陸士虎

江南古鎮(zhèn)南潯近代園林——

宜園、適園、小蓮莊、留園、東園皆為巨構(gòu)，

尤其是小蓮莊系南潯“四象”之首

劉鏞祖孫三代經(jīng)四十年精心營造而成，

為江南近代園林的一道奇葩……

江南古鎮(zhèn)南潯是近代園林薈萃之地。自南宋以來，曾擁有各式園林26座之多，是一支重要的地域流派。特別是近代史上，由于聞名海內(nèi)外的輯里湖絲造就了當(dāng)?shù)匾淮迳掏?，不僅在構(gòu)造上講求疊山理水和植物的自然精神，追求建筑美與自然美的融合以及詩情畫意的表達(dá)，而且因襲傳統(tǒng)文人園林的手法和意境，收藏、雅集與園林相得益彰，寓觀景與藏書著書、吟詠唱和于一體，還汲取西方文化元素，富有華洋雜糅之意匠，形成了不少獨(dú)特的中西合璧建筑。正如近代著名園林專家童寯在《江南園林志》中所云：“南宋以來，園林之盛，首推四州，即湖、杭、蘇、揚(yáng)也。而以湖州、杭州為尤?！薄叭缓輬@林，實(shí)萃于南潯，以一鎮(zhèn)之地，而擁有五園，且皆為巨構(gòu)，實(shí)江南所僅見?！?/p>

清華大學(xué)教授朱釣珍主編的《南潯近代園林》一書說，江南園林可分為城鎮(zhèn)第宅地園林和鄉(xiāng)村地園林。城鎮(zhèn)第宅地園林，也可稱為宅園，大多與第宅連在一起，位于市鎮(zhèn)內(nèi)部，依附于第宅并在其旁側(cè)或后端構(gòu)園筑池，俗稱“后花園”;而鄉(xiāng)村地園林面積較大，也可稱為郊園，因?yàn)檎瑘@規(guī)模往往較小。后來私園選址逐漸轉(zhuǎn)向相對開敞的郊外地帶，所建造的園林面積逐漸增大，景象結(jié)構(gòu)多疏朗風(fēng)格，且富有田園情調(diào)，靠疊山、樓閣取得高視點(diǎn)借景，以借田野風(fēng)光;也不設(shè)圍墻而用小河相隔，似隔非隔，借景借情。其中南潯近代五園——宜園、適園、小蓮莊、留園（覺園）、綠繞山莊（東園）就均屬于鄉(xiāng)村地山水園林。這些園林不但在面積上稱為“巨構(gòu)”，而且融兼容性、完美性、藝術(shù)性和隨意性于一體，造園立意上富有創(chuàng)新，形式上疏朗大氣，意境上深邃而富有哲理。隨著近代社會和文化轉(zhuǎn)型，其布局設(shè)計(jì)和功能亦隨之呈現(xiàn)嬗變的態(tài)勢。

小蓮莊：

江南鄉(xiāng)村山水園林的經(jīng)典

江南名園小蓮莊是南潯至今唯一保存完好的“五巨構(gòu)”之一，始建于清光緒十一年（1885），占地27畝，因慕元末湖州籍書畫大家趙孟頫所建蓮花莊之名，故稱小蓮莊。它系南潯“四象”之首富劉鏞祖孫三代經(jīng)40年精心營造，其結(jié)構(gòu)與格調(diào)是江南近代園林異化的一個典范。這里原是“長生寺”舊址，創(chuàng)于北宋，隔河有“掛瓢居”書院。前臨荷池，名“掛瓢池”，俗名“魚池涇”。千百年來，這塊風(fēng)水寶地一直飄逸著“潯溪悠悠，書香不絕”的遺韻。石庫門外有一條名叫“鷓鴣溪”的小河，碧水清清，悠悠長流，溪畔河埠邊有兩棵大榆樹，常年郁郁蔥蔥。

小蓮莊建筑群體由園林、家廟、義莊等組成。其中園林分內(nèi)園、外園兩部分。外園的主體是一個十畝的荷花池，即古之掛瓢池。西側(cè)碑刻長廊，乃是文物與藝術(shù)兼?zhèn)渲淦贰Ｈ赳v足靜觀，細(xì)讀慢品，心靈頓有“詩與遠(yuǎn)方”的漫游之感。這些碑刻共45方，皆歷代名家翰墨，真草隸篆，各體皆備，書藝高超，文采風(fēng)流，刻工精細(xì)，分別為《梅花仙館藏真》和《紫藤花館藏帖》?！睹坊ㄏ绅^藏真》碑刻14方（其中題跋4方），由南潯絲商周昌富于清同治十一年（1872）秋所刻，置于怡園中;清光緒二十年（1894）歸屬劉錦藻。這些碑刻是清代考據(jù)家、古文字學(xué)家嚴(yán)可均按《史記》所纂“瑯琊臺刻石拓本”鐵線篆書全文（454字），字跡大小悉依真跡?！蹲咸倩^藏帖》原主是江蘇省吳江黎里鎮(zhèn)人、翰林院待詔徐達(dá)源（字岷江，號山民），為袁枚弟子，夫人吳瓊仙亦好寫詩。這些碑刻系徐氏與袁枚、阮元等20余位文人學(xué)士往來的詩文、信函，其中有日本詩人熊阪秀沐等人的手跡。非常巧合的是，有一方為電視劇《宰相劉羅鍋》中的歷史原型劉墉所書，題為《顏平原送劉太守序》。劉墉真跡藏于劉鏞花園，真跡上款還蓋有清乾隆皇帝“御賜仙舫”印章，乃中華南北文化史上之佳話。

