Guli Town lies in the eastern part of Changshu, Jiangsu Province, through which the National Highway 204 runs. The town is situated in the Yangtze River Delta and the basin of Taihu Lake with an area of 96.46 square kilometers. Due to administrative adjustment in 2003, Guli and Baimao Towns were combined as Guli Town, which has 2 subdistricts and 17 administrative villages (communities) under its jurisdiction. By the end of 2017, the number of permanent residents in the town had reached 107,000.
Iron Zither and Bronze Sword Make Companions for Books;
Strong Loyalty and Persistent Devotion Serve the Country Long.
The Tower of Iron Zither and Bronze Sword embodies the cultural essence of a typical water town in the southern area of the Yangtze River. The tower is in the West Street of Guli in the eastern suburbs of Changshu. Its fame is equal to that of the Haiyuan Pavilion in Liaocheng, Shandong Province, the Bisong Tower of the Lu family in Gui’an, and the Tower of Eight Thousand Volumes of the Ding family in Qiantang. The four of them were collectively referred to as the four major private libraries during the Qing Dynasty. The Tower of Iron Zither and Bronze Sword of the Qu family is regarded to be the most outstanding one among them. It has been passed down and inherited within the family for five generations, covering a period of over 150 years. The building has survived adversities and remains intact. The books it has accommodated have been donated to national and local libraries. The Tower is a wonder in the Chinese cultural history.
According to The Chronicle of Guli Town, the library was the former residence of the Qu family. It was built by the ancestor of Mr. Qu Shaoji, who styled himself as Yintang, in the middle of Emperor Qianlong’s reign. The Tower was a part of the last rows of houses belonging to the residence of a branch of the family. The original residence had four rows of houses, among which the first and second were destroyed during the War of Resistance against Japan. The second row was where the Tianyu Lodge (meaning “peace and affluence”) was located. The third and fourth rows house the Tower of Iron Zither and Bronze Sword. With its face to the south and back to the north, the Tower features the traditional three-room style for storied buildings. It is connected to the front and back sections, with a courtyard in the middle. All the books were stored upstairs. The ground floor of the third row of houses was a study. The ground floor of the fourth row served as the ancestral temple. In front of the Tower stand ancient trees and rocks, while behind it lies a garden.
At the end of the reign of Emperor Qianlong, Qu Shaoji named the library Tianyu Lodge (“Tian Yu” means “peace and affluence.”) with reference to the quote “Give sustainable life and long-term peace to people; bestow affluence and glory to later generations.” In the 13th year of Emperor Tongzhi’s reign of the Qing Dynasty (1874), the Tower was renamed Dunyu Hall (“Dun Yu” means “sincerity and affluence.”), since “恬” (Tian) is a homonym of “湉” which was in Emperor Guangxu’s name and it was a taboo on using the personal names of emperors. Due to their collection of an iron zither and a bronze sword, Qu Shaoji and his son Qu Yong entitled their Ci poem collection The Collection of Ci Poems of the Tower of Iron Qin and Bronze Sword, and their poem collection The Collection of Poems of the Tower of Iron Zither and Bronze Sword. Their library was accordingly named the Tower of the Iron Zither and Bronze Sword.
After 1949, the library was taken over by the government. Its name, originally written by Sun Xingyan, was re-written by Mr. Li Yimeng in 1982. The Tower was announced as a cultural relic site under county-level protection in November, 1982. In 1986, the provincial government allocated special funds for its renovation and the building was listed as a cultural relic under municipal level protection. The Changshu Municipal People’s Government allocated funds for further repairs and turned the library into the “Iron Zither and Bronze Sword Memorial,” whose plaque bore the title written by Mr. Chu Tunan. Inside the Tower, a well-illustrated introduction, abundant exhibits and introductions of contemporary calligraphers’ works not only present truthfully the history of the building, but also serve as a praise for the Qu family’s love for books by means of collecting, protecting and donating them. The Qu family has made significant contribution to our country’s cultural undertakings. The memorial, opening to the public on December 5, 1991, has become one of the patriotic education bases for teenagers in Changshu.
The collection of books in the Tower of Iron Zither and Bronze Sword can be traced back to the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. This practice persisted throughout the reigns of Emperors Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, Guangxu and Xuantong and the period of the Republic of China and has continued to the present day since the establishment of New China. Five generations of the Qu family have undergone a lot twists and turns to maintain this family tradition for over 150 years, going through phases such as initiation, development, prosperity, adversity, stability, and final success. They have left behind a relatively complete collection of books and the library for future generations. Their contribution to the development of Chinese cultural history has proved incredible.
Wu Songs are sung gently in the local dialect;
Folk songs of Baimao celebrate new life.
According to The Chronicle of Baimao Town, Baimao folk songs have been songs created and sung by working-class people in the Basin of Baimao River since ancient times. Unlike refined poems composed by scholars, these folk songs do not favour topics such as a beauty’s laments over bleak autumn views. They feature plain and simple lyrics and appreciate local farmers’ simplicity, generosity and love for their hometown, work and life.
“Wu Songs” are folk ballads which have been popular in the Wu dialect region for ages. According to historical documents, Baimao folk songs originated from Yuefu (a form of Chinese poetry derived from the folk-ballad tradition) during the Southern Dynasties. Baimao folk songs took a large part of the “Songs in Wu Dialects” in Yuefu poems during those days. In the Ming Dynasty, the achievement of Wu songs reached its peak. In Feng Menglong’s ten-volume Mountain Songs, there were over 300 songs, which included folk songs sung by local people in the area of Baimao. During the period of the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Qian Qianyi, known as a “Master of Letters,” and Liu Rushi chose to live in seclusion at Hongdou Villa in Baimao. The couple’s romance and their poems written by Baimaotang River lent further charm and glory to the history of Baimao folk songs. In the Republic of China period, the Peking University Ballads Society was established, whose official journal was the weekly Ballads. Famous scholars Gu Jiegang and Wang Yizhi compiled A Collection of Wu Ballads: Part A and A Collection of Wu Ballads: Part B, which collected 262 Wu songs, quite a number of which were Baimao folk songs.
