Tour-Guide Commentary on Tengwang Pavilion
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Tengwang Pavilion. I am your tour guide from the International Travel Agency. My name is Li Li and I am delighted to be able to show you around the Pavilion today.
Tengwang pavilion, standing by the Gan River, is one of three famous pavilions south of the Yangtze River. Tengwang Pavilion’s fame of has been spread far and wide, due to the masterpiece, Preface to the Collection of Poems Written at Tengwang Pavilion, authored by Wang Bo, one of the four famous poets in the early Tang Dynasty. These poems, and the Pavilion itself, which are the favourites of thousands and thousands of people, have both proved immortal. The present pavilion, the twenty-ninth reconstruction, was completed in 1989, the year of the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. This magnificent pavilion adds to beauty of the ancient City of Nanchang and attracts thousands and thousands of tourists from both home and abroad.
It is recorded that, in 652 A.D., when Li Yuanying was transferred from Suzhou to Hongzhou as the governor, he brought a group of dancers to Hongzhou, so that he could enjoy their dancing in his palace. Later he ordered that a pavilion be built by the river, as a place for dancing. Because Li Yuanying had been honored with the title King Teng, the pavilion was named Tengwang Pavilion. The present Pavilion is a replica, in the style of the Song Dynasty. Song Dynasty buildings were an extension and development of those in the Tang Dynasty. Pavilions built in the Song Dynasty display the best of ancient architecture. The design of the present Pavilion is an extension of this Song Dynasty architecture.
Now let us enter the Pavilion’s garden through the east gate. First we see this colourfully decorated Song-style archway, supported by two poles. On the front of the archway there are two horizontal boards with these words written in gold: “Autumn Wind Blowing Through the Pavilion” on the eastern board, and “Numerous Friends Like Sea of Clouds” on the western. Passing through the archway, we come to the East Gate. Over the front of the gate there is a horizontal board with these words written in gold: “Seen in Fog, the Administrative Districts Are Arranged in Order”. And over the West Gate there is another board with words, also written in gold: “Connecting Mt. Heng and Mt. Lu”. On either side of the gate is the ancient street where there are many stores in which we can buy different things, such as paintings, antiquities, arts and crafts, and souvenirs.
Tengwang Pavilion is 57.5m high and covers an area of 13,000square meters. Its base consists of a 12-meter-high two-tier platform, symbolising the ancient city wall. Above this platform is the main structure, consisting of three visible storeys and four invisible ones. So that, although it looks from the outside as though there are only three stories, in fact there are seven stories inside.
Beneath the eaves of the first floor, there are four boards. On the board to the east is written: “Marvelous, Magnificent, Superb, Unique ”. On the board to the west:
“No Land But Water Below”. On the south: “Facing the River”. And on the north: “Surrounded by Lakes”.
As we enter the pavilion from the front gate, we can see a 4.5-meter-long couplet made of stainless steel: “The single wild duck is flying against the drifting sunset clouds; the autumn water shares the color of the vast sky”, this is Chairman Mao’s handwriting. When Comrade Jiang Zemin visited the pavilion in 1989 and 1996, he paused in front of the couplet, written by Wang Bo, and recited it together with the guide. In the hall, we first see a white-jade relief, whose title is “Being Sent to Tengwang Pavilion by a Favorable Wind”. In the centre of the picture Wang Bo stands in the bow of the boat, sailing through huge waves. He is eager to reach Hongdu, 350 kilometers away. See how handsome he is! On the right of the relief we can see that Wang Bo is blocked by heavy wind. Fortunately however he gets the Water God’s help. The Water God told him “Tomorrow is the Chongyang Festival, there will be a grand gathering in Tengwang Pavilion. If you can join in it and write an eulogy to the Pavilion, your name will go down in history.” On the left of the relief Wang Bo is attending the gathering, writing down the famous article.
This relief uses modern concepts, combining time and space, to place different times, locations, characters, and stories within a single picture. So leading visitors into a silent and attractive environment by means of traditional molding and dim light.
The West Hall on the first floor is the biggest in the pavilion. A one-twenty-fifth scale copper model of Tengwang Pavilion is displayed here, so the hall is also called “A Pavilion within the Pavilion”. The model’s platform is made of white rock from Guilin, and the model itself was made at the Jiangxi Copper Arts and Crafts Factory. Many couplets, written by famous people, also hang in this hall.
