Huangcheng Xiangfu Transportation Guide: Transportation: Take the train in the direction of Xi'an or Taiyuan and get off at Yongji, then take bus No. 2 or 3 to the terminal.
Huangcheng Village (Wutingshan Village) in Yangcheng County, Shanxi Province is a castle-like village at the foothills of the Taihang Mountains. The imperial city is built against the mountains and facing the water. It has majestic city walls, numerous battlements, official residences and private residences, row upon row, simple and typical, and well-proportioned. It is a unique group of ancient buildings. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the imperial city's science and technology flourished, talents emerged in large numbers, narratives flourished, and the crown was like a forest. The Chen family, whose ancestors lived here, was a famous cultural giant in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the 260 years from Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty to Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1501-1760 AD), there were 41 tribute students in the country, and 19 Among them, 9 people were promoted to Jinshi, and 6 were admitted to the Hanlin Academy. They enjoy the reputation of "Nine Jinshi in one discipline with virtue, Enrong in three generations and Six Ci Lin". During this period, 38 people embarked on official careers and served as officials in more than half of China. They traveled to 14 provinces and cities. Many of them had outstanding political achievements and were praised by the people. When they retired from official positions, people built shrines to them. During the Kangxi period when the Chen family was at its peak, there were as many as 16 people in official positions. There were "father Hanlin, son Hanlin, father and son Hanlin; brother Hanlin, brother Hanlin, brother Hanlin". The father and son compiled the same dictionary "Kangxi Dictionary" The grand occasion can be called the first cultural giant in the north. In the Imperial City, whether you are walking around or stopping to take a look, the rich historical atmosphere is always in your heart. In the early Qing Dynasty, this rich soil produced the famous politician, culturalist, Neo-Confucianist and poet Chen Tingjing. In Chen Tingjing's former residence, a building complex with a total area of ??nearly 40,000 square meters was left, which the locals call the "Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion".
The Prime Minister's Mansion in the Imperial City is a huge bureaucratic mansion. The most outstanding figure who came out of the huge mansion was Chen Tingjing, who was a bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion and the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Chen Tingjing was not only the teacher of Emperor Kangxi, but also the prime minister of the dynasty, and a close and important minister of Kangxi. Chen Tingjing walked out of this ancient castle at the age of 20, entered the civil service, and entered the Imperial Academy. He was promoted 28 times in his life. He participated in the national political and military affairs for more than 40 years and became a close official of Emperor Kangxi. He contributed to the development of the Qing Dynasty and the formation of the prosperous Kangxi era, especially for Kangxi. The emperor's civil and military skills played an important supporting role and made outstanding achievements. Chen Tingjing was an outstanding politician, as well as a famous litterateur, historian and Neo-Confucianist. He served as Emperor Kangxi's official lecturer on scriptures for a long time. At the same time, he presided over the compilation of important cultural classics such as "Kangxi Dictionary", "Peiwen Yunfu", "History of Ming Dynasty", and "Unification of the Qing Dynasty". This outstanding thinker, The research results of litterateurs have greatly enriched the academic achievements of Qing history research, broadened the academic field of Qing history research, and made outstanding contributions to the development of Chinese culture.
The Chen family is a prosperous family in the local area. They are well-off and well-educated, so they have many talented people. Among the Chen family in Huangcheng Village, from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, nine of them were buried, six were admitted to the Imperial Academy, and as many as 33 poets whose works have been handed down to the world, becoming a famous cultural family in the north of the Qing Dynasty.
The "Kangxi Dictionary" is a major contribution of Emperor Kangxi to Chinese culture. However, it was Chen Tingjing and Zhang Yushu who actually presided over the compilation of the "Kangxi Dictionary", because Zhang Yushu was the one who ordered the compilation of the "Kangxi Dictionary" under Kangxi's orders. He died the next year, and the responsibility of editor-in-chief of "Kangxi Dictionary" actually remained on Chen Tingjing.
In June 1710, the forty-ninth year of Kangxi, Chen Tingjing was appointed to preside over the compilation of the "Kangxi Dictionary" together with Zhang Yushu, a bachelor of Wenhua Palace. At that time, Chen Tingjing was 72 years old. He was both a cabinet prime minister and a veteran of the court. After accepting the editing work of "Kangxi Dictionary", he resigned from the official position and was allowed. Kangxi ordered him to serve as his original official and stay in Beijing to specialize in "Kangxi Dictionary". Compilation of Kangxi Dictionary. At this time, Zhang Yushu, a scholar at Wenhua Palace, suddenly fell seriously ill and was bedridden. The compilation of the "Kangxi Dictionary" fell entirely on Chen Tingjing alone.