碑刻長廊旁有一四面廳，雅稱“凈香詩窟”，是主人邀請文人墨客吟詩酬唱之處，為國內(nèi)建筑史上罕見的藝術(shù)精品。園林專家童寯教授曾稱，“此例最佳者，當(dāng)推南潯小蓮莊中的凈香詩窟”。陳從周教授則贊譽(yù)：“頂格（天花）之妙，為海內(nèi)孤本?！睉{欄遠(yuǎn)眺，荷池美景盡收眼底。若是夏季，最宜消暑。晴有荷香，雨有蓮趣，風(fēng)搖菡萏，婀娜多姿，好像沉浸在一個夢里，依稀可見昔日的繁茂。那沿池的太湖石瘦漏透皺的斑駁身影，見證過多少的繁華和凋零;那太湖石上點(diǎn)點(diǎn)滴滴的蒼苔，是心情筆記，更是史書卷帙，只待有心人去揣摩，去品讀，去回憶。

荷池潤養(yǎng)著玲瓏剔透的太湖石假山與東升閣、養(yǎng)心德齋、退休小榭等姿態(tài)各異的樓閣建筑，映襯的時空背景是柳堤石橋，還有迤邐鋪展的雙面透空的曲廊，點(diǎn)綴其間的水榭、釣臺、圓亭、橋亭、扇亭、鐵皮亭，以及北岸的六角亭、磚牌坊、小假山，共同構(gòu)建了一幅疏密有致的園林圖景。任何一處建筑，都可以望見荷池景色，春暖花開，夏聽蛙鳴，秋不見落葉，冬不思料峭。其中還有幾枝百年古樹。石橋旁那紫藤古枝新芽，綠蔭遮日。據(jù)說當(dāng)年劉鏞看中這塊風(fēng)水寶地，是因?yàn)樗N(yùn)含著“紫氣東來”的內(nèi)涵，借此企盼今后劉家大富大貴。

跨進(jìn)內(nèi)園，一座偌大的太湖石假山撲面聳立，仿唐代詩人杜牧《山行》的“遠(yuǎn)上寒山石徑斜，白云生處有人家，停車坐愛楓林晚，霜葉紅于二月花”的詩意構(gòu)筑。沿山上三重崎嶇的小路，越攀登越幽靜。懸崖間有一石橋飛架，并有洞穴穿過。東坡栽松，西坡植楓，既不阻擋視線，又可綠蔭遮地。若是秋風(fēng)乍起，青松蒼翠，秋風(fēng)紅醉，點(diǎn)綴出滿園秋色，像絢爛后淡泊的宋詞，當(dāng)是絕佳景色。登上峰頂，俯視山下流水清漣、翠山倒影，飄逸出一種古箏獨(dú)奏般的淡雅清麗，宛如一幀意境悠遠(yuǎn)的山水畫批。

劉氏家廟門前聳立著兩座“御賜牌坊”，東為積善牌坊，西為貞節(jié)牌坊。兩座牌坊都是五樓四柱，集浮雕、鏤雕、透雕、圓雕于一體，剔透而不輕浮，莊重而不失典雅，其中人物、花卉圖案，無不栩栩如生，乃至小小的點(diǎn)綴均有出處。劉氏家廟蘊(yùn)含著豐厚的宗祠文化內(nèi)涵，清遜位皇帝溥儀御賜的九龍金匾高掛在祭廳，李鴻章、左宗棠、盛宣懷、陸潤庠、吳昌碩、徐世昌、張謇、鄭孝胥等名流題贈的對聯(lián)、楹聯(lián)，更把當(dāng)年劉家的面子捧得足足的。據(jù)當(dāng)?shù)匚幕先苏f，劉氏家廟作為小蓮莊群體建筑最為重要的組成部分，其形制、工藝充分體現(xiàn)了劉家的地位、財(cái)力與傳統(tǒng)宗族觀念，讓人品味到望族世家文人雅士的境界和涵養(yǎng)。當(dāng)代著名散文家黃裳生前將其與《紅樓夢》里的賈氏祠堂相提并論，江南罕見。

而位于家廟西側(cè)的劉氏義莊，過去是劉氏家族的慈善機(jī)構(gòu)，現(xiàn)設(shè)立了“叔蘋獎學(xué)金成就展覽館”。叔蘋即顧叔蘋，顧家是南潯“四象”之一，顧叔蘋是顧乾麟的父親，他臨終前拉著兒子的手說：“得諸社會，還諸社會。”所以顧乾麟遵循父親的遺訓(xùn)，于1939年在上海創(chuàng)辦了以他父親名字命名的獎學(xué)金，到1949年支助貧困學(xué)生達(dá)1100多人，其中有一位就是為該展館題寫?zhàn)^名的國務(wù)院原副總理兼外交部長錢其?。ǖ诹鶎锚剬W(xué)金得主）。至今，獲獎學(xué)金的學(xué)生已達(dá)8000多人，為國家人才培養(yǎng)作出了卓越的貢獻(xiàn)。因?yàn)轭櫱氲钠拮邮莿⑹献迦耍▌踩手?，所以這獎學(xué)金成就展覽館就設(shè)在這小蓮莊里，成為一道獨(dú)特的人文新景。

