Misty Rain over Quehua Bridge
Misty Rain over Quehua Bridge is one of the eight old scenes of Jinan and one of today’s sixteen newly-built scenes. Quehua Bridge is an ancient single-hole stone bridge. Standing on the bridge, one can see Que Hill and Hua Hill are like two dancing fairies in green. The paths crisscross in the fields in the countryside. The cooking smoke rises from the houses of the villages. This peaceful scene is like a Chinese ink painting. The greatpainter Zhao Mengfu in the Yuan Dynasty once drew The Autumn Scene of Que Hill and Hua Hill which became a masterpiece. The painting is now kept in the Palace Museum in Taipei.
Lixia Autumn Wind and one thousand-year-old Lixia Pavilion
Lixia Autumn Wind was one of the eight old scenes of Jinan and is one of the sixteen scenes of today. In hot summer, when visitors come to Lixia Pavilion by boat, they will enjoy the cool from the breeze around the island and the fragrance of the lotuses. When autumn comes，the reeds sway gently in the autumn breeze. Visitors will feel refreshed and relaxed. People in the past time named this scene as “Lixia Autumn Wind.” Lixia Pavilion is a time-honored pavilion. It is located on the biggest island in Daming Lake and is also called Ancient Li Pavilion. It was first built as Guest Pavilion in the Northern Wei Dynasty and with a history of 1500 years. In 745, the well-known poet, Dufu came to Jinan during his trip to Shandong. His friend Li Yong who was the governor of Beihai State (today’s Yidu County) came to Jinan to entertain Dufu in the Pavilion. They were good friends despite the great difference in age. Upon the warm reception, Dufu wrote a poem named The Banquet with Li Beihai at Lixia Pavilion., in which “Lixia Pavilion is antique in Shandong; Jinan abounds in celebrities” has become the best-known lines through all ages; hence the great reputation of Lixia Pavilion. Today’s Lixia Pavilion was rebuilt in 1693, the 32nd year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty. With red pillars, green tiles and eight-edged multiple eaves, the reconstructed Lixia Pavilion is a typical timber structure in classic style. The three golden characters on the red horizontal inscribed board were written by Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. The couplets of “Lixia Pavilion is antique in Shandong; Jinan abounds in celebrities” along the two sides of the gate were written by He Shaoji, a calligrapher in the Qing Dynasty. Inside the Imperial Stele Pavilion, there is a poem stele written by Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty when he visited Daming Lake. To the north of the Lixia Pavilion are a huge hall called “Celebrities Hall” and a hall of three sections named “Weilan Hall”. The name of “Celebrities Hall” was once the office’s name of Zeng Gong and was written by Zhu Qingyuan, a calligrapher in the late Qing Dynasty. The couplets on the two pillars were written by the great writer GuoMoruo in 1959, which are: “The whole world is peaceful among the weeping willows and spring wind; Daming Lake is as bright as a mirror with lotuses under the autumn moon.” On the walls inside the pavilion, there are the portraits of the celebrities of Jinan from the Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. With red pillars, green tiles and corridors on four sides, Weilan Hall got its name from the same blue color of the lake water and the sky.
“Breeze at Bamboos”
In the past time, there was a huge bamboo wood on the southeast bank of Daming Lake. In the Ming Dynasty, a well-known official, Zhao Shiqing built Xiaoqi Garden which became a well-known garden and literary salon since the Ming Dynasty. It is one of the “Sixteen Spots in Licheng”. In order to develop the cultural connotation and inherit history, this historical spot will be rebuilt in the new area of Daming Lake Park.
“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”. Wang Yuyang (1634-1711) was also named Wang Shizhen, Zizhen, Yuanting and Hermit Yuyang. He was born into a family of scholars and officials. He started school at the age of six. He could write poems at the age of eight. His poems collection was published when he was fifteen. At the age of seventeen, he entered for the imperial examinations to admit scholars and ranked as number one for three tests. He was honored as a genius. 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.