The "Kangxi Dictionary" is China's first calligraphy book named after a dictionary, and it is also the first official dictionary in Chinese history. It has 42 volumes and 47,035 words, which is more than the "Cihui" of the Ming Dynasty. With more than 13,000 words, it was the largest calligraphy book in China at that time. "Kangxi Dictionary" is a grand work. It has a huge role in promoting the research and development of ancient Chinese characters. It has been widely circulated among the people and has a great influence. This dictionary is rich in material and has profound and broad cultural connotations. It functions as a dictionary and can be called large and comprehensive. It can find lost characters in all calligraphy books before Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, and has become a classic work handed down from generation to generation.
In the process of compiling the "Kangxi Dictionary", Chen Tingjing selected a team of more than 30 people who worked hard day and night. Just when the dictionary began to take shape, Chen Tingjing died in April 1712. superior. He was unable to see the completion of the Kangxi Dictionary, nor to participate in the large-scale celebration held by Emperor Kangxi when the book was written, but his spirit and contribution remained in the Kangxi Dictionary. During the compilation process, Emperor Kangxi once inspected the bookstore and saw the white-haired old man Chen Tingjing working hard at his desk. He was quite moved. He immediately splashed ink and wrote vigorously, writing the plaque of Wuting Mountain Village and the story of Spring Return to the Arbor for Chen Tingjing. The couplets with lush shade and fragrant autumn flowers at night spoke highly of Chen Tingjing's life. Kangxi also said emotionally: I write this plaque to you, and from now on I will no longer write to anyone else.
After six years of hard work, this large-scale calligraphy book came out. Kangxi evaluated this book as both good and beautiful, and at the same time named this reference book after his own reign
Named "Kangxi Dictionary". As a result, "Kangxi Dictionary" became the first calligraphy book named after a dictionary in Chinese history.
Concentrated display of official culture
The Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion has a total area of ??more than 60,000 square meters. This large-scale ancient castle-style building complex is a masterpiece of Ming and Qing architectural culture.
The Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion is backed by a green mountain, overlooking the river, and built a layered courtyard according to the mountain. In the courtyard, the Royal Library stands at the front. On the upper floor are displayed the four characters "Wutingshan Village" on the plaque written by Kangxi for Chen Tingjing. At the same time, there is also an inscription by Kangxi for Chen Tingjing: The trees are thick with shade in spring, and the yellow flowers are fragrant at night in autumn. At the main entrance of the Prime Minister's Mansion, there is a tall and towering castle-style gate tower with three characters "Zhongdaozhuang" written above it. Zhongdaozhuang is the old name of the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion, and is used to refer to the outer city of the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion. The outer city was built in the 42nd year of Kangxi. The main buildings include the outer city wall, Jiazaidi, Dianhan Hall, Miss Courtyard, Hanlin Academy, academy, garden and merit archway. It is a large-scale Qing Dynasty castle-style official building. Residential building complex. This group of building complexes has a unique style and reasonable spatial layout, fully embodying the characteristics of official residences, and at the same time consistent with the local architectural charm. It embodies the traditional feudal etiquette culture, embodies the Qing Dynasty official residence architectural culture, and also reflects the feudal Architectural culture, several architectural cultures are integrated into one, forming the architectural culture concept of the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion.
The Gongde Archway is the most eye-catching archway after entering the Prime Minister's Mansion in the Imperial City. The first archway at the entrance is a large archway with four pillars and three floors. It is made of stone carvings. The base is surrounded by auspicious animals, and the forehead is carved with dragons and phoenixes. It is majestic and spectacular. On the top of the front are engraved the four characters "Tsukazai Soken". The official culture of the Chen family is summarized. Zhongzai is the nickname of the prime minister, and Zongxian is the nickname of the Zuodu Yushi of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Chen Tingjing successively served as the minister of the four ministries in the court, and later joined the cabinet to worship the prime minister, becoming a famous minister of his generation. On both sides of the archway are engraved eight characters: "Men Xianze" and "Fifth Generation Chengen", telling people that the Chen family has received favor from the emperor for five generations. Below that are the official titles of Chen Tingjing's brothers and nephews.
Going further inside, there is a small archway, still full of stone carvings, with two pillars on the first floor. It contains the official positions awarded by Chen Tingjing’s fathers from the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty to the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. This also became a glorious branch of the Chen family. logo.