宜園：

一樹一石? 自饒畫趣

南潯五大巨構(gòu)之一宜園，又稱龐家花園 ，是近代書畫收藏大家龐萊臣于民國七年（1918年）在古鎮(zhèn)東柵光祿勸龐公祠西首“鹿門舊德”的基礎(chǔ)上擴(kuò)建而成，坐北朝南，前臨東大街，后達(dá)洗粉兜，西與民國元老張靜江家的東園（又名綠繞山莊）僅一墻之隔。

宜園沿街大門是粉墻黛瓦的石庫門，上有磚雕隸書“宜園”兩字，整個園林分兩大部分，前部分是樓臺亭閣、長廊曲徑，后部分則是一長方形的荷花池。

跨入園門，首先映入眼簾的是“鹿門別墅”的建筑，門上有磚雕“鹿門舊德”四字，出自漢末隱士龐德公之典故。漫步在長廊上，可見很多石刻碑帖鑲嵌在廓壁間，其中有況周頤撰文、鄭孝胥書寫的《宜園記》，以及趙孟頫正書的《湖州妙嚴(yán)寺記》等石刻。沿“館春廓”向北是“綺霞仙館”，樓上名“枕山”，裝飾精致，陳列古樸，是吟詩作畫、彈琴觀景之處。樓下室內(nèi)布置頗為歐化，配有西洋式的大玻璃窗格，窗外山石花木，相映成趣。樓前庭院遍植牡丹、芍藥，四月盛開，朵大綺麗，春意盎然。正如南潯籍清末秀才、南社社員沈伯經(jīng)老前輩的《綺霞仙館看牡丹》一詩所寫：“姚黃魏紫斗繁華，麗質(zhì)繽紛散綺霞;擷得洛陽佳種子，名園裝點(diǎn)畫閣夸?！?/p>

內(nèi)園的主體是一個十畝的荷花池。盛夏時，荷花仙子從蓬蓬綠荷中探出秀姿，隨著微風(fēng)搖曳，白的如素云，朱的似晚霞，有的還剛浮出水面，靜如少女，顯得格外優(yōu)雅、空靈、含蓄。荷花池中有一大墩，宛如小島，僅有一座九曲石橋可通。有民間傳說，過去封建帝制規(guī)定只有皇家御花園可建造九曲石橋，因龐家捐銀賑災(zāi)有功，受清帝恩賜，故有此橋。但仔細(xì)一想，就發(fā)現(xiàn)此話荒謬。宜園建于辛亥革命以后，理應(yīng)不太會受帝制的約束。但由此可見龐萊臣當(dāng)時受維新思想的影響，觀念開放，不拘一格。

南岸正中還建有“保靜山房”，四面軒窗，憑欄可飽覽四周景色。廳內(nèi)懸掛著名人書畫，充滿了濃郁的水墨韻味。此廳又名“湖心亭”，其匾額曰“半湖云錦萬芙蓉”。廳后精室稱“碧梧翠竹之廬”。窗外梔子花開時，香氣撲鼻。東曰“且住為佳”，又有一“聽雨小榭”，如適逢下雨，便可品茗聽雨，進(jìn)入一種夢幻般的詩境。雨小時，綠荷鋪展的水面上微波輕輕蕩漾;雨大時，淅淅瀝瀝，濺起點(diǎn)點(diǎn)滴滴的水花，猶如大珠小珠落玉盤，富有音樂的節(jié)奏和旋律。有時，雨大了又往往會小起來，好像亞當(dāng)和夏娃在小白樺林里的竊竊私語。

瀏覽宜園，我感悟到園主人龐萊臣善書畫，精鑒藏，設(shè)計(jì)不經(jīng)師匠，風(fēng)格獨(dú)特，建筑精巧，一樹一石自饒畫趣，可稱為南潯園林中最具特色的私家園林。詞學(xué)大師朱祖謀曾這樣描述：“春宜花，秋宜月，夏宜涼風(fēng)，冬宜睛雪，景與興會，情與時迫，無乎不審，則名曰‘宜園’。”這說明園林本身就是集建筑、文學(xué)、藝術(shù)、人生等諸多因素于一體的凝固的音樂，是中國哲學(xué)思想的集中體現(xiàn)，是造園主內(nèi)心感情的抒發(fā)。我在閱讀宜園的過去和現(xiàn)在時仿佛沉浸在一個美麗的夢想里，總覺得在荷花、碧水、假山和亭臺樓閣間的漫游中有一種對心靈的撫愛，不必刻意雕琢，每個角度出現(xiàn)的構(gòu)圖都不雜不繁，在移步換景的瞬間感悟到獨(dú)特的文化內(nèi)涵和底蘊(yùn)。

然而，不幸的是20世紀(jì)30年代，宜園內(nèi)園建筑被毀于戰(zhàn)火，外園則于20世紀(jì)70年代被拆除。在筆者兒時的記憶中，那里尚存半畝殘荷，空空蕩蕩，風(fēng)聲掠過平靜的水面，似傾訴著歲月的凄涼，又如追憶流逝的韶華。但龐氏宗祠的遺跡仍依稀可辨。宜園的外園僅存一處“競秀草堂”與兩棵300多年的羅漢松。

