Tai Zhouwu and the Ancient Lotus

Tai Zhouwu and the Ancient Lotus

A pond of ancient lotuses unveils a piece of history and leads to the discovery of ancient ruins.

In the summer of 1984, a pond in the northern water tank of Tai Zhouwu Village suddenly burst into bloom with lotus flowers. No one had planted them, yet the pond was densely covered with broad, thick stems and large, pink blossoms that were truly captivating. For a time, the news of “Ancient Lotus Blooming in Western Beijing” became a sensational story. Both the Beijing Daily and the Beijing Evening News reported on it, accompanied by

photos. Visitors flocked to the site in an endless stream. To protect the surrounding crops, the village had no choice but to put up ropes and start charging admission. People suddenly recalled that this area had been a reed pond for many years, and a few years earlier, there had been plans to turn it into a fish farming pond. During the expansion of the pond, large quantities of lotus seeds were unearthed multiple times. Some granite slabs were also dug up. Elders then began to recall old legends—that this place was once the garden of a prince’s mansion during the Qing Dynasty, and there was even a folk rhyme: “To become an official, find Suo San.” Experts were called in to investigate and concluded that this was indeed the site of Suo Etu’s garden villa.

Suo Etu was a favored minister of Emperor Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty. Of Manchu ethnicity from the Plain Yellow Banner and the Heseri clan, he was the third son of Sony, the foremost of the Four Regents in the early Kangxi era, and the uncle of Empress Xiaochengren. Holding a prominent position, he participated in many significant political decisions and events, earning the title of “Pillar of the Kangxi Court.” At the time, he and the Prime Minister Mingzhu were considered the right and left hands of Emperor Kangxi.

In the early years of Emperor Kangxi’s reign, when Ao Bai wielded excessive power, Suo Etu assisted the emperor in organizing young Manchu men to practice “Buku” (wrestling), and devised a plan to capture Ao Bai, eliminating his entire faction. As a result, he earned deep trust from the emperor.

In the 27th year of Kangxi’s reign (1688), Suo Etu was appointed as an imperial envoy and led a Qing delegation to Selenginsk to negotiate border issues with Russian representatives. However, due to the invasion of the Khalkha Mongols by Galdan, leader of the Dzungar tribe, the route was blocked, forcing them to turn back halfway. The following year, Russia proposed Nerchinsk as the negotiation site. Suo Etu remained the chief representative of the Qing delegation and led the team to Nerchinsk to negotiate with Russian representative F.A. Golovin. During the talks, Suo Etu clarified that the Heilongjiang River basin belonged to China and firmly refuted Russia’s unreasonable demands to use the Heilongjiang or Yaksa rivers as borders. Eventually, the two sides signed the first Sino-Russian treaty—the Treaty of Nerchinsk—which established the Argun River, the Gerbilji River, and the Outer Xing’an Range to the sea as the eastern border between China and Russia. Suo Etu participated in two campaigns to suppress the Dzungar rebellion. In the 40th year of Kangxi’s reign (1701), he retired due to old age. Later, during the Qing court’s internal power struggles, he sided with the Crown Prince Yinreng. In the 42nd year of Kangxi’s reign (1703), he was imprisoned by the Imperial Clan Court on charges of “discussing state affairs and forming factions for personal gain,” and later died in custody.

After Emperor Kangxi built the Changchun Garden near the current west gate of Peking University, he made it his long-term office. At the same time, he granted different plots of land near Changchun Garden to princes and ministers. The famous Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) was a gifted garden bestowed upon the fourth prince, Yinzhen (later Emperor Yongzheng). When Suo Etu accompanied Emperor Kangxi to reside at Changchun Garden, he lived in the Hanlin Apartments within Chenghuai Garden. This garden was located just a short distance north of Changchun Garden. According to the 18th volume of the Qing Dynasty’s *Yangjizhai Conglu*: “Chenghuai Garden is southeast of Yuanmingyuan, a gifted garden to Grand Secretary Suo Etu during the Kangxi era.” A plaque inscribed with Emperor Kangxi’s calligraphy “Restrain Extravagance and Observe Propriety” hung in the main hall.

Suo Etu held immense power and wealth in his official capacity, with hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and silver stored at home. After being dismissed from office, living in the city became inconvenient. To live in seclusion, he chose Tai Zhouwu, over 30 li from the capital, and built his residence and garden in the northern part of the village. To the west of Suo Etu’s garden lay Black Dragon Pool, which had abundant spring water that could be channeled into the garden. The garden covered over 50 mu, with its western wall situated along the road from northern Tai Zhouwu Village to Dongbutou Village. The location where the granite slabs were unearthed was the site of a waterside structure in the garden. In front of the waterside structure was the main hall of the residence, beside which was a smaller courtyard with rockeries and flower stands. With bamboo shadows and floral fragrances, it was a tranquil retreat. At its peak, the small garden was a scenic landscape garden centered around water features. Water from Black Dragon Pool flowed from west to east, reaching the front gate of Suo Etu’s garden. Instead of flowing directly into the garden, the water turned north, crossing a stone bridge. Then, the stream turned east again, with one branch flowing toward the rice fields of Zhenjia in the eastern part of the village, while 40% of it entered Suo Etu’s garden. The second bridge ran from north to south. The stream meandered eastward, and a flat bridge was built over it. The water flowed under the bridge, then turned north, forming a small arc called “Xiao Wanzi” (Little Bend). It then flowed east into the Yu River, eventually entering the Changle River via Tun dian Village. A sluice gate was built on the northern wall of the garden to regulate the flow of water into it. Judging by the terrain of the pond site, the bridge site, and the western wall site, the layout followed a pattern of residence in front and garden at the back. After Suo Etu was executed, the garden, being far from the capital, was likely left unused for a long time and, due to years of neglect, fell into disrepair. On September 23, 1730, the 8th year of the Yongzheng era, a major earthquake struck the capital. Baijiatuan Village was at the epicenter, and Suo Etu’s garden may have been destroyed in this earthquake.

Hot Spring Area: The Hot Spring Town is located in the northwest suburbs of Beijing, in the southern part of the Haidian Northern New District. Blessed with favorable winds and water, it lies against mountains and near water, and historically has been home to numerous scenic spots and villa complexes.

Historical records indicate that before the Ming Dynasty, the area now known as Hot Spring Town largely belonged to Changping County (formerly Junzhou). Its southwestern part may have been part of Yuhexian County from the late Tang Dynasty to the early Jin Dynasty. In the late Ming Dynasty, the area was roughly divided along the current road from Baiwang Mountain to the hot springs, with the northern parts such as Tai Zhouwu, Yangjiazhuang, and Dongbutou belonging to Changping County (or prefecture), and the southern areas including Baijiatuan, Hot Spring, Gaolizhang, and Xinzhuang belonging to Wanping County. By the early Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Kangxi… Detailed information about the Hot Spring area++