What is the migration journey of the masterpiece "Complete Library of Four Branches"? Searching for the Library Pavilion and Shenyang Palace Museum together | Complete Library of the Four Treasuries | Journey
The majesty of mountains and rivers is evident in our eyes. Today, we continue our journey to explore the library.
The Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, divided into seven pavilions in the north and south, has been passed down through separate collections
The Complete Library of Four Branches is the largest comprehensive series of books in ancient China, compiled during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It is divided into four parts: classics, history, books, and collections, hence the name "Four Branches". It contains approximately 3500 types of books and nearly 80000 volumes. The content involves multiple fields such as literature, history, philosophy, science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine. After the compilation was completed, seven parts were copied and circulated in the seven pavilions of the north and south.
In the program a few days ago, we visited the Wenjin Pavilion located in Chengde, Hebei and the Wenzong Pavilion in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. Today, we will continue to visit one of the "North Four Pavilions" - the Wensu Pavilion located in the Forbidden City of Shenyang, Liaoning.
Wen Suo Ge: Seeking a Book from Suo Jian and Collecting it in Jiuzhou
The name "Wensu Pavilion" is derived from the meaning of "seeking the foundation through the stream", which means that in a prosperous era, one cannot forget the hardships and excellence of founding the foundation. This may also suggest the vicissitudes of the past between this library and the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries.
The "Complete Library of Four Branches" in the collection of Wenshuge is actually from a different location, as it moved out of Shenyang after a war and eventually settled in Lanzhou, Gansu, thousands of miles away. The story of Wenshuge's "Complete Library of Four Branches" moving from another location to Gansu has also been repeatedly studied by later generations. A protective expedition at that time also made Gansu the final home of Wenshuge's "Complete Library of Four Branches". Previously, the CCTV reporter went to Shenyang, Liaoning and Lanzhou, Gansu to shoot simultaneously. Today and tomorrow, our program will also tell you the story of the migration of the masterpiece "Complete Library of Four Branches".
The Royal Library in the Shenyang Palace Museum - Wensu Pavilion
The ancient Chinese palace architecture that we are familiar with is mostly characterized by "red walls, green tiles," and "golden and magnificent". But in the Shenyang Palace Museum, there is such a unique building that is different from the style of other buildings in the museum. There are no colored glazed tiles or golden accessories, but instead black tiles combined with green buildings. The overall shape is completely devoid of vibrant colors. This is the protagonist of our story today - the Wensu Pavilion located in the Shenyang Palace Museum.
Next, we will follow the reporter from the headquarters to experience the cultural charm of this ancient library up close.
CCTV reporter Yang Xue: After passing through the modern commercial street lined with high-rise buildings, we arrived at the ancient and majestic Shenyang Palace Museum, which covers an area of over 60000 square meters and has a long history of nearly 400 years. Among 114 Qing Dynasty buildings with over 500 rooms, the Wensu Pavilion located on West Road always attracts tourists to stop and stop.
In 1772, Emperor Qianlong issued an edict to visit famous scholars in China, collect books from all over the world, and began compiling the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. After 10 years of hard work, the compilation was completed. Emperor Qianlong ordered seven copies of this book to be copied and stored throughout the country. In order to store the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, Emperor Qianlong built seven libraries nationwide, and the Wensu Pavilion in the Shenyang Palace Museum emerged in this context. In 1783, the Complete Library of the Four Branches was divided into five batches and included in the Tibetan Sutra Pavilion.
CCTV reporter Yang Xue: The architectural colors of the Shenyang Palace Museum are rich and vivid. When viewed from the air, there is a layer of green trim on the red palace walls and yellow glazed tile roofs. Red, yellow, and green constitute the main colors of the Shenyang Palace Museum architecture. However, the Wensu Pavilion, due to its unique black and green trim, has become one of the most unique landscapes in the Shenyang Palace Museum.
Yu Mingxia, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: Among the Five Elements, black belongs to water, and water also serves the purpose of this Wensu Pavilion. The library should avoid fire, which means liking water and using water to control fire. It is also a prayer for the safe inheritance of this building.
It is reported that the name "Wenshuige" originated from the meaning of "seeking the foundation of the stream", which means that we cannot forget the difficulties of our ancestors in founding and starting businesses in a prosperous era, and we must continue to govern the country with diligence. Because it is a library, the colorful paintings under the corridor of the Wensu Pavilion mainly depict books.
Yu Mingxia, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: The painting depicts a story of a white horse carrying a book. Let's take a look at this colorful painting of two running horses carrying books on their backs. There is also a pavilion on top that houses books, including the auspicious clouds and the sea water. Below is the sea water cliff, and in the corridor, we can directly see the calligraphy album with white and blue as the main colors.
Wensu Pavilion: Black tiles, green trimmed edges, outer two floors, inner three floors
Wensu Pavilion adopts a building structure of two outside and three inside. Seen from the outside, it is a two-story flush gable roof style building, but in fact, there are three floors inside.
Yu Mingxia, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: The overall design is modeled after the style of the Tianyi Pavilion, a collection building of the Fan family in Ningbo. In fact, when we entered the first floor, we may have experienced that its first and second floors were relatively high, which is very practical. The lighting will also be better, and from the perspective of storage, adding another layer from the surrounding area and placing it on a bookshelf can also increase the collection of books.
