宝墨园英文导游词Baomo Garden
2011-05-14 19:29阅读：
[Introduction] - [The Stone Memorial Arch]-[The
Nine-dragon Bridge] - [The Screen Wall] - [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 Wall]
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 façade 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.
[River View on Pure Brightness
Day]
This is a large-scale mural of porcelain
sculpture modeled after an invaluable painting by Zhang Zeduan, a
master painter of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). The mural
is 63m long and 7m wide, 100 times the size of the painting. It
gives detailed description to the prosperous scene in Bianliang,
capital of Northern Song (which is now known as Kaifeng, located in
Henan Province). 1648 figures can be counted on it. It’s a record
of the city life back then and a reflection of prosperous trade in
China.
[Treasure Collection
Hall]
This is a place for the collection of cultural
relics and antiques. On the first story are collected porcelains
across different dynasties, and on the second story, calligraphy
and paintings by famous figures of all times.