令人欣慰的是宜園近年已經(jīng)修復(fù)。據(jù)了解，修復(fù)宜園的總體布局、結(jié)構(gòu)、單體建筑尺度和形制等的主要依據(jù)是已故建筑專家童寯繪制的測繪圖。同時，南潯相關(guān)部門收集民國老照片、舊時書畫作品，詢問當(dāng)?shù)鼐用?，聘請南京東南大學(xué)園林專家朱光亞教授的團(tuán)隊(duì)為顧問，與本土文化老人一起實(shí)地踏訪、查閱史料、口述記錄，并多次座談、反復(fù)論證，從而有序地推動了修復(fù)進(jìn)程。如今，走進(jìn)宜園，碧蔭軒、九曲橋、魚戲亭、競秀草堂、快雪時晴、聽雨小榭等景觀別有意趣，讓人心曠神怡、目不暇接。

至今尚有遺痕的留園（覺園）也是南潯“五巨構(gòu)”之一，始建于清光緒三十一年（1905），為南潯“四象”之首富劉鏞的第三個兒子劉梯青的私人園林。此地原為元代承事郎華宏綱的園林，名“小桃源”，劉梯青憶及當(dāng)年園主泉石之幽、觴游之樂，有“述襲為園之志，抱守放進(jìn)之心”，取名“留園”，正好“留”也與“劉”同音。這正是一種懷古寄情之意境。留園布局疏朗有致，以兩大荷塘為主景，內(nèi)栽花木、果樹、翠竹，取田野自然之趣;池中植紅白蓮，池邊曲徑通幽，小畦錯雜，湖石可倚。陸樹藩《留園記》寫道：“春之日，惠風(fēng)和暢，花香木茂，好鳥時鳴;及乎夏季，池上荷花盛開，紅白相間，妙香撲鼻;秋則筱煙蕉露，爽氣逼人;冬則風(fēng)雪之中，離落橫枝，梅花索笑，四時樂賞于此，俱具清明幽雅之娛，無繁華綺靡之留 ?！币苍S這就是對當(dāng)時留園風(fēng)景絕妙的寫照。20世紀(jì)30年代留園后一部分贈予外甥徐氏（麟石），名為“覺園”，也稱“徐家花園”。但遺憾的是，抗日戰(zhàn)爭期間，這里的建筑大多被毀，至今僅存荷花池了。

穎園：

動感地帶? 風(fēng)韻猶存

穎園是南潯“八?！敝魂愳阍ㄔ?，字竹坪）所建。它位于富有傳奇色彩的皇御河畔，占地11.07畝，始建于清同治元年（1862），于光緒元年（1875）落成。有一種時髦說法，穎園屬于“動感地帶”的住宅花園。妙就妙在它是鳥兒棲息之處，“高墻鎖深宅，古木任鶯鬧”。園內(nèi)參天的古木，有百年以上的廣玉蘭、香樟及紫藤。春有茶花、繡球花，那一串串紫藤花好看極了;夏有潔白如雪的廣玉蘭;秋有丹桂飄香;冬有傲霜斗雪的蠟梅。早些年每當(dāng)夜晚，數(shù)百成千只野八哥飛回來了，棲息在樹上。晚風(fēng)和著婉轉(zhuǎn)的鳥鳴，這是一曲多么優(yōu)美的天籟之音！但遺憾的是后來一棵廣玉蘭“病”了，雖經(jīng)管理人員盡力搶救，仍無能回天。至今只留下一棵廣玉蘭孤獨(dú)地守衛(wèi)在園中了。

穎園可謂四季花香，鳥語不絕。太湖石假山錯落有致，曲徑通幽?！百p月樓”在池面一側(cè)，樓邊有一排紫紅木的玻璃長窗，畫梁雕柱，古色古香;另一幢烏瓦粉墻，名曰“養(yǎng)心榭”，過去是陳氏吟詩作畫、弈棋撫琴之所。臨池一面內(nèi)置花紋木雕扶欄，外設(shè)一排落地玻璃長窗。長窗的束腰板，上面雕刻有《西廂記》的戲文圖案;榭內(nèi)西側(cè)一對長門窗，裙板由紅木制作，束腰板上刻名家詩詞，裙板皆為木雕山水。其中一副《耕織圖》構(gòu)圖別致，刀法精湛，是南潯不可多得的文化注腳。當(dāng)年陳煦元之子陳詩曾與詩友在此成立“江村吟社”，飲酒品茗，吟詠唱和，別有情趣。顧名思義，江村有江也有水。潯溪就是那個村莊的名字。詩人們一般都很高蹈，一個村字，把詩人們降臨到一個有塵土和農(nóng)桑的所在，在此更開闊，更自由，更能虔誠地頂禮詩神。因此，江村吟社，這是一個很恰當(dāng)而富有詩意的名字。據(jù)說這是南潯古鎮(zhèn)成立最早的詩社之一。

穎園池畔還有一幢磚木結(jié)構(gòu)的建筑“玉香閣”，若登樓小坐，可飽覽滿園景色。正如園林專家陳從周在《水鄉(xiāng)南潯》一文中所稱頌的，“倒影清澈，極緊湊多姿”，真是點(diǎn)睛之筆，相當(dāng)精辟。