Invisible from the outside, the second floor makes use of artificial light and ventilation. “Excellent Persons” is the theme of the display on this floor. On the main wall we see the “Mural of Excellent Persons”, 2.55 meters high and 20 meters long. Depicted are famous persons of Jiangxi Province from the Qin Dynasty (221 BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1911 AD). Though they come from different dynasties, wear different clothes, have different social positions, are old and young, do different jobs, and have different characters, all the figures co-exist harmoniously in the one picture. The mural displays the heroic atmosphere of the great Chinese Nation. All the figures are painted vividly with a tone of elegance.
On the either side of the main hall are the Guest Room and Small Meeting Room respectively. Over the entrance to the West Hall is a golden board with words “Heroes like Numerous Stars”, which matches the “Mural of Excellent Persons” very well. Also displayed in the west hall are some pictures of leaders of the Party and of the country, such as Jiang Zemin and Li Peng, who have visited the pavilion since its construction.
The third floor is an open one with corridor around it. Beneath the eaves there are four huge boards, each of which is 1.5 meters by 4.5 meters. On the board facing
the east are the words “Rivers and Mountains Coming into Sight”. On the West: “River and Sky Looking Clear after Raining”. On the south: “Sleeping with Drifting Clouds”. And on the north: “Morning Bringing in Fresh Air”. In the east hall are displayed some things used to protect the emperor when he travelled, such as a crescent-moon spear and a dragon and phoenix screen, which were made in Suzhou. In the south hall are displayed arts and crafts produced in Jiangxi called “Abundant Materials and Treasured Products”. There is a tea-house in the North Hall, where visitors can enjoy tea and have a short rest.
In the Central Hall is a huge picture “Dream of Linchuan”, 2.8m by 5.5m, based on Peony Pavilion written by Tang Xianzu, in 1599. Tang Xianzu showed his drama Peony Pavilion here starting the gradual change of Tengwang Pavilion from a stage for dancing into a stage for drama.
The fourth floor, like the second, is invisible from outside. This floor’s theme is reflecting “Splendid Geography”. On the front wall is a picture of “Splendid Geography”, showing the elements of the natural scenery of Jiangxi’s mountains and rivers. From south to north the picture depicts: Dayuling’s Meiguan, Yiyang’s Peak Gui, Shangrao’s Sanqingshan, Yingtan’s Dragon-and-tiger Mountain, Mt. Jinggang, Mt. Lu, Poyang Lake, and Mt. Shizhong.
Like the third floor, the fifth floor is open, with corridor around it. It is the best place for visitors to climb to for a distant view, express their feelings and make friends by sharing what they have written. There are four boards beneath the eaves. All the words on the boards are adopted from the article written by Wang Bo. On the east board is written: “To the East Lies Zhejiang Province ”. On the south: “To the South Is the Deep Ocean”. On the west: “To the West Are the Uncivilized Areas”. And on the north: “To the North Stands the Magnificent Capital”.
In the east hall the model of Tengwang Pavilion’s panorama is exhibited. On the west there are two huge porcelain frescoes, both of which are 2.6m by 2m. The one to the left is called “Attracting Phoenix by Fluting”. The one to the right, “Waiting to Cross the River at Xishan Ferry”. In the central hall there is a bronze tablet on which Wang Bo’s Preface to the Collection of Poems Written at Tengwang Pavilion is engraved. The handwriting is Su Dongpo’s, enlarged by craftsmen to 10 square meters.
Visitors cannot go higher than the sixth floor. Beneath the east and west eaves of this floor there are boards carrying the words “Tengwang Pavilion”, originally written by Su Dongpo. Though it is invisible outside, the sixth floor is bright enough inside because the designers used lattice windows for the walls. There seems to be no difference between the visible floor and the invisible floor, when viewed from outside.
On the sixth floor visitors can enjoy a performance which re-creates music played on ancient instruments, as well as different frescoes. Displayed here are objects of deep cultural importance, illustrating the ancient and brilliant culture of the Chinese Nation, and reflecting the characteristics of ancient civilization in
Hongdu. Tengwang Pavilion is an elegant cultural palace, worthy of appreciation.
Ladies and gentlemen, our visit is now at its end. Thank you for your cooperation. I hope you will come here again sometime. If you do, I will be glad to be your guide again.
南昌滕王阁导游词(英)
