Sights in Nanxun

The Jiayetang Library is a famous private library in modern my country. Also known as the Jiaye Library, it is named after the nine-dragon gold plaque inscribed with the words "Qin Ruo Jiaye" presented by Emperor Puyi of the Qing Dynasty.

The library is nestled within a garden, with a garden beyond and a pond within. Walking along the lotus-shaped pond, one can see a rockery constructed of Taihu rocks, shaped like the twelve Chinese zodiac animals. To the left and right of the pond stand the "Huanbi" and "Zhanhong" pavilions, forming a triangular formation with the "Mingse" pavilion on an isolated island in the middle. To the southwest stands the "Xiaoshi" (Wowing Stone), over three meters tall. With a small hole perforated in the stone, it sounds like a tiger's roar when blown upon. It is one of the three most remarkable rocks in Nanxun.

Xiaolianzhuang, also known as "Liu Garden," is one of the five famous gardens in Nanxun. It was the private garden of Liu Yong, one of the "Four Elephants" of Nanxun in the late Qing Dynasty. Construction began in 1885, during the 11th year of the Guangxu reign. Willows and flowers were planted around the pond, terraces and pavilions were arranged, and a family temple was constructed. The project lasted forty years and was completed in 1924. The name "Xiaolianzhuang" was derived from the admiration for the Lotus Garden in Huzhou by the Yuan Dynasty calligrapher and painter Zhao Mengfu.

Xiaolianzhuang boasts both architectural and garden excellence, encompassing a family temple, a charity hall, and a garden. The gardens, divided into outer and inner gardens, are adorned with long corridors, winding bridges, pavilions, and terraces, rivaling those of Suzhou gardens. The 10-acre lotus pond betrays the owner's wealth and grandeur. While there are also winding corridors and pavilions, the gardens lack the winding, winding paths of Suzhou-style gardens. Inscriptions on the stone walls and the shimmering water droplets on the lotus leaves evoke a sense of refined elegance. The inner garden is even more captivating. Delicate rockeries constructed of Taihu stone, with suspended bridges, secluded caves, pavilions, and water features, stretch out in a winding path, branching off at every intersection and creating a maze-like experience.

Nanxun Wenyuan is surrounded by rivers and has a lake in the middle. It is a modern garden that combines Jiangnan gardens with ancient architecture and serves as a leisure venue. It has "three museums and one corridor": the Red Army Long March Memorial Hall with an inscription by General Zhang Aiping, the Wu Shougu Art Museum with an inscription by Wu Bangguo, the Xu Chi Memorial Hall with an inscription by Mr. Huang Miaozi, and the Nanxun Celebrity Gallery that displays eighty outstanding local talents.

The overall architecture of Wenyuan is divided into two parts, north and south, connected by a sky bridge. The South Garden is mainly a Jiangnan garden, surrounded by a children's playground, a large tree stump bonsai garden, and a celebrity poetry gallery; the North Garden is centered on the Wenchang Pavilion in the center of the lake, surrounded by celebrity poetry galleries, the Red Army Long March Memorial Hall, the Wu Shougu Art Museum, the Xu Chi Memorial Hall, Ming Dynasty stone lions and other attractions.

The Zhang Shiming Residence, also known as Yide Hall, was built by Zhang Junheng, the grandson of Zhang Songxian, a wealthy Jiangnan tycoon and one of Nanxun's "Four Elephants." It is a rare example of a wealthy family residence in Jiangnan that has largely retained its original Ming and Qing dynasty appearance. It is a classic example of a complex that blends Chinese and Western styles. Its unique style, magnificent structure, exquisite craftsmanship, and architectural excellence have earned it the reputation of "the premier residence in Jiangnan."

Qiushuli is a villa built in 1930 by Liu Chenggan, owner of the Jiayetang Library. It is a typical blend of Chinese and Western architecture, with a structure that combines a gatehouse, corridors, a Western-style gatehouse, rolling doors, a courtyard, and a separate lobby.

Qiushuli currently houses a photography exhibition by Liu Xucang, a renowned modern Chinese photographer and former chairman of the Shanghai Photographic Association. He was the ninth brother of Liu Chenggan, a man 32 years younger than him. One, dressed in a long gown and a horse stool, became famous for his antique collection; the other, dressed in a suit and tie, earned his fame through his photography studies. They were jokingly referred to as the Liu family's "East meets West."

At the end of the corridor in Qiushuli lies a garden villa. Flowers, trees, and Taihu rocks adorn the garden. The villa's main building is a hall with a blend of Chinese and Western styles. The second floor houses the bedroom. From the south-facing windows, one can admire the garden scenery and, in the distance, the Liu family's Little Lotus Manor and library. Above, there's a hidden attic.

The Jili Lake Silk Museum, renovated from the former Nanxun Chamber of Commerce and formerly the Nanxun History Museum, showcases the Jili Lake silk culture, a source of great pride for Nanxun residents. The museum displays various silk-related models, including a gold medal from the 1915 Panama Exposition, vintage photos of the Qianshanyang ruins, and an old silk reel. A lively group of clay figurines depicts the prosperity of Nanxun Jili Lake silk over a century ago, depicting activities such as mulberry picking, silkworm rearing, silk reeling, trading, and winning prizes.