述園：

如入壺天中? 行走于山道

述園南臨毓秀河，原主為南潯絲商朱瑞瑩（1832—1888），字士玉，號蘭第。他繼承家學(xué)，樂善好施，熱心公益事業(yè)，并擅長詩文，述園是他與同好們的吟詠雅集之所。20世紀(jì)30年代園林專家童寯先生去探訪時述園已歸于“八?！敝坏拿芳遥史Q其為“梅氏述園”。述園當(dāng)年水院、旱院合一的格局頗具匠心，但歷經(jīng)滄桑演變，至今尚存的僅是一座六開間的快閣和一處小巧精致的庭園。院中堆疊洞穴幽邃的假山，布置姿態(tài)靈秀的奇石，小中見大，構(gòu)成了獨(dú)特的景觀，與偏于一隅的小亭和高聳出檐的古樹相映成趣。不過，庭院雖小，其理景手法卻相當(dāng)豐富，在晚清江南園林中具有一定的代表性。晚清詩人徐延祺詩云：“朱門樓閣敞青云，一色玻璃耀眼明。是我昔日舊游地，軒窗改換幾經(jīng)營。真疑碧玉壺中立，仿佛山陰鏡里行。”詩中描述在樓閣里憑欄遠(yuǎn)眺，視野開闊，新安裝的玻璃晶瑩透亮，人在園內(nèi)游覽如入壺天之中、行走在山陰道上。

快閣是述園的主要建筑，但它的局部已經(jīng)過改建，環(huán)碧堂、嘯石和蘭花均已不存。據(jù)南潯方志記載，快閣高三層，可能是將頂部兩層視為一層，從老照片判斷，實(shí)際上應(yīng)為四層，分為上下兩部分。下部二層均寬六間，采用歇山屋頂，出檐很少，垂脊平直，翹角不明顯;上部二層僅寬二間，也采用歇山頂，但飛檐高翹，造型靈動，與上下建筑形成對比。在此還可眺望周邊的河流、民居和小巷，拓展了園林空間，因其高大而使人暢感登臨之快。述園快閣沿襲傳統(tǒng)建筑的文化內(nèi)涵，人在閣內(nèi)不同樓層皆可透過門窗從不同角度領(lǐng)略北部庭院，猶如一幅立體的水墨長卷，俯仰之間景致多變，意境頗為悠遠(yuǎn)，與蘇州、揚(yáng)州等地的庭園小景相比，各有所長，其造園手法仍值得當(dāng)下人研究和借鑒。述園庭院中的花壇內(nèi)還高聳著三尊石峰，形態(tài)優(yōu)美，肌理豐富，色澤溫潤，下部則以較小的山石砌成底座，將三尊石峰高高托起，與日本古典園林中常以三塊山石構(gòu)成石組可謂頗為相似。另有古樸挺拔的白皮松一株，成為假山間小亭畔重要的豎向構(gòu)圖元素，園中小徑曲折多變，由鵝卵石鋪設(shè)路面，并采用瓷片鑲嵌成松鶴、蝙蝠等吉祥圖案。

南潯園林：

遠(yuǎn)近山水? 咫尺千里

南潯園林，善于運(yùn)用“遠(yuǎn)近山水，咫尺千里”之畫理，以“移天縮地”之手法，將詩情畫意注入園林，濃縮了自然界的山水美景，徜徉其間，仿佛置身于大自然的懷抱。因?yàn)榻蠄@林起步比北方晚，到東晉時吳縣才有建造;到宋代，特別是南宋，隨著宋王朝的南遷，不論皇親貴族還是大賈巨富，都紛紛營造私家園林，所以使江南園林大興。明清時期，尤其是清代中后期，南潯園林成為江南近代園林發(fā)展中的一個突出的異數(shù)和個案。一些致富發(fā)跡的名門望族往往把自己的思想理念、文化素養(yǎng)和生活情趣寄托在造園立意之中，不僅在園林中筑山挖池、植樹種花，而且大多建有收藏古籍、書畫、文物的書樓和藏館，值得一提的是，在專門用來藏書的嘉業(yè)堂藏書樓內(nèi)也建有精致小巧的園林。他們追求一種“順乎自然、回歸自然”的意境，一種融游覽、休閑、藏書、吟詠于一體的時空建筑藝術(shù)，使優(yōu)雅清麗的園林平添了濃郁的書香氣息。

南潯園林，傳承了江南古典園林的傳統(tǒng)表現(xiàn)手法，但在立意、構(gòu)思和置景上，卻各有獨(dú)特的風(fēng)格和文化內(nèi)涵。如宜園的南半部樓亭閣榭布局曲折，北半部則荷池意境開闊，集江南園林布景之精華，借田園野趣，情景交融，靈氣飄逸。小蓮莊有山有水、峰回路轉(zhuǎn)，不顯局促，各有章法，宛如進(jìn)入“水隨山轉(zhuǎn)，山因水活”之境。但論及構(gòu)思精巧，恐怕還是建于清代光緒年間的宜園最妙，正如清代詞人朱疆村所云，“春宜花，秋宜月，夏宜涼風(fēng)，冬宜晴雪”。毋庸置疑，宜園主人龐萊臣是著名書畫鑒藏家，故宜園自饒畫趣，成為中國近代園林之上選。這說明園林本身是集建筑與文學(xué)藝術(shù)于一體的凝固的音樂，是造園主抒發(fā)情感的心曲，是一個地方在特定的時期政治、經(jīng)濟(jì)和文化的表現(xiàn)和象征。遺憾的是，歷經(jīng)兵燹，宜園己蕩然無存，但旱船模型尚存于同濟(jì)大學(xué)建筑系，乃當(dāng)年匠師顧祥甫先生所為。欣喜的是，近年來經(jīng)當(dāng)?shù)赜嘘P(guān)部門規(guī)劃重建，目前已初步重現(xiàn)昔日風(fēng)采。

