The river is surging, rushing eastward; the river is mighty, nourishing civilization. The "Cultural China Tour｜Cultural Yangtze River" launched by The Paper starts from Shanghai, goes up the river, walks along the Yangtze River, and tours the cultural veins of the Yangtze River.
This article is a record of searching for Shi Tao's relics in Yangzhou, in which the area near the ruins of Yangzhou Dadi Thatched Cottage has been fabricated to be a tea garden hotel.
"Cultural Heritage of Yangtze River H5" poster, click the QR code in the picture to enter the ancient painting. Image: Part of Shi Tao's "Jiangxing Album"
(one)
If I were to mention only one painting that has had the greatest influence on me, after much thought, it seems that it can only be "Huaiyang Jieqiu Tu" by Shi Tao of the Qing Dynasty.
The reason is simple. It was the first Shi Tao painting I ever owned (of course, it was a high-quality replica)—it was given to me by Mr. Le Fei, who taught me calligraphy and painting for three years in middle school. Mr. Le was a bit eccentric. Influenced by his father, he loved Taishan Jingshiyu very much. He pursued the ancient and stone-like style in his calligraphy and painting. Before graduation, he wrote a lot of calligraphy and paintings for me, and also gave me some high-quality replicas of famous calligraphy and paintings he collected, including landscapes by Shen Zhou, Tang Yin, and Shi Tao, autumn cicadas by Qi Baishi, and ladies by Zhang Daqian... But my favorite is "Huaiyang Jieqiu Tu", probably because it is grand and vivid, so I hung this painting in front of my desk. After reading and writing, I would watch it day and night, and it was always new.
Part of Huaiyang Clean Autumn
"Huaiyang Clean Autumn" depicts the autumn scenery of the canal after the Huaiyang flood. The picture shows the vast autumn water, the winding river bank, and the overgrown reeds. In the near distance, there are several houses hidden among the city walls and trees. The large expanse of river water forms a zigzag shape, which gradually fades away. In the near distance, the wind blows the reeds and the houses are vaguely visible, just like the real scene. There is only one lonely boat on such a large water surface, and it is drawn with one stroke, with well-proportioned light and dark. A fisherman is bent over it. The whole picture is cold and lonely, but not without warmth. There is a sense of loneliness in the vastness of the world, which is quite unrestrained and magnanimous like Su Dongpo's "A raincoat and a straw hat to face the rain in life".
The upper part of the painting, which occupies one quarter of the space, is filled with inscriptions. Shitao wrote in seal script: "Huai Yang Jie Autumn Picture", and then recorded his long poem about the past in running script, which begins with "Heaven loves the people, but the people do not support them; people rely on the world's desires, but Heaven does not support them. How could Heaven and man have nothing to do with this? It is written in the empty mountains to be seen by hundreds of generations." "Nine rivers continuously divide the world, and there is no place to describe the vast waters and vast mountains." This is a kind of grand thinking about history and life.
Then, we can watch the rise and fall of the water in front of us and think about the rise and fall of the Sui Dynasty, the prosperity and desolation of Yangzhou City in history, and the vicissitudes of life.
Now that I think about it, this painting must have had a huge impact on me, whether it was the words, the artistic conception, or the thoughts - perhaps we can also say that the intangible influence was actually greater. It's just that after moving around, the painting ended up nowhere to be found. Fortunately, it's just a high-quality imitation print, so that's all.
At that time, I wanted to find the source of this painting, but I was at a loss. Until one evening in autumn rain, I happened to ride my bike to the Liaojiagou and Wanfuzha area in the eastern suburbs of Yangzhou. The vast water and a fishing boat moored in the distance were all like "Huaiyang Jieqiu Tu". I was stunned and stood there for a long time.
The surface of Liaojiagou in the eastern suburbs of Yangzhou
(two)
Last year, the Peking University Center for Aesthetics and Yangzhou City jointly organized an academic seminar on "Shitao and Yangzhou". Mr. Zhu Liangzhi and Brother Xu Liang invited me to attend the seminar and write an article. My first thought was to start with "Huaiyang Jieqiu Tu". Later, referring to the paintings included in the newly purchased ten-volume "Complete Collection of Qing Dynasty Paintings | Shitao", I tried to write an article "The Canal Water in Shitao's Brush - Starting from Huaiyang Jieqiu Tu".
