Inspiring couplets double up the fun
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, July 16, 2014
Throughout history, Chengdu has been one of China's economic and cultural centers. As a prosperous city, a cultural movement flourished and the city often provided shelter for people when other parts of the country were in chaos.
Chengdu is the birthplace of great writers like Sima Xiangru, Yang Xiong and Yang Sheng'an in ancient times. In the modern era, the famous writers Bai Jin and Li Jieren were from Chengdu. This literary history has attracted other famous wordsmiths including Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Dongpo and Lu You.
There are still some memorial halls dedicated to these literary giants around the city.
Yang Sheng'an (1488-1559) recorded the top score in the imperial examination when he was young and is regarded as the most erudite scholar of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
At Guihu Park there is a hall dedicated to Yang. A statue of the scholar stands and a collection of his works are exhibited. A couplet in the park praises him and his father, also a famous scholar, and the beauty of their hometown. It reads: Respect to the father and the son, whose virtue and achievements will long shine in history; praise to the land of fragrance, where the lake offers beautiful sights all year round. The "land of fragrance" refers to Xindu, where thousands of osmanthus trees perfume the air when the flowers bloom in autumn. The lake refers to Guihu Lake, where the memorial hall stands nearby.
Chengdu proudly remembers the great people who have contributed to the land. A couplet in Dujiangyan City, where one of the greatest irrigation systems in the world was built and still benefits Sichuan, is a tribute to Li Bing, who sponsored the project.
The couplet reads: Profound is his wisdom in managing water, and people in the vast area owe to his achievement; great is the project for promoting productivity, and the Land of Abundance benefits from the project.
The city's cultivated tradition has influenced ordinary people, illustrated by their use of hanging couplets.
One of the best known examples is the couplet at Panchanshi Restaurant. Dating back more than 90 years, the restaurant's couplet speaks of the basic approach to Chinese cooking. It reads: No vegetable excels in taste over the plain-flavored cabbage; only pork enjoys the most popularity among meat of all kinds.
Tan Jihe, a well-known historian and archaeologist, told Chengdu Daily that couplets are a distinctive artistic form that evolved from ancient Chinese poems and phrases. It can be used for numerous occasions. In ancient China, it was also a common present among scholars and poets.
"A wide range of topics can be included in a couplet," Tan added.
"Some can be written to express one's concerns for people and country, and some can be a light-hearted summary of the poetic landscape. Couplets have the power to inspire people."
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