南潯園林，融入了西歐的建筑藝術(shù)和文化元素，可謂自成體系，中西文化巧妙結(jié)合。 根據(jù)中國傳統(tǒng)建筑元素與西方建筑要素的組合方式，南潯近代園林的“中西合璧”建筑大體可分為“中上西下”的建筑構(gòu)成、“中外西內(nèi)”的立面組織，以及“中式為主”的單體建筑、“西式為主”的門樓建筑和中西相反相成的門樓建筑等。如穎園的假山旁有一座兩層的玉香閣，屋頂采用中式古建筑的歇山頂，置有空花平脊和垂脊，四邊飛檐翹角，而閣的立面墻上則設(shè)置了歐式大玻璃拱形門窗。又如小蓮莊原七十二鴛鴦樓至鷓鴣溪畔，一座高約4.6米的歐式磚牌樓赫然聳立，門額由鄭孝胥書寫“小蓮莊”三字，以灰磚為主體，紅磚線腳點(diǎn)綴其間，拱券門洞上的紅磚券臉尤為醒目。這座磚牌樓雖無繁復(fù)的磚雕圖案，但尺度合宜、線腳豐富，體現(xiàn)了近代歐式建筑簡約的特性。難怪法國國家建筑師協(xié)會名譽(yù)主席阿蘭 · 馬蘭諾斯稱贊說：“我已經(jīng)三次到南潯了。每一次來南潯都有不同的感受。我特別驚奇，特別喜歡小蓮莊，在小蓮莊可以看到中西文化的交流和融合?！?/p>

但總體而言，南潯近代園林的構(gòu)思、意境、形態(tài)和風(fēng)格，還是與中國江南古典私家園林一脈相承的。大多采用先抑后揚(yáng)、大小開合的手法，尤其是較大型的園林明顯呈現(xiàn)兩大分區(qū)格局。同時，在這些較大的園林中，幾乎都建有藏書的樓閣，而在專門的藏書樓閣范圍內(nèi)，也必有園林。詩文雅集更成為傳統(tǒng)文人私家園林活動的重要內(nèi)容，即使社會上組織的雅集活動，也常利用園林舉行。因此藏書和雅集就必然成為南潯近代園林文化的雙璧?？梢哉f，從1862年到1924年間陸續(xù)建成的穎園、述園、東園、小蓮莊、留園（覺園）、適園、宜園等都是如此。這些園林如詩如畫的園林意境，精美獨(dú)特的園林建筑，吟詠唱和的文化氛圍，都折射出中國傳統(tǒng)的文化內(nèi)涵和文化底蘊(yùn);而引進(jìn)的西方園林建筑藝術(shù)和文化元素，又體現(xiàn)了運(yùn)河文化的多元兼容和“西風(fēng)東漸”這一時代特征。當(dāng)然，江南乃至全國的近代園林也不少，但南潯無疑是典型的個案和異數(shù)。也許，這就是南潯近代園林雖為時較晚但風(fēng)格獨(dú)特，而被譽(yù)為“中國古典園林的最后一抹晚霞”之內(nèi)涵所在。

Classical Chinese Gardens in Nanxun

By? Lu Shihu

Nanxun， a Jiangnan （south of the Yangtze River） ancient town in Huzhou city， Zhejiang province， is a place where modern gardens gather. Since the Southern Song dynasty （1127-1279）， Nanxun has boasted 26 gardens of various styles， and it is an important regional genre when it comes to Chinese gardens. In modern history， thanks to the internationally famed Jili silk， so called because it was produced in Jisi village in Huzhou city， a number of local families in the business rose up. They laid emphasis not only on the natural spirit emanating from the arrangement of rockeries， ponds， plants and trees， in pursuit of the synthesis of architectural and natural beauty as well as their poetic expression， but also combined the garden landscapes with literary gatherings， book collections and poetry recitals， a result of following the traditional gardens of the literati’s. On top of these， these gardens also absorbed elements from the Western culture， giving rise to many unique architectural buildings that have integrated both the Chinese and the Western styles. As Tong Jun （1900-1983）， an eminent modern garden expert， wrote in his book A Record of the Gardens of Jiangnan： “Since the Southern Song dynasty， four places have stood out on Chinese gardens， namely Huzhou， Hangzhou， Suzhou and Yangzhou， Huzhou and Hangzhou in particular.” “The best of Huzhou gardens， in fact， have been concentrated in the town of Nanxun. There are five gardens， all of which are huge structures， the only ones of their kind in the Jiangnan area.”