The Wensu Pavilion is a single eave building, and due to the addition of corridors in the front and back of the ground floor, an additional waist eave is added. According to convention, the door should be hung under the eaves of the top floor. However, the gate of Wensu Pavilion is hung inside the lower eaves, and this plaque is large in shape, several times larger than other gates of the Shenyang Palace Museum, which does not comply with the architectural regulations of the Qing Dynasty palace.
Yu Mingxia, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: The plaque of Wensu Pavilion was made in Beijing. At that time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs had already made this plaque. The building was not yet completed, and the size was unknown. After it was made and transported here, it was found to be slightly too large to fit. The craftsmen came up with a more compromise solution, which should be placed on the second floor. Later, they placed it on the first floor.
Wensu Pavilion: Each part of the collection of classics and histories is placed on 95 bookshelves
The Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, collected in the Wensu Pavilion of the Shenyang Palace Museum, has been transported to Beijing, Heilongjiang and other places due to historical and historical reasons. Currently, it is collected in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province. What can be seen in the Wensu Pavilion now are later copied letters. Although the Book and Pavilion are located in different places, the Wensu Pavilion, as the former collection of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, is an irreplaceable cultural relic and one of the best carriers to showcase the charm of traditional Chinese culture.
Entering the open hall on the first floor of Wensu Pavilion, the first thing that catches your eye is a giant pair of couplets.
Li Li, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: Above is the Holy Sea Along the Way, which means learning and exploring in books compiled by sages, in order to better develop and build one's own country. Like this couplet, the first couplet is the "Great Exploration of the Integration of Ancient and Modern Times into the Han, Ru, Wanxiang, Cangming", while the other side is the "Rites and Music Supporting the Three Rivers of Jixu and the Heavenly Han Leading the Flood and Lance". In fact, it is better to use culture to rule the country, govern the country, and manage the country. So use etiquette, music, and culture to better manage the people.
The covers of each volume of the Complete Library of Four Branches are made of four colored silk materials according to the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter for easy differentiation. The covers of tens of thousands of books are marked with differences in content in several colors, which not only enhances the aesthetics of the entire book, but also allows for a clear understanding of the book's categories for easy retrieval and reading. All the books in the Complete Library of Four Branches are packed in a Nanmu book box, which not only looks beautiful and valuable, but also effectively protects the books.
Li Li, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: In fact, some books are made of precious nanmu or other wood. Placing the books inside this letter and then on this shelf can prevent dust.
Li Li, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: About eight to ten books, depending on the thickness of the books. Because it was already clear at the time of copying that this group of people were specifically copying the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries of the Shenyang Wensu Pavilion. In the process of forming other libraries and books, there would also be dedicated personnel. Once the books were completed, the first volume of each letter would usually be covered with the treasures of this pavilion, such as the Wensu Pavilion Treasure in the Shenyang Palace Museum.
The placement of items in the Wensu Pavilion has been restored to its original historical appearance after referring to literature.
At present, there are a total of 95 preserved bookshelves in the Shenyang Palace Museum, each of which is marked with the words "A certain section and a certain shelf of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries", in order to facilitate readers to quickly find the books they need.
Li Li, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: These large bookshelves are all made of golden nanmu, and now it seems that this material is already very precious. At that time, they were made to better preserve these books. When these shelves were made, they were all in special forms. Look at this bottom board, it is not a complete wooden board, but a breathable, grid like bottom board used for load-bearing purposes. Because books are afraid of getting moldy and damp, having this grid can provide good ventilation and breathability.
In order to protect cultural relics, the Shenyang Palace Museum regularly supplements, removes dust, and maintains wax on the bookshelves and partition wood carvings in the Wensu Pavilion. It also conducts daily maintenance work such as carpet dust removal, wall mounting, and door and window maintenance. In the Wensu Pavilion, upon careful observation, one can discover the vastness and profoundness of traditional Chinese culture everywhere.
Li Li, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: We can also take a detailed look. There are the characters "Tuan Shou" and "Wan" on it. "Wan" is very auspicious in Chinese culture, whether it's people or books, it should be even longer, with long blessings and longevity, lasting for a longer time.
Li Li, Deputy Director of the Shenyang Palace Museum: We saw bats, which is the homophonic sound of the word "fu". This is the character "longevity", the character "tuanshou", which is called "longevity and longevity". This is a flower basket, with seawater and cliffs below, all of which are directly related to our auspicious meanings. For example, there is a longevity character in the middle, and on both sides of the longevity character, there is the character "Wan" to form Wanshou, which means that in addition to our blessings, our books and classics also need to live a long life. If we continue to do so, it symbolizes peace and harmony in the world.
CCTV reporter Yang Xue: The construction of the Wensu Pavilion not only provided a storage place for the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, but also improved the function of the Shenyang Palace Museum as a palace for accompanying capital, ultimately forming a complex of buildings along the east, middle, and west routes of the Shenyang Palace Museum, which has been preserved to this day. After the completion of the Wensu Pavilion, it played a very positive role in the development of culture in the Northeast region, and also promoted the development of education and folk book collection in the Northeast region. Nowadays, with a history of 240 years, the Wensu Pavilion is like a profound old man. Although it remains silent, it can tell the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture with its unique architectural style and profound stories.