The Seven Bridges and Quehua Bridge
In the past time, there were seven bridges around Daming Lake， which were Quehua Bridge, Baihua Bridge，Furong Bridge，Shuixi Bridge，Huxi Bridge，Beichi Bridge and Luoyuan Bridge. They were different in style with wonderful scenery; hence the Seven Bridges became a great scene. From the Song Dynasty, a lot of poets composed poems based on the seven bridges such as “Since then the wind and moon over the seven bridges always come into my dream.” and “Green mountains outside the town while the lake inside the town, the wind and moon over the seven bridges and the pavilion.” After Daming Lake was enlarged，Luo Bridge was replaced by Qiuliu Bridge and other six bridges were rebuilt. The scene of “Seven Bridges” appears again. Besides the seven bridges mentioned above, there are twenty-eight sightseeing bridges in the new area, such as Meixi Bridge，Luhua Bridge，Ouhua Bridge，Ningxue Bridge，Nanfeng Bridge，Yuhan Bridge，Zhuyun Bridge and You’an Bridge. They vary in style and link the new area into a whole, with the traditional scene of small bridges and brooks everywhere. As the part of the scene of “The Seven Bridges”, Quehua Bridge, first built in the Northern Song Dynasty, is a well-known ancient bridge over Daming Lake. The original bridge was pulled down in 1948. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty came up to the bridge twice and wrote poems on it. He also took the painting Quehua Bridge from the Forbidden City to compare the real view here and took notes on the painting. The rebuilt bridge is marvelous and magnificent with Yanyu Hall to the west and Quehua House to the east. Near Quehua Bridge, are Erlang Temple, “Yubin Mansion”, Shuixiang Pavilion, Yanyu Hall, Huishan Pavilion and Water Street. Erlang Temple is a group of historical buildings. According to the legends about God of Erlang controlling floods and catching monsters, there is always an Erlang Temple in the place of water so as to get good weather and harvest. In the ancient times, there was an Erlang Temple by Daming Lake. The road nearby was named after the temple. The folk rhyme of “East Gengdao, West Gendao, Wangfu Pond and Erlang Temple” was popular in the past time. In the rebuilt Erlang Temple, there are the statues of the God of Erlang, Xiaotian Dog and the “Six celebrities of Meishan” and murals of the stories of the God of Erlang. “Yubin Mansion” was renovated and rebuilt on the base of the original No. 6 of East Yubin Mansion. In the Ming Dynasty, the kings’ son-in-law was called Yibin. It was said that in the past time, a Yibin named Chen once lived here with his family. The street was named as Yubin which was homophonic as Yibin. In Revising Licheng County Annals, we can find the names of East Yubin Mansion Street and West Yubin Mansion Street. The renovated “Yubin Mansion” covers an area of 495 square meters, and it is the largest, the best-constructed and the most elegant courtyard among the courtyards in the old town of Jinan. Shuixiang Pavilion was first built in the Song Dynasty. Zeng Gong once wrote a poem Shuixiang Pavilion. The rebuilt pavilion is a place for sightseeing. Inside the pavilion, one couplet is “The sky shades in the pond, the bamboos bring autumn” and the other couplet is “The willows by the lake turn to green, the farmers start to work in the field.” The pavilion is surrounded by water. It is a quiet and nice place for visitors. Yanyu Hall covers an area of 1427 square meters. The first floor is the tourist center. The second floor is a shop of antiques. Together with Minghu House as theatres of folk arts, Quehua House facing Yanyu Hall was first built in 1890 (the sixteenth year in Emperor Guangxu’s reign). Covering an area of 2950 square meters, the rebuilt Quehua House is a high-class restaurant. Hui Hill is one of “The Three Invisible Hills” in the old town and very small. It hid in a courtyard in the old times. When it was enlarged, Hui Hill Pavilion was built near the hill with a stele about building the pavilion.
Bird Singing in the Woods and Beizhu Bridge
There is a long piece of land to the east of Quehua Road in the new area of Daming Lake Park. It is surrounded by weeping willows, luxuriant flowers, carpet-like grass and abundant trees. The luxuriant trees, carpet-like grass, flourishing lotus and reed in the water and various birds present a view of ecological habitat to the visitors. The lake water is as clean as a bright mirror with fish jumping out of ripples from time to time and birds flying over the water. Visitors walk in the woods and enjoy the amazing view and feel fresh. This scene is named as “Birds Singing in the Woods”. There are some historical sites such as Beizhu Bridge, Quehua House and Shuiyun House nearby.