According to Zhu Diaozhen， a professor from Tsinghua University and editor of Modern Gardens in Nanxun， the Jiangnan gardens can be divided into two categories， namely residence gardens and country gardens. Residence gardens are mostly connected with the residences， located in the urban areas. They are attached to the residences， built on their sides or at their backs， hence commonly referred to as the “back garden”. Country gardens， found in rural areas， are much larger in size， and they are also known as suburban gardens. While country gardens were smaller in the beginning， later on， more private country gardens were built on the relatively spacious field in suburbs， and the garden area gradually increased. Meanwhile， the configuration of the garden landscape became much more direct and open， full of idyllic charm. Rockeries were stack up and pavilions were put in place mainly to acquire a higher view. These gardens generally don’t have any walls， separated only by creeks， which can be crossed quite easily. In Nanxun， the five modern gardens in Nanxun — the Yi Garden， the Shi Garden， the Xiao Lian （Little Lotus） Garden， the Liu Garden （also called Jue Garden） and the Dong （East） Garden are all country gardens. These gardens are not only “giant” in terms of area covered， but also are a perfect blend of compatibility， artistry and randomness. They are innovative in conception， grand in configration and philosophical in artistic conception. With the transformation of society and culture in modern times， their layout designs and functions have also been changing.

Built in 1885， Little Lotus Garden is the only one of the five “giant” gardens in Nanxun that has been left intact. Covering an area of 27 mu （or 1.8 hectares）， it used to be a private garden of Liu Yong （1826-1899）， who was once reputed to be the richest person in Nanxun. The garden was thus named because Liu was an admirer of the Huzhou-born Zhao Mengfu （1254-1322）， the renowned Yuan dynasty （1206-1368） painter and calligrapher， who built a garden called Lotus Garden. For three generations spanning a period of 40 years， the Lius had meticulously managed the garden. Now， it is a fascinating mix of garden， lakes， pavilions， rockeries， trees， and lotus flowers.

The architecture of the Little Lotus Garden consists of three major parts， the garden proper， the ancestral hall and the philanthropic hall. The garden proper includes the outer garden and the inner garden. A lotus pond covering an area of 10 mu （or 2/3 hectares） takes up the main part the outer garden. On the west lies a corridor of inscriptions from different periods of history. Located next to the corridor is a hall opening on all four sides; the exquisite hall is where the host once invited literary figures for poetry recitals. In the inner garden sits a grand rockery built with the Taihu Lake stones. Up the hill， with pines and maples planted on either side， one will find a small stone bridge under which is a cave. Standing on the top and looking down at the pond below， it is as if the whole place is a Chinese landscape painting.

In front the ancestral hall of the Lius stand two memorial arches， both bestowed by the Qing （1616-1911） emperors. Inside the hall hang all the couplets gifted from the luminaries at the time， including Li Hongzhang （1823-1901）， Zuo Zongtang （1812-1885）， Sheng Xuanhuai （1844-1916）， Wu Changshuo （1844-1927）， among others. The philanthropic hall now is an exhibition hall showing the achievements of a scholarship set up by the family. More than 8，000 students have so far benefited from it.

Another one of the five “giant” gardens in Nanxun， the Yi Garden was built by Pang Laichen （1864-1949）， one of the best-known painting and calligraphy collectors of his time， in 1918. Constructed near the Pang family’s ancestral hall， the Yi Garden is also known as the “Pangs’ Garden”. In fact， on the west， the Yi Garden is only separated by a wall from the Dong （East） Garden， one of the five “giant” gardens in Nanxun as well. The front door of the Yi Garden， facing the main street on the east， is a white-wall black-tile gate a la the Shikumen style， on top of which is written two Chinese characters “Yi Yuan” in lishu （or the clerical script）.

The Yi Garden is composed of two parts： the front part includes halls and pavilions as well as winding corridors， while a rectangular lotus pond sits at the back. Touring the Yi Garden， one can’t help but feel fascinated by its unique style. As a painter， a calligrapher and a collector， Pang Laichen didn’t rely on any master craftsman for its design. In spite of this， or rather because of this， the Yi Garden looks distinctive in its own right： a tree and a rock could already paint a picture. Which shows that the garden itself is architecture， literature， arts， life and many other factors condensed into a concrete musical expression; it is an embodiment of Chinese philosophy and a revelation of the owners’ innermost feelings. Although the architecture inside the Yi Garden was destroyed in wars in the 1930s and the outer part was also demolished in the 1970s， it has been restored in recent years. Based on the survey map of Tong Jun， the garden expert， the local government has invited experts， conducted interviews， consulted old photos and historical records before kickstarting the restoration project. Now， it feels quite refreshing walking around the Yi Garden.

The Liu Garden is one of the five “giant” gardens in Nanxun as well. Built in 1905， it was a private garden belonging to Liu Tiqing （1876-1950）， the third son of Liu Yong. In fact， the first owner of the garden as an official in the Yuan dynasty. Since Liu intended to “keep the garden as it was”， he named the garden “Liu” （meaning “keep” or “remain”）， which， incidentally， is also pronounced the same as his family name. Unfortunately， most of the structures in the garden was reduced to ruins during China’s War of Resistance Against the Japanese Aggression. What remains now is only a lotus pond.

Then， there are also the Ying Garden and the Shu Garden， both constructed during the late Qing period.

