aloud-克劳奇
Baomo Garden
[Introduction]
-
[The
Stone
Memorial
Arch]-[The
Nine-dragon
Bridge]
-
[The
Screen
W
all] - [The Hall of Ruling Foundation]
- [Baomo Hall and Longtu Hall] -
[The
Long
Corridor] -
[Zilai
Memorial Arch] -
[Zidai Bridge] -
[Zidong Boat] -
[River View on Pure
Brightness Day] - [Treasure Collection Hall]
[Introduction]
Baomo Garden
is
located at Zini Village, Panyu,
Guangzhou. It was
first built
in
the late Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911), ruined in 1957, and reconstructed in
1995. Now it
covers an area of more
than 66600 square meters, and is a masterpiece of
South China
gardens and architectures.
The
garden,
laid
out properly
,
is
crisscrossed with streams
and
more
than
30
stone
bridges.
Finely
made
artistic
works
including
pottery
sculptures, clay figurines, stone
carvings, brick carvings, wood carvings, etc.
decorate
the
whole
garden.
In
the
exhibition
halls
you
can
appreciate
a
large
quantity
of
antiques, and calligraphy and paintings
by celebrated masters.
[The
Stone Memorial Arch]
This
memorial arch
is built with
over 400 pieces of
granite and weighs
over 600
tons. The three characters on
it
–
Bao Mo Garden
–
were written by Qigong, a
famous
calligrapher. On the crossbeams
were carved images of beasts that symbolize luck
and
pictures
that
depict
ancient
Chinese
folk
tales.
The
couplet
on
the
two
sides
means
that at
Zini
Village treasures are collected;
in Baomo Garden the scenery of
the south
is presented.
[The Nine-dragon Bridge]
This
granite
bridge
is
known
as
Nine-dragon
Bridge.
It
’
s
an
imitation
of
the
Jinshui
Bridge
in
front
of
Tian
’
anmen
in Beijing. On a 7m
long and
3m wide slate on
the
bridge
are
carved
nine
lifelike
dragons.
The
name
Nine-
dragon
carved
on
the
bridge is a copy of
calligraphy by Zhao Ji, a Song Dynasty (960-1279)
Emperor.
[The Screen
W
all]
The
wall at
the entrance, built with over 30,000 dark bricks,
is a
“
screen
wall
”
.
Its
function
is
to avoid exposure of
the
scenes
in the garden. On
its
fa?
ade are carved
more
than
600
birds,
insects
as
well
as
flowers
and
trees
–
phoenix,
pheasant,
dragonfly, pine,
bamboo, willow and peony
, to name just
a few. The carvings stand for
vitality
and prosperity
. On the reverse side are
carvings of calligraphy by Wang Xizhi,
a best-known calligrapher of the Jin
Dynasty (265-420).
This
gigantic
masterpiece of
traditional South China brick carving
was designed and created by a
young artist, He
Shiliang by
name.
[The Hall of Ruling
Foundation]
This
hall
was
built
in
honor
of
Bao
Gong,
an
official
of
the
Northern
Song
(960-1127) who was
known and
held
in
high esteem
for being
upright,
incorruptible,
straight and
fair.
The
name of
the
hall
was
after a
poem by
him,
“
The
foundation of
ruling a
country is officials being incorruptible and
upright.
”
At
the
central
place
of
the
hall
is
hanged
a
Chinese
painting
“
Lotus
Flower
”
,
symbolizing
Bao
’
s
noble
spirits.
The
couplet
by
its
sides
means
that
Bao
was
an
upright
and
incorruptible
official;
his
deeds
would
pass
on
and
always
be
held
in
esteem.
On the
right side of the
hall
there
is a wooden tablet with the Chinese
characters
“
Baomo
Garden
”
inscribed
on
it.
It
’
s
made
of
wood
unearthed
from
a
Western
Han
(206
BC -25 AD) tomb.
At the back of the
hall
there
is a
granite tablet also
with
the
inscriptions
“
Baomo
Garden
”
, which is the only
remnant of the original garden.
[Baomo Hall and Longtu Hall]
The
two
halls
were
also
built
in
honor
of
Bao
Gong.
At
the
central
place
of
Baomo
Hall
is
hanged
a
portrait
of
Bao
clothed
in
red
official
robes,
a
figure
of
uprightness. In stories,
legends and dramas,
Bao
was presented as dark-skinned. This
is, in fact, an artistic image, because
dark skin stands for somberness, uprightness and
straightness. The couplet also praises
Bao as a recommendable official
who was held
in everlasting
esteem.
[The Long Corridor]
The
corridor
in
Baomo
Garden
is
constructed
in
traditional
Chinese
way;
supported by
wooden crossbeam and columns as
well as dougong
(brackets
inserted
between the top of
a column and a crossbeam), and covered by arched
dark tiles.
The
corridor,
more
than 1300
meters
long,
links the pavilions, terraces, storied
buildings,
and
pools,
which
not
only
makes
it
convenient
for
the
visitors
but
also
serves
as
a
good place for resting and
sightseeing.
[Zilai
Memorial Arch]
The arch
is
located at
the
very center of
the Garden.
It
is built
with white
stone.
The
pedestal
is
embedded
with
twelve
animals
representing
the
Chinese
lunar
years
and images of the
Eight Immortals in Daoism, all in granite. In
front of the Arch there
stand a pair of
stone
lions, at the back a pair of
legendary auspicious beasts
–
kylin.
This
arch symbolizes the nobility of incorruptible
officials.
[Zidai Bridge]
Zidai
Bridge
is a
nine-arch white
stone
bridge.
It
spans
the Qingping Lake, and
looks
like a beautiful rainbow over the waves. The
bridge presents a picturesque view
when
seen
from
afar.
The
over
30
stone
sculptures
by
the
railings
are
about
stories
from historical novels. The fine
sculpture makes them masterpieces.
[Zidong Boat]
Zidong
Boat
is
a
characteristic
of
those
in
the
Pearl
River
Delta:
luxurious
decoration, tables set at
the bow, and kitchen at the stern.
This kind of pleasure-boats
were
most popular during the
Ming and Qing dynasties, originally owned by the
rich,
and later developed into tea
houses on the river.