Yan Chenyu turned her eyes and saw that the hall was surrounded by a stele corridor, which displayed the calligraphy and painting of the Eight Eccentrics. ⊙ Top of the Novel, Koala looked at the two couplets in front of the hall. The inner one was written by Zheng Banqiao, "Simplify the three autumn trees; lead the new February flowers". The outer one was Jin Nong's "lacquer script" couplet: "More than three thousand years old; eighty-one family characters are strange".

In front of the main hall there is an iron wok, the same as the one in Slender West Lake, which was cast in the Southern Dynasty Xiaoliang period to control floods. Because Yangzhou was prone to floods at that time, nine iron woks have been found in Yangzhou so far.

Yan Chenyu led Koala into the main hall. In the middle of the hall was a group of statues of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. The statues were either sitting or standing, writing, thinking, whistling, or whispering. They were lifelike. When I paid a little attention and counted the number of statues, I found that there were as many as fifteen.

It is known that the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou are represented by Jin Nong, Zheng Xie, Huang Shen, Li Fangying, Li Xian, Wang Shishen, Gao Xiang and Luo Pin. But there are also Gao Fenghan, Hua Yan, Bian Shoumin, Min Zhen, Chen Zhuan, Yang Fa, Li Rong, etc., a total of 15 people.

In fact, the concept of "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou" refers to a group of literati who lived in Yangzhou during the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty. They had a strong sense of justice, stubborn personalities, strange behaviors, and a love of calligraphy and painting and poetry.

The Eight Eccentrics liked to paint plum, bamboo, stone and orchid the most. They expressed their interests through the pride of plum, the hardness and coldness of stone, the nobleness of bamboo and the subtle fragrance of orchid. Among them, Luo Ping also liked to paint ghosts, and the ghosts he painted were of various shapes and sizes.

Although the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou lived in the "prosperous era of Kangxi and Qianlong" in the Qing Dynasty, the prevailing officialdom was filthy, treacherous, and sycophantic. They hated this kind of corrupt officialdom style.

Zheng Banqiao believed that most officials in history did not do good things. When he was the county magistrate, he had people chisel several doorways on the outer wall of the old government office, leading directly to the street market. He said that this would "get rid of the vulgarity of the old government office."

The walls around the memorial hall are decorated with calligraphy and paintings by the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou", who advocated innovation and independence.

In terms of artistic creation, they imitated nature and expressed their temperament; in terms of painting style, they had their own characteristics and competed with each other for novelty and beauty; in terms of expression techniques, they pursued the perfect combination of poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal carving. They were opposed to the orthodox calligraphy and painting schools that dominated at the time and were called "weird".

As time went by and people’s ideas changed, the name “weird” gradually changed from derogatory to praise. The positive and innovative spirit of “Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou” gave a breakthrough to the traditional conservatives, and their works had a profound influence on the calligraphers and painters of later generations.

At that time, most of the "Eight Eccentrics" were unwilling to become officials. In the Bingchen year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, someone recommended Jin Nong to take the examination for the Boxue Hongci exam, but he just laughed it off. Later, someone called him "a commoner for a hundred years, a famous scholar for three dynasties. His sparse beard is like snow, but his vitality is immortal." Five of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou" never became officials in their lives.

Although Zheng Banqiao, Li Fangying and Li Shan had served as county magistrates, they were not tolerated by their superiors because they were honest, dared to offend senior officials and sympathized with the people. They resigned from their posts one after another and made a living by selling paintings. Most of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou" placed their life interests in poetry, calligraphy and painting. As poets, they paid attention to reflecting the suffering of the people and expressing their inner depression, so that their works implied profound ideological content. Huang Shen wrote in a short poem: "The yellow calf relies on its strength, but has no food; the black rat has no merit, and enjoys the granary!" This sympathizes with the poor peasants and criticizes corrupt officials.

Zheng Xie is the most famous among the Eight Eccentrics. Zheng Xie, also known as Banqiao, was a scholar in the reign of Emperor Kangxi, a juren in the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, and a jinshi in the reign of Emperor Qianlong. Although he served as an official for more than ten years, he was incorruptible. Later, he was dismissed from his post due to a famine and returned to Yangzhou to make a living by selling paintings.

