Chapter 52 Lecture 60 Xiyuan Sanhai

South China Sea, from the north of Baoyue Tower (now Xinhua Gate) to the south of Centipede Bridge, is called "South China Sea" because it is in the south of Xiyuan Haizi (Taiye Pool).When people pass by Chang'an Avenue, they can see Xinhua Gate at a glance.The gate tower of Xinhua Gate was called Baoyue Tower (commonly known as "Wangyue Tower") in the Qing Dynasty. Baoyue Tower, in the 23rd year of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty (1758), Emperor Qianlong built Baoyue Tower.Today's Xinhua Gate, the south gate of Zhongnanhai, used to be the Baoyue Tower, which was built against the imperial city wall.In the early years of the Republic of China, a door hole was dug in the imperial city wall below Baoyue Tower and turned into Xinhua Gate, and Baoyue Tower became the gate tower of Xinhua Gate.Baoyue Tower has two floors, 7 rooms wide, with Zhu Zhuzhu and yellow tiles, which is magnificent. According to legend, it was built by Emperor Qianlong for the concubine Xiang.Concubine Xiang is Concubine Rong, who was born in a Uyghur noble in Xinjiang.During a battle of the Qing army in southern Xinjiang, Concubine Xiang's uncle and elder brother made great contributions and were granted the title of Duke, etc., and stayed in Beijing.After Xiangfei entered the palace, she was virtuous, beautiful, good at riding and shooting, and was very popular.It is said that her body overflows with fragrance, so she is called "Xiangfei".Concubine Xiang lived in the deep palace for a long time and missed her hometown.Emperor Qianlong ordered that in the south of the imperial city, according to the customs of the Hui tribe, houses were built and people moved to live (today's Dong'an Fu Hutong), and a mosque was built.Emperor Qianlong's "Baoyue Tower Poems" said: "Dong Bing looks down on the North Marsh, and Spring Pavilion goes out of the South City. Baoyue cherishes the time and welcomes the young year today. The screen text Xinfu (fu, blessing) Lu, the mirror image is bright. Scales. The second home is back to the Ministry, and Anxi is a long-term relationship." Climbing the tower to look at the moon, in order to stabilize the full moon unification of the western border.

Yingtai, in the vicinity of Baoyue Tower (now Xinhuamen), there was a small piece of flat land in the Ming Dynasty, and a platform was built on the ground. It was called "South Terrace" in the south of Taiye Pool.Nantai in the Ming Dynasty was a small island built in a corner of the South China Sea by excavating it during the Yongle period.During the Shunzhi and Kangxi periods of the Qing Dynasty, Yingtai was repaired and pavilions were built, making it a palace on the water, just like the fairyland of Yingzhou in ancient legends, so it was renamed "Yingtai".In the early Qing Dynasty, Yingtai was a resort for the emperor's imperial administration and summer resort.Kangxi Yumen was in charge of politics, and he often stayed in Yingtai in summer.In June of the 21st year of Kangxi (1682), Emperor Kangxi issued a decree saying that in order to reward the ministers who attended the hearing, a net was set up by the Yingtai Bridge. After the ministers finished their performances, they could fish by the water and bring Go back to the mansion.The so-called fishing is not a real fishing rod, but the eunuchs set up a net to catch fish in advance, tie the caught fish with a thin silk thread, and hang them in strings in the water beside the bridge. , people will gain.There is a Qing palace poem (written by Xia Renhu) describing this event: "Gaohuai and big willows are next to the palace wall, and they enter Yingtai to cool off early. If you lift the net, you can return to the fish, and you don't need to cut meat to envy the east." The architecture of Yingtai is well-arranged. , from north to south, there are Xiangluan Pavilion, Hanyuan Hall, Yingxun Pavilion, Liubei Pavilion and so on.

Xiangluan Pavilion was built during the Kangxi period, with 7 main halls and 19 left and right extension buildings.You have to climb dozens of steps to go up to Xiangluan Pavilion.The whole island is beautiful with mountains and waters, eaves and roofs, lush trees, strange rocks and cliffs, which is very beautiful.Hanyuan Hall is the main building of Yingtai, formerly known as Xiangyi (yi) Hall, which was changed to Hanyuan Hall in the sixth year of Qianlong (1741).There are Qingyun Hall and Jingxing Hall, Zaoyun Tower and Qisi Tower in the east and west of the hall, all of which are two-story and six-room pavilions.There is Penglai Pavilion in the south of Hanyuan Hall.In the south of Penglai Pavilion, there are Chunming Tower and Zhanxu Tower in the east and west.The southernmost one is Yingxun Pavilion, which is built in the water and connected to the shore by a bridge.

The two tragedies, the end-time tragedies of the Ming and Qing dynasties, are all related to the South China Sea. The first one is Tomorrow Qidi.First, Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty once made a large dragon boat in the inner garden. The boat was 36 meters long and 6 meters high. When the boat sailed, the dragon's head, eyes, mouth, claws and tail moved fully, and many sailors played in the sea.Emperor Shun also ordered to build a pontoon bridge on Taiye Pool, decorated with brocade, and 16 court ladies to perform sixteen heavenly magic dances.Emperor Shun was licentious, and the Yuan Dynasty perished.Emperor Apocalypse of the Ming Dynasty repeated itself.On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival in the fifth year of Tianqi (1625), Emperor Tianqi went to Xiyuan for a boat trip.Wei Zhongxian and Ke Shi took a big boat to drink and have fun, while Emperor Tianqi and two young eunuchs rowed a small boat to play.Suddenly the wind blew up, and the boat capsized due to the surge, and Emperor Tianqi and the little eunuch fell into the water.Two young eunuchs were drowned, and Emperor Tianqi was lifted out of the water by another big eunuch. "Apocalypse Palace Ci" says, "In a moment of cheers, a real dragon comes out of the water", which tells this tragic story.Two years later, Emperor Tianqi died young, only 23 years old.

The second is Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty.Yingtai Hanyuan Hall faces Baoyue Tower in the south, with blue waves on the sea and beautiful surroundings.However, Yingtai Hanyuan Hall actually became an isolated island prison on the water in the late Qing Dynasty.In the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1898), Empress Dowager Cixi launched the "Eight Movement Coup", and Emperor Guangxu was imprisoned in Yingtai Hanyuan Hall.On October 21st in the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu (1908), in Yingtai Hanyuan Hall, a generation of tragic emperor Zai Tian ended his tragic life by passing on the tragedy of being poisoned to death.

At the end of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the tragedy of Emperor Qi tomorrow and Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty all had a tragic relationship with Taiye Pool.This may be a historical coincidence, but it also contains historical mysteries.