Autumn Moon over Daming Lake
On the autumn evenings, a lot of people come to Daming Lake to watch the moon. The lake is as bright as a mirror. The moon rises over the lake, the willows sway in the breeze and the air is overflowing with the fragrance of the lotuses. The night of the lake is also charming and comforting.
Boating in the Lake & Huanbo Pavilion
Boating in the Lake is one of the eight old scenes of Jinan and one of today’s sixteen newly built scenes. Boats are the soul of Daming Lake. Whenever it is sunny or misty, rowing a boat or sitting on a decorated boat in the lake is a kind of enjoyment. Boating in the lake, we can see a square pavilion with green tiles and red pillars. It is Huanbo Pavilion which is also called Huxin Pavilion. It is located on an island in the center of Daming Lake. It was first built in the Song Dynasty and some poets once wrote poems about it. The pavilion we see today was rebuilt in 1990. With an area of 90 square meters, it is the biggest square pavilion in the city of Jinan. The poem on the stele in the pavilion was Huanbo Pavilion written by Su Zhe, one of the eight great scholars in the Tang and Song Dynasties.
Mingchang Bell and the remains of the Bell Tower
On the south bank of Daming Lake, there is a relic of the Bell Tower which was built in the Yuan Dynasty and originally called Monk Kang’s Yard. Its name was changed to Zhenan Yard or the Bell Temple. An iron bell made in Mingchang Period of the Jin Dynasty was inside the temple. Today, the bell is hanging in Mingchang Bell Tower. The vigorous bell tone goes ten miles away and echoes in the lake area. Near the Bell Tower, there are Minghu House, Zhenhu Building, “Laoshe and Jinan” Exhibition Hall, Sijia Yard, Simin Building and Zhengyi Square. Minghu House was first built in 1890 near the south gate of Daming Lake. It was the best-known folk arts stage at the end of the Qing Dynasty in Jinan. In the book of The travels of Laocan, the author Liu E vividly described the artists Wang Xiaoyu and XieDayusang folk songs to the accompaniment of the drums. The lines are “Wang Xiaoyu opened her mouth and sang a few words which fascinated the audience and held them spellbound”. Liu E’s fantastic description in the book made BaiNiu and her wonderful performance and spectacular artistry most popular in Jinan. Minghu House also became well-known. Rebuilding Minghu House is very significant to popularize traditional folk arts and resume the position of Jinan in Chinese folk arts. The rebuilt Minghu House is a two-storied building in ancient Jinan style. It covers an area of 1800 square meters and with corridors around it. The courtyard is the folk arts hall in which the old Jinan’s traditional folk arts show is on here. The audience can enjoy the traditional and authentic folk arts of Shandong Province. Zhenhu Building is located to the east of the boat terminal on the south bank of Daming Lake. It was first built in the reign of Emperor Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty. ZhaiJiankui, the son of a well-known hermit ZhaiXiulai, built it. The original building is like “Linking the Zhenhu Cottage, the building was not very high but very wide with corridors.” It was destroyed in the past time. Zhenhu building was rebuilt in ancient style when Daming Lake was enlarged. “Lao She and Jinan” Exhibition Hall is located by Huxi Bridge, the former No. 12 Xueyuan Street. The building area is 136 square meters. Facing the street is its arch gate, southward. The Exhibition Hall has two yards from south to north, with a rockery screen wall at the back of the gate. In the 1930s, Lao She taught in Qilu University and lived in Jinan for four and a half years, which were a smooth and peaceful period in his life and also a golden age in his literary creation. One may well say “Jinan makes Lao She a successful person, and Lao She makes Jinan a well-known city.” Nowadays, the literary works of Lao She about Jinan, together with his many stories in Jinan, have already become part of the city’s culture. In his own words, “Although quite a short stay here, I have been in a deep love for the city, and it has already become my second hometown.” “Lao She and Jinan” Exhibition Hall shows the visitors the life and literary achievements of Lao She through the display boards. Daming Lake in Lao She’s works has become the focus of the attention on the exhibition. The exhibition attracts visitors in a way of videos, reading and reciting and gets the tourists learn through recreation.