Zheng Banqiao wrote a lot of poems and essays throughout his life, including "The Fierce Official", "The Song of Solitary", "The Song of Escape from Famine", etc., describing the miserable life of poor peasants. He wrote a poem "The Hate in Qinyuan": "It is hard to change the bone structure of the lonely and cold, and the remaining straw hat and green shirt are too thin. Look at the autumn grass at the thatched door. The broken alley every year; the sparse window is drizzling, and the lonely lamp is every night.

Could it be that God is still holding back his anger and not letting out a sigh? He was so crazy that he took a hundred pieces of black silk and wrote down the desolate scene in detail. His feelings of pity for the heaven and concern for the people were beyond words.

He also has a famous poem inscribed on a painting: "Lying in the government office, I hear the rustling of bamboos, which I suspect is the sound of people's suffering. I am just a small county official, and every branch and leaf concerns me." This group of talented but unappreciated literati, with a cynical attitude, indulged themselves in the mountains and rivers, and vented their depression through calligraphy, painting, poetry and prose.

The ups and downs of his life experience led him to write well-known works such as "Suffering a loss is a blessing, and being confused is a rare thing." There is also an ancient ginkgo tree outside the main hall. The main hall has a history of more than 600 years, and the ginkgo tree is more than 700 years old.

In front of the ginkgo tree outside the main hall of Xifang Temple is the abbot's room, which was also where Jin Nong, the leader of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, lived. Jin Nong lived here after he turned 70. The abbot's room is three rooms wide, with two entrances in front and back, and a courtyard in the middle.

Jin Nong's courtesy name is Shoumen, Sinong, Jijin, and his pseudonym is Dongxin. He is also known as Jiliu Shanmin, Qujiang Waishi, Xiye Jushi, etc. Other pseudonyms include: Jinniu, Laoding, Guquan, Zhuquan, Jimeizhu, Lianshen Jushi, Longsuo Xianke, Chichunweng, Shoudaoshi, Jinjijin, Sufaluojisufaluo (in Buddhist classics, "Sufaluo" is the Chinese word "Jin", so Sufaluojisufaluo is Jinjijin), Xin Erliulang, Xiantan Flower Sweeper, Jinniu Lake Meeting Old Man, Baieryantian Rich Man, etc.

Jin Nong was born in the 26th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1686) and died in the 28th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1763). Jin Nong was a man of natural intelligence. In his early years, he studied at the home of the scholar He Zhuo, and lived next to Ding Jing, one of the "Eight Masters of Xiling". He was also influenced by the so-called "Three High Scholars of Western Zhejiang", which made him more knowledgeable and talented. In the first year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1736), he went to the capital to take the exam but failed. He was frustrated and traveled around the country, visiting Qi, Lu, Yan, Zhao, Qin, Jin, Wu, and Yue, but he never met anyone. He started to learn painting at the age of 50. Due to his profound knowledge, his extensive reading of famous works, and his deep knowledge of calligraphy, he eventually became a famous artist.

In the 15th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, the 64-year-old Jin Nong settled in Yangzhou and sold paintings and calligraphy to support himself. He was the leader of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. After his wife died and he had no children, he never returned. He first lived in Xie Sikong Temple, now Ning Temple. At the age of 70, he moved to Xifang Temple. In the autumn of the 28th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, the 77-year-old Jin Nong passed away in loneliness.

Compared with the other seven eccentrics, Jin Nong's painting style is broader, he does not follow others, he is original and original, which is inseparable from his knowledge, talent and mind. Because he never served in the government, but was very famous in the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, he was known as "the famous scholar of three dynasties".

The first three rooms in the front were Jin Nong's Buddhist chanting hall. The Buddha statue in the middle niche was painted by Jin Nong himself. In his later years, Jin Nong believed in Buddhism and devoted himself to painting Buddha and writing sutras. Today, Jin Nong's living room has restored his daily life and painting furnishings.

Entering Jin Nong's Buddhist chanting hall, from the five-character couplet in this Buddhist shrine: Writing 100 volumes of sutras, painting 1,000 Buddhas, we can imagine Jin Nong's situation and mentality at that time. The Buddha statue in the middle painted by Jin Nong is particularly wonderful.