These two archways have obviously become important symbols of the official culture of feudal society. As soon as you enter the door, you will be shown the glory and glorious history of the Chen family. Especially Chen Tingjing, who was promoted 28 times in his life and climbed higher and higher step by step. The ups and downs of his official career are almost invisible on him. It is so smooth and so successful that it has become a mystery that people cannot solve. The official culture is not only displayed in the archway, but also the family genealogy map in the Chen family ancestral hall, which more accurately tells visitors the extraordinaryness of the Chen family, and is also a display of official culture.
The Xiangfu Courtyard is the residence of Chen Tingjing. It is called the University Scholar's House and is the main building in the outer city of the imperial city. It is a four-courtyard building from north to south. Behind the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, there are carvings of the tomb leader, a plaque for the bachelor's degree, and an eight-character screen wall. The Zhengbei Hall is the main building of the Xiangfu Courtyard. There is a plaque inscribed on the door of Emperor Kangxi's imperial pen hand
Shu Dian Han Hall. The entire house is a double-story building with local characteristics. In the courtyard, the decorative components such as brackets, doors and windows, balustrades, screen walls, column bases, etc. are exquisitely crafted and the carvings are excellent. The entire courtyard is extraordinary, magnificent, elegant and unique in style, becoming a palace culture of feudal etiquette and local traditional crafts. The perfect example of integration.
The inner city is a castle-style building built by the Chen family in the Ming Dynasty. Among them, the Heshan Tower is quite prominent and has become the landmark building of the Imperial City Prime Minister's Office. Heshan Tower is a defensive building built by the Chen family to resist foreign invasion. It was first built in the fifth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, that is, 1632 AD, and has a history of nearly 400 years. Due to the chaos and wars in the late Ming Dynasty, the Chen family built the Heshan Tower and the Tibetan Soldier Cave to defend themselves against the intruders. The Heshan Tower is a hundred feet high and is known as the Hundred-foot Heshan Tower. It is the tallest building in the Imperial City and a rare architectural form in China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The building is divided into seven floors, connected by corridors, and can accommodate more than a thousand people taking refuge. There are windows on the third floor and above, and there are crenels and battlements on the roof; the bottom floor goes deep into the ground, has wells dug, and is equipped with grinding, grinding and other living facilities, and there are secret passages leading to the outside of the city. After the Heshan Tower was built, it was indeed besieged by insurgents. More than 800 people in the village and the Chen family took refuge in the building. Within a month, they resisted the intruders and protected the lives of more than a thousand people. The Heshan Tower is entirely made of stone and lasted more than 400 years. It still stands in the Prime Minister's Mansion with its majestic appearance, which can be described as a miracle.
The inner city wall in the Prime Minister's Mansion was built in the war years of the late Ming Dynasty. The wall circumference is 705 meters and the wall thickness varies from 23 meters. There are caves for Tibetan soldiers all over the city. There are crenels at the top of the city. There are Wenchang Pavilion and Guandi Pavilion at the southeast and northeast corners. The overall structure is solid and majestic. According to estimates, the inner city wall used more than 30 million bricks, more than 200,000 cubic meters of earth and stone, and more than 150,000 workers. The scale of the project is quite large. It took seven months to complete and became a majestic building. Today, I visited the city wall. The buildings in the inner city and the outer city are clearly visible. The architectural scale and grade of the walls of the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion are rare among residential buildings, and their ornamental value is self-evident. The inner city of the Prime Minister's Mansion, also known as Douzhuju, is connected to the courtyards inside and outside the city. There are 125 caves for hiding soldiers in one layer after another. Rongshan Gongfu, Yushifu, Chen's Ancestral Hall, Shideyuan and Shudeju stand side by side, forming a The huge size of the inner city.
It has also become the main target of today's tourists.
Special mention here is the South Academy, formerly known as Zhiyuan Academy. It is located in the south of Xiangfu City and is located in the Zhiyuan Garden of Xiangfu. The Zhiyuan Garden is the largest among the ancient buildings and has the most garden facilities. ’s public garden, of which South College is an integral part.
South Academy was built in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen in the late Ming Dynasty, that is, 1642 AD. The completion of this academy provided a place for further study for the children of the Chen family, and it became the cradle for cultivating talents in the Chen family. The children of the Chen family received strict cultural education here. Most of the Chen Tingjing brothers and their clan members received education here and then entered the official career of the Qing court. This place, of course, became the education base of the Chen family and a learning base for cultivating bureaucrats. It was also the birthplace of the famous Chen family in Shanxi, a literary giant.