Shi Tao held the view that "brush and ink should follow the times" and "search for strange peaks to make drafts", which were earth-shaking ideas in his time. Tracing back to the origin of Shi Tao's landscape, the famous mountains of Xuancheng and Huizhou are of course one of the sources. However, if we talk about the influence of water, in addition to the surging water of the Yangtze River, we have to mention the canal water that connects the north and the south. In particular, from Yangzhou to Beijing, and from Beijing back to Yangzhou, it was all through the canal water: after two or three years in Beijing, he experienced bitterness and coldness in the world, had no chance to climb up, had no hope of becoming an official, was old and weak, and was discouraged. Finally, he woke up, bought a boat and went south along the canal, returned to Yangzhou from Beijing, and settled in Yangzhou, and built Dadi Thatched Cottage.
This frustrating journey, from Yangzhou to Beijing, and from Beijing to Yangzhou, the boat was stranded alone, sailing against the current. Shitao loved to paint a solitary boat between the vast sky and water, or it was speeding on the water, or moored quietly on the river bank, or watching fishermen fishing alone. When the sky and water were one color, he had a deep understanding of the loneliness of heaven and earth. This can be seen in Shi Tao's "Fan Painting of Boat Moored at Luting" in the Shanghai Museum, the "Solitary Boat on a Moonlit Night" in Shi Tao's landscape album in the Tianjin Museum, and "Shi Tao's Twelve Albums of Returning Boats, No. 12" (collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York).
Shi Tao's Twelve Returning Boats Album No. 12 Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The canal described by Shitao may be a thousand-mile flat field, or boat trackers, or a small bridge and flowing water, or the Red Bridge of Slender West Lake, or the beautiful place of Zhuxi, or Zhuyu Bay, or Shaobo Lake, or Linqing Gate, or a rapid journey through the water, or a solitary boat moored in the wild, and the techniques used are even more varied.
The Zhuyu Bay Landscape Fan (in the collection of Suzhou Museum) depicts the Zhuyu Bay at the junction of the Grand Canal and Shaobo Lake. The sloped bank is painted in light ink, with a few sparse trees and a boat in the water. There are three inscriptions on it. The first inscription is written by Shitao himself, with a poem inscribed on it: "The west wind blows in Zhuyu Bay, and travelers on the water ask about the Forbidden City. The autumn grass is vast and the sky is full of wild geese. The salt smoke is rising in the east of Hailing..."
"Pavilion in Lotus Pond" (collected by Tianjin Museum) depicts the river in the area of Hongqiao in Yangzhou, with vague city walls and Hongqiao as well as the inscription: "A song of weeping willows sways in the afternoon, the city walls are vaguely visible in the blue sky, the butterfly wings and oriole reeds cannot attract the attention of children, and many children are at Hongqiao."
Yacht in Lotus Pond
The scroll "Zhuxi Zhitu" depicts the oldest section of the canal - the water of Hangou and Huangjinba, willow trees, people's homes, fishing boats and markets, all of which can be seen one by one...
Shi Tao once said when painting mountains, "Search for all the strange peaks to make a draft," but he was also good at painting water, or it can be said that "Search for all the water waves to make a draft." After returning to Yangzhou from Beijing in frustration, the construction of Dadi Thatched Cottage and the water he saw were of turning point in his life and artistic creation.
It can be said that the canal water connecting the north and the south witnessed the changes in Shitao's thoughts and the great changes in his paintings. The canal water played a transformative and huge role in the formation of his artistic style: after returning to Yangzhou from Beijing, what he saw, thought and imagined along the canal, and the construction of Dadi Thatched Cottage and the river water he saw were of turning point significance to his life and artistic creation. Yangzhou and the canal, which are "like waves of water", are to Shitao what Huangzhou is to Su Dongpo. After experiencing the twists and turns of life, he re-experienced life on the boat and returned to his heart, truly using his own method, thus becoming a master in the history of Chinese art and even cultural history.
Shi Tao's "Self-portrait of Planting Pine Trees" is collected by the National Palace Museum, Taipei
(three)
Shitao was not only a painter, but also a master of stone stacking.