The lines used for the fold structure of the clothes are calligraphy with a rich taste of gold and stone, like "golden knife" and "cone painting sand", solemn and thick but also lively, and the face is outlined with lines using the "ink rubbing" method. It is very vivid.

The most distinctive feature is the background of more than 700 words in more than 20 lines, like vertical couplets with Zen sayings written on them. The content records where the Buddha came from, the Buddha's role in people, how forty great painters in history painted Buddha statues for various temples, as well as Jin Nong's own understanding of Buddhism and the description of the scenes when he was painting. It can be regarded as Jin Nong's masterpiece among his Buddha paintings.

Around the Buddhist chanting hall are pictures of works painted by Jin Nong and Luo Ping, each with a short essay. This painting, "Sweeping the Pagoda in the Incense Forest," vividly depicts a disheveled novice monk in straw sandals sweeping the courtyard from behind.

The inscription reads: "Buddhism regards sweeping and cleaning as the most important duty. From the novice monk to the old bald man, everyone gets up early and works hard. There is a pagoda in the incense forest. Sweep and wash. Wash and sweep again. The relics emit great light. They are not in the pagoda but in the hands. Suvaraj Suvaraji".

These philosophical words embody Jin Nong’s Buddhist thought that “Buddha is my heart”.

There are three rooms in the back hall, the middle one is the living room, the left one is the bedroom, and the right one is the studio. In the autumn of the 20th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1763), Jin Nong died here as a guest. The following year, his disciple Luo Pin helped him to be buried in Huanghe Mountain, Linping, Xihu City.

Hanging on the doorpost of the house is a couplet in lacquer script by Jin Nong, which reads: "Let's drink good wine with the young men, and take a look at the wonderful books of ancient times."

In his later years, Jin Nong lived in this small courtyard with two entrances and three rooms wide. At that time, Xifang Temple was in decline. It was a desolate scene. Jin Nong once wrote a poem on the wall of the temple: "There is no Buddha and no monk. There is only one lamp in the empty hall. I drink the wine from Jingkou and kill the vines in Shanzhong. My dreams are all true now, but I can't flatter people anymore. What do I want to do here? Cranes on the pond peek at the ice."

At this time, Jin Nong was old and weak. He commented on himself: "All delusions are gone." He called himself "the youngest disciple of Tathagata" and "a monk who lives in a temple and eats porridge." He made a living by selling paintings, while chanting, writing scriptures, and painting Buddhas for his own amusement.

It seems that the situation was very bleak at that time. The painter was alone with a lamp, but he was a respectable person who "fawned on others but failed", and never fawned on the powerful. He would rather "look at the ice on the pond like a crane", maintain his elegance and purity, and win people's remembrance with his character and art. It can comfort Mr. Li that his former residence has now become a memorial hall to commemorate the eight eccentrics, in which the life achievements of the eight eccentrics and the fragrant calligraphy allow future generations to admire the illustrious style of the eight eccentrics.

There is a small courtyard between the front and back of the guest house, with two century-old osmanthus trees, banana trees planted against the west wall, and strange rocks erected. It is based on Jin Nong's "Banana and Rock Picture", which is small but full of artistic conception. There are three rooms in the back of the guest house, with the bedroom in the east, the living room in the middle, and the studio in the west.

On the wall of the bedroom hangs Jin Nong's "Picking Water Chestnuts", with a poem inscribed on it: "The mountains of Wuxing are like green snails, and the trees at the foot of the mountains are more numerous than cow hairs. Picking water chestnuts again and again, I hear laughter and singing across the boat. The prince is getting old and sad, so I draw the road on Yuhu Lake. Her two slender hands are full of affection, and I miss the red sleeves crossing in the setting sun."

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

There is a couplet on the wall in the middle of the living room, "Poor clothes and bad food make better poems, neither Buddha nor immortal is extraordinary", which was collected by Jin Nong and given to his old friend Wang Shishen. Wang Shishen was a commoner all his life, with a rough fate and blindness in his later years. Jin Nong praised him for being extraordinary and writing good poems, which reflected the two people's similar interests and mutual confidants. In fact, this couplet is also a portrayal of Jin Nong himself.