There are many buildings in the Xiangfu Courtyard, the inner city and the outer city. There are many buildings in the West Garden, Xishan Courtyard, and Ziyunqian. They have the heroic spirit of northern architecture and the garden atmosphere and cultural atmosphere of Jiangnan architecture. , becoming a group of buildings that amazes people today. In this building complex, brick carvings, wood carvings, and stone carvings can be seen everywhere. These carved works of art, with exquisite craftsmanship and meticulous carvings, appear on the wall one by one, becoming a beautiful scenery in the Xiangfu Courtyard. The atmosphere of a famous family, the brilliance of architectural achievements, and the rich cultural atmosphere have become the unique cultural connotation of the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion Courtyard.
The outer city was completed in the 42nd year of Kangxi (1703). It has front halls and back bedrooms, left and right inner palaces, academies, gardens, boudoirs, housekeepers' courtyards, river-viewing pavilions, etc. The layout is exquisite. Beautifully carved. The outer city is also known as "Zhongdaozhuang". Since it was built in the peaceful and prosperous period of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, its construction reflects the family status of "a first-class Guanglu doctor" to a large extent, but the overall architectural structure is far from that of Juxing University. The honor that a scholar should enjoy. The road inside "Zhongdaozhuang" is paved with stone slabs, and there are two stone archways built along the road. Its main courtyards include the Tomb Zaidi, Dianhan Hall, East Academy, Neifu, Neizhao, Miss Courtyard and Garden. There is Guanjiayuan in the southwest of Zhongzaidi, and South Academy, Garden, Jiuqu Bridge, Zhuangyuan Bridge, Kuaizai Pavilion, Kuixing Pavilion, Feiyu Pavilion, Zhuanhu Tower, Bagua Pavilion, Zushi Temple, etc. are built to the south of the city wall. There is also Wenfeng Tower on the top of the mountain.
Zhongzaidi was built in the 36th year of Kangxi (1697). The gate opens in the south. The shadow of the entrance gate folds eastward into a long and narrow courtyard. On the east side, there is a Ruyi Gate leading to the East Academy, and on the south side is a On the side seats, there are two doors in the north. There are eight-shaped screen walls on both sides of the door. They are exquisitely carved and lifelike, and have a Western Rococo architectural style. There is a wooden screen between the pillars in the open room. This is the passage for the host and distinguished guests, which is usually closed. Entering the second gate is a spacious civil and military courtyard, with a Kangxi imperial pen plaque "Dianhan Hall" hanging in the north hall. It is said that when Kangxi visited the imperial city twice during his inspection tour to the south, he named Chen Zhuanglu, the son of Chen Tingjing, as the "Xinke Hanlin". After that, the front hall was changed to "Dianhan Hall", and the main entrance where Kangxi passed was also called "Dianhan Hall". "Imperial Road", hundreds of officials and common people all took the side door between the east and west, and its charm still exists today. The entrance gate turns west and goes north along a narrow passage leading to the garden. Its rockeries, fish ponds and other relics are still vivid in our minds. To the north of the garden is the Young Lady's Courtyard, which was specially built for the residence of the Chen family's female relatives. There are doors at the front and back of Miss's Courtyard leading to the garden, and there are steps leading to the river-viewing pavilion on the city.
There is an imperial library outside the west gate of "Zhongdaozhuang". It was specially built by Chen Zhuanglu, the third son of Chen Tingjing, to show off his family's imperial benevolence. There is a Kangxi imperial plaque "Wutingshan Village" in the building. "And couplets" "The trees are thick and shady in spring, and the yellow flowers are fragrant in the evening". The construction of Yushu Building shows that Chen's life outlook, values ??and moral orientation have fully adapted to the objective requirements of feudal etiquette culture, and the pattern and form of building houses are an affirmation of traditional etiquette culture. and interpretation.
The decoration of all Qing Dynasty buildings in the outer city has changed from the rough and pragmatic style of the Ming Dynasty, and a large number of finely crafted components have been used. The pillar bases and door pillow stones are decorated with various patterns and are rich in changes and exquisitely made. The sculptures such as the lion cub rolling a hydrangea ball and the lin on the screen wall of the South Academy and the Tomb Zaidi are vivid, interesting and dynamic. The doors and windows are mainly composed of six partitions, and the lattice patterns have various patterns. The interior decoration follows the Ming Dynasty's practice of floor coverings, but tea is more abundant than in the Ming Dynasty. Most of the hook rails have no railings and are decorated with geometric patterns on the floor. From the simplicity of the Ming Dynasty to the luxury of the Qing Dynasty, this huge change and significant difference cannot but be said to be directly related to the improvement of the Chen family's social status and wealth. The entire imperial city (Wutingshan Village), including the inner city "Duzhu Keju" and the outer city "Zhongdaozhuang", from the overall plan, looks like a divine turtle with a north end and a south end, with a clear outline, because of the "turtle city" The saying means eternal perseverance. Looking at the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion (Wutingshan Village), it has a total area of ??36,580 square meters, 19 large courtyards, more than 640 houses, 9 gates, extending in all directions, and relevant cards can be guarded. , forming a strong fortress where the outer city surrounds the inner city, the inner city surrounds the outer city, and the inner and outer walls are connected together to ensure stability and security. The total length of the city wall is more than 1,700 meters, with an average height of 12 meters and a width ranging from 2.5 to 3 meters. The city towers, battlements, and turrets complement each other, and the crenellations are dotted with stars, forming a solid defense line.
