百年石室的私家秘密

◇ 文|本刊記者 陳科龍 圖| 游 宇

百年石室的私家秘密

◇ 文|本刊記者 陳科龍 圖| 游 宇

Secrets of a Hundred-year-old Stone Chamber

Article | Chen Kelong Pictures | You Yu

在重慶城區(qū)，有一個叫“鵝嶺”的地方，重慶人幾乎無人不曉。鵝嶺的位置生得險絕，長江、嘉陵江二水南北挾持，為兩江環(huán)抱距離最近處，宛若束帶，形似鵝頸，故俗稱“鵝項(xiàng)嶺”。當(dāng)年蜀漢將軍李嚴(yán)踞守江州時，就曾計(jì)劃鑿開鵝項(xiàng)嶺，連通兩江，使江州城四面環(huán)水，成一江心洲。

在重慶生活了多年，也上過鵝嶺多次。想象中，鵝嶺公園必是今人所搗鼓出來的園藝小品，沒有多少野趣和古意，故未深探。沒曾想，鵝嶺公園內(nèi)還頗有幾處前人遺下的舊跡，只是沒有兩江亭巍峨光鮮，鮮有人提及。

全石材砌筑的桐軒石室即是其中之一。

In Chongqing, almost everyone knows Eling which lies in a perilous section coming up between the Yangtze River and Jialing River in a northsouth way, where the two rivers are at the closest distance. It is like a bunch of gird as well as a goose’s neck in shape, thus known as “Exiang Ling”. In ancient days, General Li Yan of Shu Han Dynasty once stayed in Jiangzhou, and planned to chisel Exiang Ling sharp open so as to link the two rivers together to make Jiangzhou be all surrounded by water.

I have lived in Chongqing for years and visited Eling a couple of times. I assumed that Eling Park was a creation in present days, lacking a slight touch of fun and antiquity, so never bothered to dig into its origin. It never occurred to me that there are indeed several relics left over by our predecessors, which might not be so attractive as Liangjiang Pavilion and thus be hardly mentioned.

One of the relics is Tongxuan Stone Chamber made of stones alone.

西南首富李耀庭

The Richest in the Southwest

這座百年石室的故事，得從它的建造者、當(dāng)時的西南首富李耀庭說起。

李耀庭本是云南昭通人，出身貧寒，原為挑夫。因?yàn)榈玫教祉樝槠碧柪习宓馁p識，清光緒六年（1880年）他被安排到重慶任天順祥票號渝州分號管事。接任渝州分號短短數(shù)年，李耀庭竟將天順祥的分號擴(kuò)至全國各省，一躍成為南幫票號之首。李耀庭因此分得巨額紅利，其自營鹽號“祥發(fā)公”也逐漸發(fā)展成川東最大的鹽號，成為富甲一方的西南首富。

1904年，重慶設(shè)立商務(wù)總會，李耀庭被公推為首任總理，為重慶商務(wù)實(shí)業(yè)的發(fā)展貢獻(xiàn)頗多。他熱心慈善，大力資助賑災(zāi)、救荒、修橋、興學(xué)等公益事業(yè)，為時人所稱道。李耀庭七十壽辰時，送禮祝壽者，上自六部尚書達(dá)官貴人，下至平民百姓。每晚名角表演，好戲連臺，壽慶足足長達(dá)一個月之久。

清宣統(tǒng)年間，李耀庭的兒子購下了鵝嶺上的數(shù)十畝山林，筑室建閣，營造園林，讓父老在園中頤養(yǎng)天年，并以園中所藏康熙御書《宜春帖》為園子取名“宜園”。后因李耀庭常說自己“生而好禮”，遂又將“宜園”更名為“禮園”。

民國元年，76歲的李耀庭病逝于太平門府邸。出殯之日，棺材六十四抬，送葬隊(duì)伍長達(dá)十余里。如此規(guī)模的殯葬大禮，為重慶歷來所罕見。

Stories of the chamber might be traced back to its builder Li Yaoting, who was the richest man in the southwest over a hundred years ago.

Li was born in a poor family in Zhaotong, Yunnan Province. He was a porter at first. Highly appreciated by the boss of Tian Shun Xiang Bank, he was appointed to take charge of one branch bank in Yuzhou, today’s Chongqing. Within a few years, he expanded branches of Tian Shun Xiang to provinces across China, the branch in Yuzhou ending up as the head of all banks in the south, due to which Li attained a huge amount of bonus. The salt shop “Xiang Fa Gong” owned by himself gradually developed into the biggest one in the east of Sichuan. It made him the most affluent man in the southwest.