Folk singers of Baimao have been selected to give performances in other places of the country since 1949. Moreover, many monographs on these folk songs have been published and feature articles about them have appeared in newspapers and magazines. Famous scholars at home and from abroad and officials from the cultural sector have paid visits to the town as well. On May 17,2000, Baimao was awarded the title of “Hometown of Chinese Folk Culture and Art”.
In 1991, the town government and people from all walks of life jointly raised 150,000 yuan to build the Museum of Baimao Folk Songs. The Museum is on the west side of the north pier of the Baimao Bridge with a total area of 300 square meters, in which the exhibition area takes 200 square meters and a 100-square-metre orientation room offers introductory videos. The exhibition hall houses many photos and literature to comprehensively introduce the history and current situation of Baimao folk songs. In this hall, a visitor has access to information about their characteristics and functions, the master singers and composers, and representative works and select performances. The museum is open to the public all year round.
Wherever one turns, his eyes are greeted by nice views of Jiangnan;
In Hongdou Villa, new Yuefu poems are composed by talented scholars.
Hongdou Villa (“Hong Dou” means “Ormosia hosiei.”) is located in Furong Village (“Fu Rong” means “lotus flowers.”), Guli Town. It is also known as Furong Villa or Biwu Hongdou Villa (“Bi Wu” means “green Chinese parasols.”). The villa was built during the period of the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty, whose original buildings were destroyed. Only an Ormosia hosiei tree has survived. Owing to the tragic love story between the famous scholar Qian Qianyi (with the courtesy name Muzhai) and the talented woman Liu Rushi in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, it has become one of the renowned classic gardens in Changshu. The Guli Town government’s steady investment and construction has turned Hongdou Villa into a tourist attraction, integrating cultural tours, family trips, recreation and entertainment, and programmes for team building and outward bound.
In 1944, when living in Kunming, the famous historian Chen Yinke (1890—1969) bought “a seed of the Ormosia hosiei tree in Qian Qianyi’s old residence at Baimao Port, Changshu.” This incident inspired him to write an 800,000-word Liu Rushi Bie Zhuan (meaning “an alternative biography of Liu Rushi”) to “supply annotations to the marriage between Qian and Liu.” The book cleared away those false speculations about Liu Rushi since they appeared over 300 years before. Since its publication (by Shanghai Classics Publishing House) in 1980, the biography has become an influential academic work at home and abroad, and Hongdou Villa has accordingly regained the public attention.
According to The Chronicle of Baimao Town, Hongdou Villa, originally named Furong Villa and also known as Biwu Hongdou Villa, was built during the period of the late Song and early Yuan Dynasties. In Emperor Zhengde’s reign of the Ming Dynasty, it was the villa of Gu Song’an, the magistrate of Yunhe County. In front of the villa stretched a white stone bridge, while inside the villa wound a small stream with bridges over it. Hundreds of hibiscus trees were planted along the embankment in the surrounding area. Green leaves and red blossoms with their reflections in the water formed such an enchanting view that the residence was named Furong Villa.
During Emperor Jiajing’s reign of the Ming Dynasty, Gu Yuzhu, a descendant of Gu Song’an, served as Deputy Envoy of the Shandong regiment (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations in the 29th year of the Chinese sexagenary cycle during the Emperor’s reign). He transplanted litchi trees from eastern Fujian and added Chinese parasol trees in the courtyard and garden of the villa. In the 23rd year of Emperor Jiajing’s reign (1544), Gu Yuzhu’s second son Geng Guang (styled as Qujiang) transplanted an Ormosia hosiei tree from Hainan, which mixed well with those old Chinese parasols. The place was then renamed as Biwu Hongdou Villa. Gu Yuzhu’s grandson Qian Qianyi studied here when he was a child. In the 14th year of Emperor Chongzhen’s reign (1641), Liu Rushi, a woman of great talents, “sailed a boat to Yu (another name for Changshu)” to visit Qian Qianyi. Later she got married with Qian. After their marriage, the couple first lived in Jiangyun Tower (“Jiang Yun” means “crimson clouds.”), which “was burned to ashes” later. Moreover, Liu found the hustle and bustle of the city disagreeable, so they moved to Biwu Hongdou Villa and lived here for more than a decade. The couple were congenial and enjoyed a harmonious married life. Every day, they read books and compose scriptures together. Their favorite pastimes were chanting poems over a cup of wine, and lingering under the Ormosia hosiei tree at dawn and dusk. Later, Qian and Liu contacted anti-Qing activists such as Qu Shisi, Zheng Chenggong and Huang Zongxi in secret. The villa thus became a focal point for the anti-Qing campaign. The 18th year of Emperor Shunzhi’s reign (1661, also known as the year of Xin Chou, the 38th year of the Sexagenary Cycle) saw Qian’s 80th birthday. The Ormosia hosiei tree, which had not bloomed for twenty years, surprisingly put forth gorgeous blossoms. Regarding this incident as an auspicious omen, the overjoyed Qian and Liu invited many famous poets to their place and compose poems while appreciating the beauty of flowers. It was a grand occasion in the literary circles on which quite a few poems featuring exquisite literary talent were created. People then renamed Biwu Hongdou Villa as Hongdou Villa. The Villa has thus become famous far and wide.