Baijianlou is the best-preserved riverside residential complex, retaining its traditional style to date. Spanning over 400 meters and boasting 154 facades, it boasts a history spanning over 400 years. Legend has it that it was built by Dong Fen, the Ming Dynasty Minister of Rites, as a home for his family's nannies and servants. Initially constructed, it consisted of approximately 100 rooms, earning it the name "Baijianlou," a name that has survived to this day.

Baijianlou is characterized by its riverside location, framing the winding Don River, connected by stone bridges. The buildings feature traditional black-tiled, whitewashed walls, forming a long arcade-style street with delicate, transparent arched doors. The most concentrated section stretches from Lianhua Bridge to Chang Bridge on the east bank of the river, where the houses are neatly arranged and densely packed along the riverbank. White walls, green tiles, verandas, riverside embankments, flower-lined walls, arched doors, eaves, the flowing river, and the plying of boats create a scene quintessentially of the Jiangnan waterside villages.

The entire street, lined with hundreds of buildings, is lined with rows of houses, their side walls connected. The gables between the houses are towering, some shaped like cloud heads, some like Guanyin dovetails, and some like three-tiered horse-drawn walls. The houses are staggered in height, and the black tiles on the walls create a unique atmosphere. Beneath the black tiles of the houses along the river, the windows of the Revolutionary Committee buildings often have overhanging eaves, another layer of black tiles, and below that, the Guilang Riverside, a light and transparent space, exuding the aura of a waterside village.

The former residence of Zhang Jingjiang, built by his father, Zhang Baoshan, in 1898 (the 24th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), embodies the typical Jiangnan style of a mansion. Zhang Jingjiang was one of the four great tycoons of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang chaebols in the early 20th century, a veteran of the Kuomintang, and made significant contributions to the Xinhai Revolution. Sun Yat-sen hailed him as China's first extraordinary man and presented him with the inscription, "Loyal Heart and Chivalrous Bones."

The entire residence consists of a sedan chair hall, the main hall (Zundeok Hall), the second hall, and the third hall. There are two exhibition rooms, one for Zhang Jingjiang's family's life materials and photos, and one for Zhang Jingjiang's political career materials and photos.

The main hall is Zunde Hall, with a plaque inscribed with the words "Zunde Hall" by Zhang Jian, the top scholar of the late Qing Dynasty and a native of Tongzhou. On either side are couplets written by Dr. Sun Yat-sen: "A hall full of flowers intoxicates three thousand guests, a sword chills forty states."

Tongjin Bridge, located on the ancient Grand Canal on Dongda Street, was built in the Song Dynasty. It is a single-arch stone bridge and the most prominent of all bridges in Nanxun. Originally named Xunxi Bridge, it was later renamed Tongjin Bridge, commonly known as the "Big Bridge." It has been rebuilt several times.

Tongjin Bridge was the center of Nanxun Town in the past and the intersection of a cross-shaped water system. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the area along Tongjin Bridge became a prosperous silk market.

One of the three ancient stone bridges in Nanxun (Guanghui Bridge, Tongjin Bridge, and Hongji Bridge), it spans the Nanshi River. According to legend, after Zhang Shicheng started an uprising in the late Yuan Dynasty, he came here and occupied Guanghui Palace as his temporary palace, so Guanghui Bridge is also called Zhangwang Temple Bridge.

This single-arch bridge is 18 meters long, 3.3 meters wide, and 5.3 meters high. It features 24 steps at the top and 24 at the bottom. The arch stones are laid in parallel sections, connected longitudinally. A pair of exquisite stone lions, originally from the Silk Industry Guild, stand at the bridgehead.

Built during the Zhiping period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1065-1068 AD), this temple boasts a history spanning over a thousand years. The temple enshrines the Three Pure Ones, the highest deities of Taoism, and was originally known as Guanghui Palace. Later, Zhang Shicheng, leader of the peasant uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, built a granary here and occupied the site as his temporary residence, earning it the nickname Zhang Wang Temple. Guanghui Palace has weathered many vicissitudes, undergoing three destructions and reconstructions. In 2003, a protective reconstruction was carried out, essentially restoring the original appearance of the palace. Within Guanghui Palace, you can see the statue of Cishan Dadi, originally enshrined when Guanghui Palace was first built; the statue of Wang Lingguan, once the guardian deity of the mountain gate; and the statue of Wong Tai Sin, a representative of Taoism.

Liu's Ladder House, a west-facing complex of Chinese and Western-style buildings, commonly known as the "Red House," was the residence of Liu An (Zi Yuanshu, P.O. Tiqing), the third son of Liu Yong, one of the "Four Elephants" of Nanxun. Groundbreaking for the building began in the winter of 1905, the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, and construction was completed in 1908.

Liu's Tihao's overall architecture consists of three parts: south, central, and north. The central section features halls, rooms, and towers, reflecting traditional Confucian cultural concepts. The most distinctive feature is the integration of Western European Romanesque architecture into the Chinese-style architecture of the south and north sections. The northern European-style facades are particularly spectacular, with towering mansions boasting exquisite brick, wood, and stone carvings.

The hall is a Chinese-style hall with a plaque of "Chongde Hall" hanging in the middle. There is a gilded three-level pattern on the main beam. The beams, brackets, corridors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and ground windows are all engraved with exquisite auspicious patterns, reflecting the traditional style and taste of the Liu family.