In 1904 the chamber of commerce was established in Chongqing, Li being elected the first president. He truly made great contributions to business in Chongqing. He was keen on charity, substantially subsidizing programs like relieving those suffering from natural disasters, alleviating famine, building bridges and donating schools and so on, for which he was well acclaimed by many people. On his seventieth birthday, guests from different strata, including both dignified officials and common people, came to celebrate and send gifts. Successive performances done by excellent opera singers were available night after night, and the celebration lasted for a month.

During the period of Emperor Xuantong, Li’s son purchased acres of mountain forests on Eling, constructing chambers and pavilions and creating gardens here in order that elders in his family could spend their late years in peace. The garden was named as “Yi Garden” because one of Emperor Kangxi’s copy Yichun Tie was collected there. Later on, Li claimed often that he was a person of following propriety (Li），so the garden’s name was adapted into “ Li Garden”.

In the first year of the Republic of China, Li Yaoting passed away in his mansion around Taipin Gate. On his funeral procession, the coffin was lifted by 64 bearers, numerous people following behind the long line, which made it such a spectacular funeral ceremony that had barely held in Chongqing.

從私家園林到百姓公園

From a Private Garden to a Public Park

禮園乃舊時重慶著名的私家園林，有“園林之勝，甲于重慶”一說。尤其在清末民初時，云貴總督林紹牟、四川護(hù)理總督王人文、四川鹽茶道趙藩、四川議長蒲伯英和趙熙、云南都督蔡鍔、四川討袁軍總司令熊克武等雄踞一方的軍政大員、文人雅士常常聚集在禮園，宴飲游玩，甚至還編撰出了一本《禮園雜記》詩文集。文中記載，“四方之士道渝者……朋來則縱飲相角以詩。”蔡鍔將軍客居禮園期間，也曾賦詩云，“四野飛雪千峰會，一林落日萬松高。”

“七七事變”后，國民政府遷都重慶。國難當(dāng)頭，好些舊時的別墅林園紛紛獻(xiàn)出供政府機(jī)構(gòu)使用，禮園中的飛閣被改作了蔣介石夫婦的臨時寓所，之后，英國大使卡爾繼續(xù)在此居住了五年。園內(nèi)其他房舍則成為了各國使館駐地，如澳大利亞公使館、丹麥公使館、土耳其大使館等。

重慶解放后，禮園成為西南軍區(qū)司令部駐地，鄧小平、劉伯承、賀龍、李達(dá)等開國元勛先后在此居住。1957年，周恩來總理出訪歐亞11國回國途中在重慶停留，在禮園看到滿園都是軍人，提議把禮園擴(kuò)建成為市民提供休閑游玩的百姓公園。一年后，鵝嶺公園正式對公眾開放，私家園林自此成為百姓公園。

Li Garden was known as a private collection in Chongqing at that time, enjoying a reputation for “being the most beautiful garden throughout Chongqing”. To mention, at the time of late Qing and early Republic of China, military and political big shots as well as men of letters gathered here from time to time , among whom were Lin Shaomou (governor of Yun-Gui) , Wang Renwen(governor of Sichuan) , Zhao Fan(head of salt and tea chamber of Sichuan), Pu Boying and Zhao Xi(speaker of Sichuan), Cai E(military governor of Yun Nan) and Xiong Kewu( commander in Sichuan against Yuan Shih-kai）. They even compiled an poetic anthology called Sketches of Li Garden, a piece of it accounting, “ men from different places came to Chongqing meeting friends together, drinking and doing poems.” General Cai E’s was also lingering there, and he made a poem, “thousands of mountains meet altogether with snowflakes fluttering and scattering all over the wilderness. While the sun sets in the wood, seemingly the pine trees aiming high.”

After the July 7th Incident, the national government moved to Chongqing. Under the severe national crisis, villas and gardens were spared out to accommodate governmental agencies, whereas one pavilion in Li Garden was used by Chiang Kaishek and his lady temporarily. After that, the British ambassador Karl lived here for five years. The rest of those chambers invariably functioned as foreign embassies, including Australia, Denmark, Turkey and so forth.

Since Chongqing won its liberation, Li Garden was taken as the station for Southwest Military Area, where our founding fathers once settled down here one after another, including Deng Xiaoping, Liu Bocheng, He Long and Li Da. In 1957, Premier Zhou Enlai dropped by Chongqing on his way back from visiting 11 European and Asian countries, and when he noticed there were just military men in the garden, he thus proposed that it should be expanded into a public leisure park. One year later, Eling Park was officially opened, and hence it turned into a public facility out of a private belonging.

