the character "ge", while the middle seven characters are different. Only the Wenzong Pavilion in Zhenjiang does not have a water side, which has become its uniqueness.

Xu Su, former deputy director and researcher of the Zhenjiang Library: So why does the word "zong" in the Wenzong Pavilion not carry the meaning of "water" next to it? There are many sayings about descendants. We believe that it is a reverence for ancestral preservation, and at the same time, it is a recognition of the unique landscape of Jinshan. Because at that time, Jinshan was located in a unique environment where rivers intersected, Emperor Qianlong emphasized in his poetry not only the reverence for ancestral transmission, but also emphasized that "all rivers flow through the sea of Chaozong, which is a sincere response to this text.". At this point, in fact, he also emphasized the topography, which has its unique meaning. That is to say, although this place does not have "water" added next to it, it already has the meaning of water inside, and this idea has been recognized by most scholars.

In the "Salt Law Annals of the Two Huai Rivers" revised in the tenth year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, there are real-life photos of the Wenzong Pavilion drawn by Qing Dynasty painters, which also support the expert's statement.

Xu Su, former deputy director and researcher of Zhenjiang Library: Jinshan has been in the river for a long time in history, surrounded by water on all sides. Later, due to the changes in the Yangtze River channel, especially the gradual rise of the beach, it began to slowly land.

The Wenzong Pavilion was rebuilt in 2010

The current collection of condensed copies of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries

Originally, the name of Wenzong Pavilion may seem unrelated to water, but in reality it reflects the meaning of the Hundred Rivers Court. Unfortunately, during the years after its completion, the Wenzong Pavilion suffered damage from war and its collection of classics was almost lost. Since the beginning of the 21st century, under the call of many knowledgeable individuals, the Wenzong Pavilion, built 200 meters away from the original site and referring to its original appearance, was rebuilt in 2010 and opened to tourists. Nowadays, the condensed version of the Complete Library of Four Branches is stored on the second floor of the Wenzong Pavilion.

According to the records in the Records of Salt Laws in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River, Wenzong Pavilion imitates the style of Tianyi Pavilion. The main structure is wood, and the building is facing south. The Shuge Pavilion is a gable roof style building, with several houses in both width and depth, and long corridors in front and behind to communicate with each other. The entire Shuge is a courtyard house. The total construction area of the rebuilt Wenzong Pavilion is 1286 square meters, with the main library covering 673 square meters. It consists of a foyer, rockery, imperial palace, library, corridor, and square pavilion.

Xu Su, former deputy director and researcher of Zhenjiang Library: The process of reconstruction is not the reconstruction of a building, but rather the significance of the books in its collection. The Complete Library of the Four Treasuries itself is an important component of Chinese classics and a symbol of Chinese civilization. We emphasize the inheritance of historical and cultural heritage, which means that Chinese classics can be passed down from generation to generation.

Nowadays, the condensed version of the entire "Complete Library of Four Branches" is stored on the second floor of the Wenzong Pavilion. Walking into the Wenzong Pavilion, you can look up and see it.

Xu Su, former deputy director and researcher of Zhenjiang Library: We adopt the form of reduction printing, which makes browsing more convenient, collection more convenient, and especially retrieval more convenient.

After the collection of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries in the Wenzong Pavilion, there was a dedicated person in charge of the books and allowed readers to borrow and copy them, playing a positive role in promoting the dissemination of classics and culture. Now, in addition to the Wenzong Pavilion, the Zhenjiang Library has also included two sets of ancient book collections: "Complete Library of Four Branches" and "Continuation of Complete Library of Four Branches".

Yu Meng, a staff member of the Ancient Books Department of the Zhenjiang Library: We are paying increasing attention to ancient books, and citizens are paying more and more attention to them. Whether based on research or interest, more and more friends are coming to see our "Complete Library of the Four Branches".

Xu Su, former deputy director and researcher of Zhenjiang Library: In order to inherit culture, we need to revisit these classics, study them, and further develop and innovate on their basis. The preservation of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries has led to the reconstruction of Chinese classics in later generations, including the photocopying of the surviving versions of the Continuation of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries and the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, which has continuously promoted the research and promotion of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries.