The Legend of Qi Jiyuan
The legend of Qi Ji Garden is a folk literature project in the second batch of representative projects of Xuzhou's municipal intangible cultural heritage. After Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, Liu Heng, ascended the throne in 179 BC, he immediately issued an order to build a magnificent Qi Ji Garden in Wangxing Village, Liangji Town, Suining County. Qi Ji Garden covers an area of 60 mu, with three courtyards and surrounded by a dense reed field. The trees in the garden are so big that they can be hugged, and the green shade is like a canopy. There are 15 main halls, three east and west wing rooms, and five front rooms. Inside, there is a statue of Madam Qi sitting in the middle. Madam Qi wears a golden phoenix crown and a sun, moon, dragon and phoenix jacket. She sits on the altar, and behind her are two palace maids playing the sun, moon, dragon and phoenix fan. Behind the west wing is the dry well where Madam Qi saved Liu Bang from hiding. There is a big bell in the courtyard, weighing about a thousand pounds. Every year on the 29th day of the first lunar month, the 29th day of the second lunar month, and the 29th day of the third lunar month, villagers from all directions come here to burn incense and worship. There are huge crowds of people. Why did Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty build the Qi Ji Garden in Wangxing Village? There is a beautiful and tragic legend about how Qi Ji saved her master by stabbing him in the foot, but was later persecuted by Empress Lü and turned into a "human pig". The people of Liangji have a deep affection for Qi Ji. They always tell the legend of Qi Ji Garden in the form of "talking" and "telling stories", and pass it on to future generations. The legend of Qi Ji Garden is mainly distributed in Liangji Town, Suining County and surrounding areas. Since its establishment in the Han Dynasty, Qi Ji Garden has been destroyed and rebuilt many times, and was flooded three times in the Qing Dynasty alone. In the first month of the sixtieth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty, the abbot monk Tongchuan erected a stele to record the events. The broken stele still exists. The inscription says, "Qi Ji Garden was founded in the Han Dynasty and there is no previous evidence. It was rebuilt in the second year of Daocheng, and was rebuilt twice in the twenty-third year of Emperor Kangxi and the thirty-sixth year of Emperor Qianlong. There are broken stele to verify. This broken stele now exists outside the south wall of the west side house of Qi Ji Garden, with two stone drums, and the style of the past can still be seen. "The Legend of Qi Ji Garden" spans two thousand years and is an important part of the culture of the Han Dynasty, and is integrated with the folk stories of Gu Pi. The content of the story is original, with distinct local characteristics and rich cultural tastes. It not only truly reflects the main content of the creative wisdom of the people of Liangji Town, but also is the first-hand material for studying the development of Liangji. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)