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Zhao Liewen’s Gardening Practices and Activities in His Diary Li & Yin

Tranquil Garden, and for determining the Tranquil Garden was near Jiuwanwei, with
orientation, size, and specific time of water flowing on its two sides, the gateway
dismantling and construction of various was the main entrance and exit for the Zhao
building components and structures in the family. On February 6 in the 6th reign year
garden. It has reflected that the literati class of (1867) of Emperor Tongzhi, Zhao Liewen
the late Qing dynasty attached much changed the water outlet of the Tranquil (Jing)
importance to fengshui. Stream, he “moved the water outlet for
[3]
irrigation to be near his residence” , and built
2. CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOUSE a bridge on top of it. “I chose to build a house
AND GARDEN in this place in the year of Yichou (1865) and
2.1 “Liufeng Bridge,” the gateway to the wanted to build the Liufeng Bridge on top of
water trail of Tranquil Garden (Jing the water outlet at the time. Things took a turn
Pu) for the better with time and my wish finally
Zhao Liewen used the word “Jing” (meaning came true. Building this bridge was a tough
[3]
“Tranquil”) in his pseudonym “Nengjing” task” . It took three months for the bridge to
(meaning “Inner Tranquility”) to name his be completed, and named “Liufeng Bridge.”
house and garden, which was very common It was a pond-mouth ring bridge located west
for residential gardens in the south of the of the residence. Zhao Liewen often entered
Yangtze River. On October 29 in the 3rd reign the garden by boat through this gate:
year (1877) of Emperor Guangshu, the two “Entering the Tranquil (Jing) Stream by boat
[3]
characters “Tranquil Garden” (静圃 Jing Pu) saves money” or reached the city gate by a
first appeared in his diary: “[We] returned to small boat with his friends and relatives and
[3]
the Tranquil Garden [Jing Pu] together” , then changed to a bigger boat to head to other
and it had been 12 years since Zhao Liewen cities. The bridge was a small north-south
moved to this place. On December 16 of the single-hole stone arch bridge with an arrow
same year, as Wu Qiunong finished his work, height of 3.5 m, a central width of 2.35 m, and
the Painting of the Stream of the Big Dipper 12 steps on both side ramps with a full length
Poetry Contest (xi beidou shi tu) Zhao Liewen of 10.3 m. It was a segmental, longitudinally
documented it in literature, and for the first embedded-type bridge, with carved granite
time he talked about the reason for naming the slates as the top face of the bridge, and the
“Tranquil Garden (Jing Pu)”: “I previously three characters“柳风桥” (Liufeng Bridge)
used the pseudonym Inner Tranquility inscribed in seal script on the stone tie of both
(Nengjing), so I name the stream Tranquil sides. The bridge has stayed the same as when
Stream and the residence I live the Tranquil Zhao Liewen built it, which is very important
[3]
Garden” . for determining the property area of the site
There was a gateway to the water trail in and relative spatial position of the Tranquil
the Tranquil Garden (Jing Pu), which was Garden (Jing Pu) [Figure 1].
located under the Liufeng Bridge. As the

Figure 1. Liufeng Bridge. (a) Detail of Figure 9. (b, c) Pictures photographed by the author.

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