The "Pianshi Shanfang" located in Heyuan is the only extant work of his stone stacking according to the research of Mr. Chen Congzhou. When Mr. Chen Congzhou visited the ancient city of Yangzhou, he saw a single peak standing out among the weeds and exclaimed, "The beauty of the stacked mountains is that the two words 'strange and steep' should be used to describe it." The beauty of the stacked mountains in Pianshi Shanfang lies in the towering green peak, which reflects the clear pool. The stone walls, stone steps and mountain streams are all strange, just like the three-dimensional presentation of the "interception method" in his paintings - using a piece of stone to shrink a thousand miles, and to express the world in a square inch.
I remember that day when I visited Pianshi Shanfang with the participants. It was drizzling, which was particularly artistic. And thanks to the person in charge of the garden, I was able to walk to the rockery and stone stream. It felt like a corner of Huangshan Mountain. The winding paths and stone caves were like entering a Shitao painting. I could hear the sound of rain outside, which was quite amazing.
Stone house, light rain
Part of Pianshi Mountain House
At the exit of Pianshi Shanfang is the Shitao Memorial Hall, which displays the long-prepared exhibition "Yangzhou in Shitao's Paintings". Although all the exhibits are replicas of Shitao's paintings, it is quite interesting to watch because it clearly and concisely presents the relationship between Shitao and Yangzhou.
(three)
Shitao's life is like a long scroll painted in ink. The first part was full of regrets over the broken mountains and rivers, while in his later years he lived in seclusion in a thatched cottage in the east of Yangzhou. His last home was the Dadi Thatched Cottage by the water in Yangzhou. In the 36th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1697), Shitao moved to the outside of the Dadong Gate of Yangzhou and built the "Dadi Thatched Cottage" by the water, to wash away the past and pursue great freedom in life. He gave himself the nickname "Dadizi" for this.
Shi Tao's friend Li Lun recorded in "Biography of Dadizi": "(Shi Tao) returned to the south and lived outside the Dadong Gate of Yangzhou. He built a house with a few rafters by the water and named it Dadi Hall, and thus he got the name Dadizi." Dadong Gate was formerly known as Xianchun Gate, which refers to the east gate of the old city of Yangzhou in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was originally located on the west bank of the old city moat (later known as the Xiao Qinhuai River). The existing Dadongmen Street and the Dadongmen Bridge across the Xiao Qinhuai River are for people to imagine. The Dadongmen Bridge was built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. It was originally a wooden suspension bridge, connecting the old city of Yangzhou with the new city (with the Xiao Qinhuai River as the boundary). A hundred years ago, due to the disrepair of the wooden bridge and the increase in traffic demand, the Dadongmen Bridge was rebuilt into a brick and stone mixed structure single-span arch bridge, which remains to this day.
Regarding the location of Dadi Thatched Cottage, Li Lun's "outside the Dadong Gate" did not specify whether it was on the east bank or the west bank of the river. If it was on the river bank under the city wall, it should be on the west bank of Xiao Qinhuai River, that is, west of the Dadong Gate Bridge, as recorded in "Yangzhou Huafanglu": "Outside the Dadong Gate at the foot of the city, there are houses along the river. The road is under the city, three or five feet wide, and the people call it Lancheng Lane." However, in a broad sense, the "outside the Dadong Gate" mentioned by Li Lun may also refer to the new city outside the old city, that is, the east bank of the Xiao Qinhuai River. In particular, the east bank is home to many salt merchants, and many of Shitao's friends also lived here.
The Dadongmen Bridge (red) and the Xiaoqinhuai River (blue) at the junction of the old city and the new city in the map of Yangzhou in the Qing Dynasty (copy)
Map of Yangzhou during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (partial, south at the top and north at the bottom)
Shi Tao wrote a letter to Bada Shanren asking for a painting, in which he described Dadi Thatched Cottage as follows: " I am sending you an empty letter. Mr. Ji wants to paint a small painting, three feet high and one foot wide. There are a few rafters of an old house on a flat slope, a few branches of an ancient catalpa tree, and an old man in the pavilion. He has nothing. This is Dadi Thatched Cottage , the son of Dadi." Bada Shanren's "Dadi Thatched Cottage" has long been lost. The surviving long poem inscribed by Shi Tao on Bada Shanren's "Dadi Thatched Cottage" records: "Bada is homeless or is it home? Qingxiang and the four seas are empty and frosty. When you asked me about my stay in Hanjiang, I built a new Dadi Thatched Cottage by the river. The huge painting you sent is really worthy of being washed away. The autumn frost flies in the hot June. The old man knows what you mean, and his words are still ringing in my ears. A thought lasts for ten thousand years, and the world is cleansed and thunderbolts are heard. This is the painting of Dadi that Bada sent to me. It was the fifth month of summer in Wuyin, and the Qingxiang ointment gave birth to Ji."