小石室內(nèi)藏大乾坤

Secrets Hidden in the Small Stone Chamber

桐軒石室乃禮園遺跡之一，位于鵝嶺山巔。石室為半地下空間，冬暖復(fù)涼，是李家的避暑之所。因石室四周遍植梧桐，古人認(rèn)為梧桐樹是供鳳凰所棲之樹，有期望子孫發(fā)達(dá)之意，故取名“桐軒”。

建造于清朝末年的桐軒石室，為清末民初最典型的中西合璧式建筑，中式的斗拱、鏤刻、雕花，西洋的柱頭、拱門、券窗交合在一起，不用一木一釘，全以石頭壘砌。石室內(nèi)沒有傳統(tǒng)的書法字畫裝飾，墻面滿飾昆蟲、鴨子、寶瓶、幾何紋等各式圖案的鏤雕，甚至還鏤刻上了花式的文字，“桐軒”“互助”“博愛”。石室內(nèi)是一正兩耳的格局，面積約有一百平方米。石室堂頂為羅馬式圓頂，壁面全以幾何形裝飾，石楣上方雕的是一幅在西方神廟中才能見到的石獅浮雕。

石室正中及左右兩壁分別鐫刻有“秋海棠葉”的中國地圖、世界地圖，以及太陽與地球四季圖更替圖。屋內(nèi)還陳設(shè)有大塊頭的石頭案桌，形似一間小型作戰(zhàn)指揮室，左邊是世界地圖，右邊是太陽地球四季圖，背后是中國地圖，足見原主人的理想志向和對當(dāng)年時局混亂的憂思，以及求新求變的眼光。

兩耳室各有石梯可通向屋頂?shù)挠^景平臺，登頂四望，可俯瞰嘉陵江，正如光緒年間被譽(yù)為四川“睜眼看世界”第一人的宋育仁在《題社團(tuán)亭館》詩中所詠：“步虛聲下御風(fēng)臺，一角山樓雨澗開。爽氣西浮白駒逝，江流東去海潮回。俯臨木杪孤亭出，靜聽濤音萬壑哀。”

全石材砌筑的桐軒石室乃整個山城所僅有，堪為重慶一絕。就沖這間百年石室，也不枉走一遭鵝嶺。

Tongxuan stone chamber was one of the relics in Li Garden, standing on the top of Eling. Half of the chamber lays underground, fairly warm in winter and rather cool in summer, so that the whole family would like to shelter from hotness there. The reason why the chamber was named after “Tongxuan”lies in the saying that Chinese parasol trees, grown all around the chamber, are expected to ensure children's success because they provides the very habitat for phoenixes.

Completed in late Qing Dynasty, Tongxuan stone chamber was beyond doubt one of most typical architectural practices of blended Chinese and Western culture, with Chinese bucket arches, engravings, lattices, and Western pillars, arched doors and windows cohering together, requiring not a slight piece of wood or peg but stones merely. Devoid of traditional calligraphy and paintings for ornamentation, instead, the walls are filled with exquisite engravings, to say, insects, ducks, precious vases and even geometric figures in shape as well as three groups of stylistic inscriptions like“Tongxuan”, “Huzhu” “Bo’ai ”, the latter two bearing meanings as mutual help and universal love respectively. The chamber boasts a layout of one central part with one small section rightly on each side, as well as covers an area of roughly 100 square meters. Its roof is designed into a dome in a Romanstyle fashion, with full decorations of geometric figures while there is a carved stone lion in the upper lintel that should be seen in western temples.

On the walls of the chamber, there is a map of China, a map of the world and also a picture that shows the sun and seasons alternating engraved with delicacy differently; besides, a sizable stone table is placed there. All of these together make the chamber look like a mini-sized commanding room that absolutely manifests the owner’s profound aspirations, his concerns towards a chaotic situation at that time and likewise, his insight for seeking innovation and revolution.

In the rooms on the two sides, there are stone stairs leading directly to the viewing platform on the rooftop where one could have a perfect look over Jialing River. Song Yuren, who was considered the first man to see the world in Sichuan Province, once wrote a poem, “ I stood on the top to save the trouble of strong wind, suddenly rains poured down, splashing its drops onto the mountain. As time flies so swiftly, the river runs eastward with only tides rushed back. One treetop stretched out of the pavilion, as if it was listening to the roaring waves and mountains silently.”

The stone-made Tongtuan chamber is definitely one unique and special view in Chongqing, for whose sake it is totally worth a tour to Eling.