Slow Talk in Fuli | Retiring to Fuli with Lu Guimeng
Release date:
2023-11-10 09:00
Source:
“Fuli’s splendor shines brightly upon the market, and its many notable figures are renowned for their talent.”
This land of Luzhi
It has nurtured numerous distinguished historical figures.
Among them, the most renowned is Lu Guimeng.
Retired to Fuli together with Lu Guimeng.
Check in to these elegant pursuits.
Lu Guimeng, courtesy name Luwang, styled himself as Mr. Fuli and the Hermit of the Rivers and Lakes, among other names. Born into a distinguished and prominent family, he was renowned from an early age for his love of the poetry and classics of the ancients. In his youth, his masterful calligraphy and poetic talent earned him widespread fame throughout the Wu region. Later, weary of officialdom, he retired to Fuli (present-day Luzhi), where he devoted himself to composing poems and writing while leading a reclusive life in the countryside.
study
Valuing education and upholding tradition, passing down a time-honored scholarly ethos.
Lu Guimeng was an avid reader, and his household housed as many as thirty thousand volumes. In his “Biography of Mr. Fuli,” he wrote of himself: “Whenever I acquire a book, I pore over it thoroughly before placing it in my collection; whenever I encounter a passage that requires correction, I set it right at once, never limiting myself to a fixed number of revisions. The two pens—red and yellow—never leave my hand for a single day.” Each time he obtained a new book, he would read it carefully and collate it, with the red and yellow pens always at his side.
Lu Guimeng’s arrival left a broad and profound impact on Luzhi, ensuring that its tradition of valuing culture and education has endured for a thousand years, growing ever more vibrant with time. Following in Lu Guimeng’s footsteps, one can enter Luzhi: the Qingfeng Pavilion in the West Courtyard of Baosheng Temple remains as it was, the Chuihong Bridge exudes an ancient charm, and the ginkgo trees—standing steadfast through millennia—are gradually donning their golden hues. Strolling beneath these trees, one can savor the rich historical legacy that carries forward a cultural heritage spanning a thousand years.
Fishery
Set sail on the rivers of Jiangnan, and behold the exquisite beauty of its ancient towns.
“Beyond the wine‑flag and the reed leaves, the pavilion’s shadow lies amid the waves. With several sails unfurled in drunken ease, I wait only for the carp‑catching breeze.” Lu Guimeng, having retired to Fuli, often took his books, tea‑stove, writing bed, and fishing gear aboard a boat, drifting along the Wusong River. A devoted angler, he even composed “Fifteen Poems on Fishing Implements,” which catalogues thirteen categories comprising nineteen types of fishing gear and two methods of fishing. His poems preserve an exceptionally comprehensive inventory of Tang‑dynasty fishing equipment from the Jiangnan region, making them the earliest extant record of such classification in China.
Today, as you stroll through the ancient town of Luzhi, you can hop aboard a traditional oar‑propelled boat and, to the gentle sway of its rhythm, savor a sense of serene detachment akin to that of Lu Guimeng. The poetic scenes of quaint bridges over flowing streams and waterside homes with whitewashed walls and dark-tiled roofs take on an especially tranquil and picturesque charm beneath the warm autumn sun.
Stepping off the boat and onto the shore, I stroll along the old street, where the air is filled with the fragrant aromas of soy sauce and sweet treats—every trace of Jiangnan’s vibrant, everyday life seems to greet you. Immersed in this scene, one forgets the hustle and bustle of the world and quietly savors the refined elegance unique to this land.
Agriculture
Studying agricultural tools and tilling the fields personally.
Lu Guimeng not only devoted himself tirelessly to writing but also worked the fields as a farmer. He owned several mu of land and an extraordinary ten thousand paces of cultivated fields, and he authored China’s earliest monograph on agricultural tools, the “Laisi Jing.” This work details the invention, manufacture, and proper use of Jiangnan paddy‑field implements such as plows, harrows, and hoes. Among these, the Jiangdong plow is regarded as the definitive form of the traditional Chinese foot‑plow, marking a major milestone in the evolution of southern paddy‑field farming equipment.
Inside the Luzhi Water‑Town Agricultural Tools Museum, a life‑size Jiangdong plow stands quietly at the center of the Leisi Hall. The museum showcases the farming implements that have been used in the Jiangnan region since ancient times—ranging from wooden to iron tools—tools that have nurtured the bountiful “land of fish and rice” and borne witness to this ancient town’s thousand‑year history.
Tea
Sitting in quiet contemplation, reading and savoring the gentle fragrance of tea.
Lu Guimeng was also deeply fond of tea; he not only cultivated, processed, tasted, and evaluated it, but legend has it that he even authored a “Tea Book,” which, alongside Lu Yu’s “The Classic of Tea” and Jiao Ran’s “The Art of Tea,” was held in high regard. Regrettably, this work has been lost to the sands of time, leaving only his “Ten Odes to Tea Utensils,” which vividly and meticulously depicts ten aspects of Tang‑dynasty tea culture: the tea pavilion, the tea master, the tea basket, the tea casket, the tea house, the tea hearth, the tea roasting rack, the tea cauldron, the tea cup, and the tea‑boiling process.
Wander through Luzhi, and you might as well seek out a teahouse—where a cup of fine tea, a scroll of poetry, and the gentle waft of fragrant steam combine to grant you half a day of leisure in the romantic autumn, serene and delightfully peaceful.
Food
Fuli Duck Soup—savor a bowl of warmth.
Lu Guimeng was fond of raising and eating ducks, often treating his visiting friends to duck soup. The Fuli Duck and Fuli Duck Soup were his signature hospitality, and today they have become a hallmark of local hospitality in Luzhi.
In Fuli, duck nests a pigeon; the pigeon encloses meat, and within that meat lies an egg—each layer nested within the next. Slowly braised over low heat, the aroma gently permeates from the inside out, yielding an unparalleled richness and delicacy. This dish, designated in 2021 as part of the sixth batch of district-level intangible cultural heritage in Wuzhong District, is a unique culinary treasure exclusive to the ancient town of Luzhi. Visit Xihui Restaurant to savor this intangible cultural‑heritage specialty, where its savory essence unfolds with refined elegance on the palate.
On one hand, they are brimming with talent.
On the one hand, there is diligent practice and hard work.
Children aged six years or younger (inclusive) or measuring 1.4 meters or less in height (inclusive), seniors aged 70 years or older (inclusive), persons with disabilities, and one accompanying caregiver of a person with a severe disability are exempt from admission fees upon presentation of valid identification.