The painting "Chrysanthemums" in the Palace Museum is also considered to be Shitao's depiction of Dadi Thatched Cottage because of its signature. The painting depicts "plum and bamboo trees reflected in the courtyard with two twisted pines, scattered houses, and noble scholars admiring autumn chrysanthemums in the house". Outside the courtyard are winding mountains and rivers approaching from afar. The inscription reads: " Head down and drink, he is still crazy, he is sick and just wakes up, he sits and lies down, he is the only one who has the remaining years of his life, how much he cherishes the cold fragrance. Dadi Thatched Cottage of Shitao in Qingxiang ."
However, a closer look at the picture makes it appear more like a thatched cottage in the mountains by the river, with towering peaks, rather than the riverside outside the Great East Gate of Yangzhou City. Moreover, the painting is quite neatly depicted, seemingly lacking the vigor, unrestrainedness and free and easy style of Shitao, and the calligraphy also has weaknesses.
Detail of "Double Chrysanthemum"
I like the Shi Tao fan painting "Enjoying Autumn in the Mountain" collected by the Shanghai Museum. It depicts the scene of Dadi Hall by the Xiao Qinhuai River. The brushwork is wild, simple and casual. Although it is a small fan, it looks sparse at first glance, but it contains heroic spirit. In the painting, an old man stands in front of the yard by the tree with a calm and detached face. The inscription reads: "Yu Ruo Weng came from Qinhuai to visit me under Dadi Hall... I asked him to write a few strokes. The old man in the yard seems to have a sad autumn mood in his heart."
A detail of Dadi Thatched Cottage from Shi Tao's landscape fan painting "Enjoying Autumn in the Mountains" (from the collection of Shanghai Museum)
This short ink painting, which has been stripped of all glitz and glamour, actually fits Shitao's own description of "an old house with a few rafters, a few scattered branches of an ancient catalpa tree, and an old man in the pavilion, with nothing left". Coupled with the sadness of autumn, these few words hide the detached, indifferent and free state of mind of this Ming royal family survivor after he truly awakened.
(Four)
Many years ago in Yangzhou, when I was walking near the Dadongmen Bridge, I tried to look for the ruins of Dadi Thatched Cottage intentionally or unintentionally, but of course I returned empty-handed.
In early summer last year, I attended the "Shitao and Yangzhou" academic seminar in Yangzhou and visited with brother Liu Mo. On the southeast side of the Dadongmen Bridge, I suddenly discovered the "Dadi Thatched Cottage Construction Project". There was an explanation on the project fence that it was a key project of the "Xiao Qinhuai River Protection and Renewal Phase II Project". It is located in the southeast corner of the Dadongmen Bridge, starting from Caiyi Street in the north, facing the Xiao Qinhuai River in the west, and ending at Nan Jiangjingdun in the east. The total construction area is about 357.42 square meters and the land area is 694 square meters. The main buildings include Dadi Hall, Dao Ji Shan Fang, lobby, bathroom, main hall, Qinglian Pavilion, Gengxin Hall, etc.
In June 2024, the "Dadi Thatched Cottage Construction Project" was located on the southeast side of the Dadongmen Bridge in Yangzhou. The words "Dadi Thatched Cottage" can be clearly seen on the signboard.
Schematic diagram of the "Shi Tao's Former Residence in Yangzhou - Dadi Thatched Cottage Project (labeled as Dadi Thatched Cottage Memorial Hall)" published by Yangzhou Daily last year
Dadi Thatched Cottage is of course located near Dadong Gate, or in this area. However, it is quite surprising that this reconstruction project is so certain to be located on the southeast side of Dadong Bridge. Moreover, the location and distance are so precise, and so many buildings are planned. I wonder if there is any rigorous verification? There is no explanation in the project description, and the construction workers are confused. Looking at the site, of course, the old house is demolished and a new building is built.
I felt a little puzzled, so I asked a senior cultural and historical researcher in Yangzhou. After a sigh, he finally said that this project was actually a commercial project.
Thinking of the demolition of the real and the construction of the fake that can be seen everywhere nowadays, most of them are driven by utilitarianism and lack awe for history. What can we do? I am just a little curious about what the so-called "Dadi Thatched Cottage Project" will look like after it is completed?
