“Autumn Willows” and Qiuliu Garden
According to Licheng County Annals, in the Qing Dynasty, a well-known poet, Wang Yuyang once read books, wrote poems and met his friends in Qiuliu Garden by Daming Lake. He once wrote The Four Chapters of Qiuliu here. In the late autumn, visitors come to the garden to watch the yellow willows swaying over the water and experience the same feelings of the poet. It seems like a dream. This is the scene of “Autumn Willows”.
He wrote four poems of Qiuliu by Daming Lake when he was twenty-four. He took the autumn willows as a metaphor to show his longing for his homeland. When the poem Qiuliu came out, it gained sympathy from a lot of people especially the intellectuals from the Ming Dynasty. These poems had set foundation for him to become the leading role of the poetry. Wang Yuyang also created the Theory of Romantic Charm, which set the style for poetry writing for half a century. He was a famous poet and scholar in Chinese literature. He became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) at the age of twenty-five. He started to be an official from the age of twenty-six and later became Minister of Justice. He was a well-known honest and upright official. Besides working as an official, he wrote over 560 volumes in 36 different styles.
Qiuliu Garden is located on the south bank of Daming Lake. It faces Lixia Pavilion across the lake. The gate of the garden faces the south and on the top of the gate there are three words of “Quliu Garden” written by He Shaoji, a calligrapher in the Qing Dynasty. The couplet on the pillars were created by QianMingshi in the Qing Dynasty and written by Mr. JiXianlin, a master of Chinese culture.
On the two sides of the gate，are the stele corridors on which inscribed the twelve poems of Wang Yuyang and The Record of Qiulin Garden written by Yuan Shishuo，a renowned professor of Shandong University.
The main building in the garden is two-storied and in ancient style. On the first floor, there is a board inscribed with “Qingyuan Hall” on the top of the gate. The couplets, which were created by Wang Yuyang’s student, Yin Yanlai, were written by a well-known calligrapher, Wei Qihou. The main meaning of the couplets is: “Wang Yuyang’s articles are unrivalled, and all the men of virtues followed him.”
The board of “Qiuliu Poetry Society” is above the gate of the second floor. The couplets were written by a famous modern calligrapher, Mr. OuyangZhongshi and the meaning of them is：“The poets exchanged views and communicated on writing poems at the foot of Li Mountain or in Qiuliu Garden”.
The statue of Wang Yuyang stands in the hall downstairs. There is also an exhibition showcasing his life and literary achievements, ink slabs, seals, a folding fan from the emperor, antique furniture and blue-and-white porcelain. The second floor is home to Qiuliu Poetry Society, which is a meeting place for scholars. Wang Yuyang’s Rowing on Daming Lake hangs on its west wall, while the painting of “Wang Yuyang Meeting Friends” hangs on its east wall.
There are two groups of buildings linked the Stele Corridor in the west of Qiuliu Garden. One is Lianzhi House and the other one is Tanyi House. In the east, is the Mirror Pavilion. On the back, is Tianxin Waterside Pavilion which got the name from Shao Yong’s poem “When the moon rises to the high sky, the wind blows over the water” of the Song Dynasty. This pavilion was built by Li Jiong, a great scholar in the Yuan Dynasty. Li Jiong, born in Tengzhou, once was a member of the Imperial Academy. He lived in Jinan after retirement.
Qiuliu Household
Qiuliu Household is located in “Wang Family Yard” on No.11 of the former Qiuliuyuan Street. It is an old yard preserved in the new area of Daming Lake. The people living here were once doctors for generations. The mansion has three compounds and is a typical northern courtyard.
The layout of the house is in traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital style. The Prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine hang in the central room. There are counters and doctor desks in the room.
On the screen wall, is the stone carving of “Carps Jumping over the Dragon Gate” (succeed in the civil service examination in old times). In the second yard, the workshop of producing traditional Chinese medicine is on the east. On the west is the private school which is called “Shixi Studio” with Confucius’ portrait on the wall. The central room is also the sitting room. There are two pomegranate trees which are over one hundred years old in the yard.
Walking through the sitting room, visitors can see the old trees and an old well. The main room is the parents’ bedroom. The east room is the son’s room and the east one is the daughter’s. The furniture is old.
The decoration style shows the typical middle class’ life in the Minguo Period. Entering Qiuliu Household, both visitors and locals can experience the peace and sweetness of home in this miniature of traditional Chinese culture.