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

3. ELEGANT GATHERINGS IN THE Years later, on the same land, Wang Wei
HOUSE AND GARDEN received another round of adoration. But this
1
3.1 Modeling after a Trip to Wangchuan time, the imitation was more on the act of his
Imitation of landscape architecture results “documentation.” Zhao Liewen was
from appreciation of or reverence for earlier astonished at the Painting of the Stream of the
works, or is about extracting conception of Big Dipper Poetry Contest presented by Wu
garden planning, or emulation of gardening Guxiang (1848‒1903), and lamented that
activities, but all have their own unique styles. Wang Wei’s Wangchuan Painting still
In the Wanli period (1573‒1620) of the Ming remained in the world, he also wanted to
dynasty, the Investigating Censor (Jiancha preserve the attractions in the Tranquil
Yushi) Qian Dai, at age 44, lodged a request Garden (Jing Pu) in the form of an atlas:
for resigning from his office to care for his “Previously, Wang Wei lived in Wangchuan,
parents at home, and came back to his and painted the attractions in two volumes,
hometown of Changshu. He built a mansion which survived till the Yuan and Ming
in the southwest of the city. Qian Dai admired dynasties…I ran away from the world and hid
Wang Wei for his personality, so he named all in a shabby house all year round, to
terraces, towers, and pavilions after the demonstrate their beauty and richness, but
attractions in Wangchuan [Shaanxi Province] overlook their ugliness, I want the
and gave the name of “Minor Wangchuan” to descendants to view us, just as the way we
[3]
his garden. Chen Ke commented it as a place look upon our predecessors” .
for solitude: “Qian Dai had reat ability, but
could not apply, so he wore himself down and 3.2 The Painting of the Stream of the Big
wasted time in dance and music in his garden Dipper Poetry Contest
and mansion” [13] (1) The trend of elegant gathering
. Tu Long (1543‒1605)
documented the Minor Wangchuan, claiming Residential gardens were not only elegant
it was “very similar to Wang Wei’s places for composing poetry and enjoying
Wangchuan in Lantian” [14] . There is a scenery, but also places for officials and
sentence in the poem Jiuwanwei by Wu scholars to talk about government affairs and
Weiguan (1743‒1803) of the Jiaqing period negotiate businesses. During the time when
of the Qing dynasty that, “there are countless he was an assistant, Zhao Liewen often
thatched cottages and splendid mansions, discussed government affairs with Zeng
which are all part of the Minor Wangchuan of Guofan and other officials in his private
the Qian Family”, showing the Minor garden: “In the afternoon, Di Shi (Zeng
Wangchuan occupied a vast property of land. Guofan) came to have an in-depth talk with
At that time, many people thought the Minor me. In the evening, we went to enjoy the cool
Wangchuan was exactly like Wang Wei’s at the rear of the garden, and continued the in-
[3]
“Wangchuan Villa.” Tu Long defended Qian depth talk until 9 pm” . “After returning to
Dai at the end of the article, and argued that, the government office, I heard that Di Shi
first, imitation due to admiration was not arrived at the garden in the wrong time, I
wrong and has been passed down since therefore went to the inner garden, where the
ancient times, there was just one new terrace was completed. I went to the
“Wangchuan;” second, Wang Wei liked terrace with Di Shi as well as Cai Zhenzhai
[3]
practicing Chan Buddhism and had lived and Tan Yueqing, to enjoy the cool” .
alone for 30 years, but Qian Dai’s garden In the Ming and Qing dynasties, there
featured dancers and singers, dominated by were many paintings with the theme of
amusement. They were totally different in the landscape architecture, and the painters were
state of mind. often invited to gardens for doing paintings,

1 Wangchuan is a beautiful and wide valley river road, located more than 100 li southeast of Lantian County,
Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China (Editor’s note).

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