In the second month of the Yi Si year, I passed through Yangzhou and visited the Dadongmen Bridge again.
At the southeast corner of Dadongmen Bridge, the original site of the "Dadi Thatched Cottage" project, a brand new store that looks somewhat fashionable at first glance stands there, with blue brick walls facing the river and a roof that seems to be a simple gray steel tile, with words such as "Changle Listening to the Waves | Enjoy the Gardens, Listen to the Waves, and Taste the Food" engraved below. The main door faces south and is opposite to Caiyi Street. The plaque still has the artistic calligraphy of "Changle Listening to the Waves". Two stones are placed at the entrance of the house, with a menu board with a price list of Yangzhou snacks and various dishes on it - it turns out that after the previous "Dadi Thatched Cottage" project was completed, it was actually a real tea garden and restaurant.
Tea Garden store
I was a little dazed for a moment, but then I thought, since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it. I'll go in and order some of my favorite Yangzhou steamed buns and shredded pork, and have a cup of tea, which may be a pleasant thing in life.
As you step inside, you will see replicas of Shi Tao's "Chrysanthemums" and "Sketch of Searching for Strange Peaks". Outside the window, beneath a dazzling gray steel-tile building, you can see a newly built Huangshi rockery. It looks like a newly built project, with no ancient charm at all.
I ordered a basket of Yangzhou steamed buns, a plate of dried shredded pork, and a pot of tea to comfort my stomach and nostalgia. After the meal, I was a little confused by these works that were made up in the name of Shi Tao, so I wrote a quick sketch and made up a few sentences:
It is hard to find traces of old shoes in Dadi.
The teahouse is also called Tingtaomen.
The ancient rafters were dismantled and replaced with steel tiles.
A piece of stone still remains to commemorate the painting.
"Da Di is hard to find, let's taste Yangzhou tea", pen sketch
(five)
Taking a short walk along the Xiao Qinhuai River north and south of the Dadongmen, I found that the willow branches have sprouted. People all live by the water. There are small vegetable plots growing green vegetables and leeks, with wild plums or roses as hedges, which is full of vitality. The Yangzhou accent can be heard from time to time. Recalling Banqiao’s words, "I dream of Yangzhou, and then I think of Yangzhou dreaming of me", it makes people sigh inexplicably.
Dadongmen Bridge
The banks of Xiao Qinhuai River were originally the dividing river between the old city and the new city of Yangzhou in the Qing Dynasty. It has a lot of ancient charm, with ancient bridges, temples, gardens, and academies scattered on both sides... In addition to Dadi Thatched Cottage, there is the Dong Zhongshu Temple in Beiliu Lane, the former residence of Luo Liangfeng in Mituo Lane, and near the Dadongmen Bridge, where Shen Fu and Yuniang, who were mentioned in "Six Records of a Floating Life", once lived. They "rented a house outside the Xianchun Gate of Hanjiang (from Suzhou), two rafters across the river." "The bedrooms, kitchens, and guest seats are all exquisite." As the saying goes, "Wearing plain clothes and eating vegetables, you can be happy all your life."
All these relics are hidden in ordinary people's homes, including the Dadi Thatched Cottage - in fact, it has long been lost and hard to find, but when you think about it, it doesn’t really matter. Those pseudo-antiques are commercial and business is business - the "Dadi" that Shitao pursued is a spiritual cleansing, not a restoration of a building.
Shi Tao’s Dadi Thatched Cottage is not a building after all, but a state of life.
Fortunately, the flowing water of the Xiao Qinhuai River and the bustling atmosphere at the bridgehead are still there. The ordinary alleys, old willows and cypresses, and a few rafters of the old houses comfort the homesickness and also witness the arrogance and freedom that once existed and continue to exist.
Sketch of Old Willow in Xiaoqinhuai River
(six)
When I passed Mituo Lane, I saw an old lady tending to flowers and plants next to Luo Liangfeng's former residence. The flowers and plants looked so lively after the rain that I couldn't help but stop. When the old lady saw me praising her flowers and plants, she was so happy that she picked two rain-soaked flowers to give to me.
Later, when he went to Pingshan Hall in Shugang to pay homage to Shitao's tomb, he offered this incense in front of Dadizi.
Shi Tao's paintings
March 2025, at Sanliu Bookstore