A rich film and television production base
The Imperial City Prime Minister’s Mansion’s fame, in addition to its own profound cultural heritage, also benefited from various forms of extensive publicity. Among them, the most influential one is the TV series "Kangxi Dynasty".
"Kangxi Dynasty" comprehensively displays the landscape, city wall momentum, and cultural charm of the Imperial City Prime Minister's Palace, and advances the Imperial City Prime Minister's Palace into the "Kangxi Dynasty" in multiple directions, angles, and levels. In the plot. Among them, the creation of the historical figure Chen Tingjing also adds luster to the Prime Minister's Office in the Imperial City. In particular, Chen Tingjing showed extraordinary political talents in the political struggles of the Kangxi Dynasty. Throughout his life as an official, Chen Tingjing was honest and diligent, self-disciplined, outstanding in talent, strict in conduct, and well-received by everyone. He was able to travel in the officialdom for more than 50 years, started well and ended well, and was well received by both the government and the public during and after his death. He was rare among the chief ministers in ancient China. . Chen Tingjing in the film "Kangxi Dynasty" also has such an image and character creation. Showing Chen Tingjing and the Prime Minister's Palace in the Imperial City have become a major feature of "Kangxi Dynasty".
In order to film "Kangxi Dynasty", Huangcheng Xiangfu and Chen Tingjing entered the role. The leader of Huangcheng Village where Huangcheng Xiangfu is located: Zhang Jiasheng, an agricultural labor model in Shanxi Province, has a high vision for the development of Huangcheng Xiangfu. , with the strategic vision of an operator, he agreed with the village leaders to invest heavily in the filming of "Kangxi Dynasty". The broadcast of "Kangxi Dynasty" greatly increased the popularity of the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion. The Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion immediately became popular and became a tourist hotspot in Jincheng City and even southeastern Shanxi. The publicity awareness, marketing awareness, and cultural communication awareness of Huangcheng Xiangfu have become the reason and starting point for the popularity of Huangcheng Xiangfu today. At the same time, the packaging awareness and cultural excavation awareness of Huangcheng Xiangfu people have also made Huangcheng Xiangfu become popular. On the big stage of cultural tourist attractions. The popularity of "Kangxi Dynasty" has ignited the tourism craze in the Imperial City and Prime Minister's Mansion. This cultural phenomenon has attracted more and more widespread attention. The reasonable combination of film and television works and tourist attractions benefits both parties and has become a current integration point between tourism culture and film and television culture.
Of course, the popularity of tourism in the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion is by no means caused by the drama "Kangxi Dynasty". It is the inevitable result of the combination of multiple factors that attracted social attention. The Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion has now become a film and television base. In the past two years, large-scale TV series such as "The Queen of Khitan" and "Twin Cities Castle" have been filmed here. As for thematic films and television films, there are even more multi-episode cultural films and television films.
"The Queen of Khitan" is a TV series that introduces the Queen Mother Xiao of the Liao Kingdom of the Khitan ethnic group, one of the northern ethnic minorities in the Northern Song Dynasty. The Liao Kingdom, which historically opposed the Northern Song Dynasty, was dominant in the north and was a powerful enemy of the Northern Song Dynasty. The ruler of the Liao Kingdom was the little-known Empress Dowager Xiao. Empress Dowager Xiao, who is now a native of Yingxian County, Shuozhou City, northern Shanxi Province, can also be called a hero of her generation. The filming of this historical TV series provided a stage and a big screen for the external image display of the Imperial City Prime Minister's Office. Many film and television crews have intervened in the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion and turned it into a shooting base. Naturally, they have taken a fancy to the architectural cultural connotation here. The entry of high-grade architectural culture into the film and television stage will also improve the cultural quality of film and television works and attract social attention.