The self-portrait in the middle is both realistic and spiritual, with the youngest disciple of Tathagata wearing red shoes, implying "trampling the world". There are four paintings and calligraphy hanging on the left and right walls, namely, "Spring Scenery in Jade Pot" by Jin Nong, "Plum Branches" by Wang Shishen, "Poem on Painting" by Zheng Banqiao, and "Bamboo and Rocks" by Luo Ping.

The studio is filled with bookcases, treasure cabinets, and drawing tables. On the drawing table is an unfinished painting of plum branches, as if the owner had just left. Jin Nong was a guest in Yangzhou, and was invited by all the major salt merchants. A salt merchant was hosting a banquet in Pingshan Hall. During the banquet, someone suggested that everyone write a poem about "flying red" to help with the drinking. When it was the salt merchant's turn, he thought hard for a long time but couldn't come up with a sentence.

The guests asked him to drink a penalty drink, and he suddenly recited the line "Red willow catkins are flying in the air."

Everyone laughed and said he was making it up. How could the white catkins be red? He was asked to give the source. In the midst of the embarrassment, Jin Nong stood up and said, "This is a poem written by a Yuan Dynasty poet to praise Pingshan Hall. He quoted it correctly."

Everyone didn't believe it and asked Jin Nong to read out the whole poem. Jin Nong recited calmly: Twenty-four winds blowing by the twenty-four bridges, I still remember the old Jiangdong by the railing. The setting sun shines back on the peach blossom garden, and the catkins fly in red.

In fact, this poem was improvised by Jin Nong to help the salt merchant out of trouble. The salt merchant was of course very happy, and a day later, he gave Jin Nong a lot of silver as a reward.

To the southwest of the Jiju Room is the Jin Nong Tea House, where you can learn a lot about tea culture from the calligraphy and paintings of Jin Nong and Wang Shishen, who is known as the "Tea Saint". Wang Shishen became blind in his later years, and the cause of his blindness may be directly related to his excessive love of tea.

This painting of "Yuchuanzi Brewing Tea" was painted by Jin Nong in imitation of a Song Dynasty copy. The scene of brewing tea in the painting reproduces the original method of making tea. The famous "Tea Song" in this calligraphy work of "Yuchuanzi Loves Tea" is a description of the seven realms of tea drinking by Tang Dynasty poet Lu Tong:

"One bowl moistens the throat and lips, two bowls relieve loneliness and depression. Three bowls search the intestines, but only five thousand volumes of words are left. Four bowls make you sweat lightly, and all the unfair things in your life are released through your pores. Five bowls clear the muscles and bones, and six bowls make you feel like an immortal. Seven bowls are too much to eat, but you can only feel a breeze blowing from your armpits. Where is Penglai Mountain? Yuchuanzi, I want to go home with this breeze."

From then on, everyone who studies tea likes to quote this poem, because tea is more than just a drink for us Chinese. It has long become a symbol of spirit and a sign of a way of life, and is deeply integrated into Chinese culture.

To the west of the teahouse, a row of green bamboos grows along the wall, with a well-proportioned density. On the upper right side of the white wall, Jin Nong's "Painting Bamboo Inscriptions" is written in "lacquer writing" in a staggered manner:

"I started to learn to paint bamboo after I turned 60, and I don't know of any predecessors who could paint bamboo. There are tens of millions of bamboos planted and trimmed around my house. Every evening when the sun is setting, I would draw their shapes based on the shadows of the sun. I regard this gentleman as my teacher." There are two stalagmites under the inscription, creating a unique scene.

A small courtyard and a white wall, with green bamboo, strange stones and lacquer calligraphy, seem to form a picture of perfect integration of the ideas of Jin Nong, the leader of the "Eight Eccentrics", and nature, thus becoming the scene of "Green Shadows Filling the Wall".

Yan Chenyu and Koala walked slowly together, enjoying the beauty of the scenery. These two girls were smart, and there was no need to say much. They just had a tacit understanding to work together. No one wanted to be suppressed by An Chuyu in the future. (To be continued...)