After examining the Nanxun gardens， one will find that they are very good at applying a well-known the idea in Chinese painting， that is “mountains and rivers far and near， although close， may appear as if thousands of miles away”. Simply put， they have used the technique of “shrinking the landscapes and sceneries”， transplanted them onto the gardens， and injected poetics into the garden. That is why when one walks in these gardens， it feels as if they are wandering in the embrace of nature. Since the development of gardens in the Jiangnan area lagged behind its northern counterparts， it wasn’t until the Eastern Jin dynasty （317-420） that gardens had been started to be built. Then during the Song dynasty， especially the Southern Song dynasty （1127-1279）， with the move of the imperial court to the south， both the aristocrats and the rich were into the building of private gardens， therefore heralding a boom in gardens in the Jiangnan area. Later， in the Ming and Qing dynasties， particularly in the middle and late Qing period， the Nanxun gardens were more an exception than a rule in the development history of modern gardens in this region. Some of the wealthy and prominent local families sought to convey their own thoughts， ideas， values， as well as their cultural accomplishments and life interest through private gardens. They not only dug ponds， set up rockeries and planted trees and flowers in the gardens as was usually done; they also built libraries and pavilions for ancient books， paintings， calligraphies and cultural relics. Indeed， inside the compounds of the Jiayetang Library， one of Nanxun’s best-known libraries established in the 1920s， a smaller but elegant garden could also be found. The owners of these gardens pursued a state of “embracing nature， returning to nature”. Blending travel， leisure and book collections， the gardens have been given an extra layer of literary touch.

Although the gardens in Nanxun have inherited the traditional way of expression of those classical Jiangnan gardens， they have developed their own unique styles and cultural connotations in terms of artistic conception and landscape setting. For example， the various pavilions and halls in the southern and northern parts of the Yi Garden have been explicitly arranged in a zigzagging manner， while the north half with the lotus pond is quite spacious and open， the quintessence of how Jiangnan gardens are generally designed. For the Little Lotus Garden， the hills， and rockeries have been intertwined with the pools and ponds， and yet each also stand on its own： the whole garden doesn’t seem that open， but still open enough to not feel constrained; and it is “water flowing with the hills and hills becoming alive because of water”. However， in terms of artistic conception， the most ingenious one should probably still go to the Yi Garden. The fact that Pang Laichen， the original owner of the Yi Garden， was a famous calligraphy and painting connoisseur and collector meant that he had designed it just like a Chinese painting. The Yi Garden is undoubtedly one of the top gardens in modern China. Again， it goes to show that gardens are themselves manifestations of the feelings of their creators， and they are also the political， economic and cultural symbols of a specific period. While the war-ravaged Yi Garden disappeared long ago， its former glory and elegance are gradually restored under the unsparing efforts of the local authorities.

Integrating the architectural arts and cultural elements of the Western Europe， the gardens in Nanxun have in fact developed a system of their own， a creative mix of the Chinese and Western cultures. Based on the combination of the traditional Chinese and Western architectural elements， the architecture in these “Chinese-Western” fused Nanxun gardens can be roughly divided into several categories， including “Chinese-top Western-down” structures， “Chinese-outside Western-inside” facades， “Chinese-style-dominated” buildings， among others. For instance， a two-story pavilion named the Yuxiang Pavilion next to the rockery in the Ying Garden. While the roof of the pavilion is an East Asian hip-and-gable roof， a common style in ancient Chinese architecture， its walls have been set with European-style arched windows and doors with large pieces of glass. Another example is the Little Lotus Garden in which a European-style brick archway measuring 4.6 meters can be seen. On the top of the archway was written the three Chinese characters “Xiao Lian Zhuan” （Little Lotus Garden） by Zheng Xiaoxu （1860-1938）， a famed calligrapher of the time. Although the brick archway does not feature the complicated brick carving patterns， it is a typical modern European structure with a minimalist style. It is little wonder that Alain Marinos， honorary president of the Association Nationale des Architectes des Batiments de France （the National Association of the Architects of the Buildings of France）， once said： “I have been to Nanxun three times. Every time I come to the ancient town， I have different feelings. I’m especially fond of the Little Lotus Garden， where I could see the exchanges between and fusion of Chinese and Western cultures.”

All in all， the artistic conceptions， forms and styles of modern Nanxun gardens are still identified with the lineage of the China’s classical private gardens in the Jiangnan area. Most of them adopt the technique of “diminishing first and exalting later” and “closing and opening spaces in contrasting”， with the larger gardens in particular showing a two-part or two-zone pattern. At the same time， in these larger gardens， almost all have been equipped with pavilions as libraries， and within the premises of these pavilions， one will surely find smaller gardens— gardens within gardens. Literary gatherings had long been an important part of the activities organized by the owners of the traditional private gardens. Even publicly organized literary gatherings were often held in these gardens. Unsurprisingly， book collections and literary gatherings are the “double pillars”， and the most distinctive characteristics of the modern garden culture in Nanxun. The Ying Garden， the Shu Garden， the Dong （East） Garden， the Little Lotus Garden， the Liu Garden， the Shi Garden and the Yi Garden are all like this. The picturesque artistic conception of these gardens， the exquisite and unique garden architecture， and the literary and cultural atmosphere are reflections of the rich accumulation of traditional Chinese culture. Whereas the introduction of garden architectural arts and cultural elements from the West shows the inclusiveness of Great Canal culture and the tendency at that time to “borrow and learn from the West”. It is true that there are many modern gardens in the Jiangnan area and around China， but those in Nanxun are definitely an “anomaly”. Perhaps that is the reason why modern gardens in Nanxun emerged relatively late in China， but have been praised as “the last piece of afterglow among the classical Chinese gardens”.