The Rhyme of Jiaxuan and Jiaxuan Garden
Walking into Jiaxuan Garden, visitors will know the life about the patriotic poet, XinQiji. He was a master of poems and his poems are unrivaled at his time. This is the Rhyme of Jiaxuan, one of the eight scenes in the newly built area of Daming Lake. Jiaxuan Garden was originally called Jiaxuan Memorial. It was built to memorize XinQiji, a patriotic hero and one of the masters of Haofang (Bold and unconstrained) School in the Southern Song Dynasty. The garden was built in 1904 at the end of the Qing Dynasty. In 1964, our former foreign minister Chen Yi wrote XinJianxuan Memorial on the board. The memorial was named as the patriotic education base by the local government. Jiaxuan Memorial is a typical Chinese official building with three courtyards. Inside the yard, are the stele corridors, exhibition rooms，Jiaxuan Poetry Society and old trees. In the cabinets are displayed XinQiji’s representative works and big events in his life. XinQiji（1140-1207）was also named You’an and Jiaxuan. He was born in the eastern suburb of Jinan. He was a great hero of Anti-Jin Invasion in Chinese history and also a prestigious patriotic poet and essayist in the Southern Song Dynasty. XinQiji’s poems are magnificent in language and varied in style, either powerful and forceful or soft and graceful. In his lifetime, he wrote many poems, of which over 600 poems remained. The theme of his works is his faith to drive the invaders out of his motherland and his noble sentiment as an honest and upright man. His representative works are Ten Discussions on Meiqin and Nine Arguments. He enjoyed the same fame as Su Shi, another famous poet in the Song Dynasty. They were honored as “Su and Xin”. Yangong Temple is a small stone courtyard which was built in the Qing Dynasty. It was preserved after Daming Lake had been enlarged. When it was renovated, a stelenamed “Yangong Temple” was discovered. According to historical research, it was built to memorize Master Yan. So it was renewed as Yangong Temple. The statue of Master Yan is in the niche and the murals on the wall are about the stories of him. Yan Ying (578BC-500BC) was also named Yan Zhong. He was called Yan Ping after death. Chinese people used to call him Pingzhong. He was also honored as Master Yan. He was from Yiwei (today’s Gaomi in Shandong Province). He was a very important politician, thinker and diplomat in the Spring and Autumn Period. He was famed as a humble and thrifty man. Yan Ying was very wise and loved his people. He helped the king of Qi State to rule the kingdom and gave him useful advices. He was a man of principle and flexibility. He once visited Chu State and argued heatedly with the king there to protect the fame of his motherland, Qi State. The great historian SimaQian respected him very much and compared him to Guan Zhong (a famous minister in the Qi State). Yan Ying was one of the most talented figures in the Spring and Autumn Period. Xia Garden is located to the west of the south gate of Daming Lake. It was built in 1909 as a library by LuoZhengjun, the Education Administrator of Shandong Province in the Qing Dynasty. It was one of the state-owned libraries in China and also the predecessor of today’s Shandong Provincial Library. Xia Garden is modeled on the Spring& Stone Garden in front of Tianyi Tower, the prestigious book-collecting building in the city of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. The garden has towering trees, rockeries, pavilions, winding creeks and Yupei Bridge. Although limited in space, the garden creates a deep and peaceful atmosphere for its ingenious layout and is reputed as Number One Standard Courtyard in Jinan. With Tianyi Tower in south China, Xia Garden is renowned in north China. It was listed as the best place in the old town in the past time. Located between Xia Garden and Jiaxuan Garden, the two-storied Kuixu Book-collecting Tower was first built in European style in 1935. Facing Daming Lake to the north, the tower is shaped as “shan” (mountain). Its back is linked with Xia Garden by a corridor to become an integrated whole. It is part of Shandong Provincial Library and a province-leveled relic. The four Chinese words were written by Fu Zengxiang, the State Minister of Education in the Minguo Period. The meaning of the words is “Kui Star in charge of Qi State; Xu Star in charge of Lu State; Kuixu, the dividing line between Qi State and Lu State”. It was the place for the ceremony to accept the Japanese army’s surrender on the victory of the Anti-Japanese War.