Tulip Hall and the Water Courtyard

Tulip Hall and the Water Courtyard

Tulip Hall and the Water Courtyard are protected cultural heritage sites of Nanjing.

The Water Courtyard is located in the western part of the Tulip Hall courtyard complex. It consists of structures such as the Water Courtyard corridor, the Lotus Appreciation Hall, the Square Pavilion, and the Radiant Pavilion, with a central body of water called the Fish-Viewing Pond. The pond is planted with lotus flowers and features rock formations. In September 1979, a white marble statue of the Lady of No Sorrow was placed on one of the rocks. The statue stands 2.1 meters tall and weighs 2 tons, depicting her returning from picking mulberry leaves. The Water Courtyard corridor encircles the pond and connects the various structures including the Lotus Appreciation Hall, the Square Pavilion, and the Radiant Pavilion. It covers an area of 139.53 square meters, and its walls feature numerous stone carvings and inscriptions. The Radiant Pavilion is situated due south in the Water Courtyard, built with a brick-and-wood structure, and has a floor area of 68.99 square meters. A plaque inscribed with the words “Moonlit Breeze Pavilion” once hung inside, but it no longer exists. Today, the wooden couplet reads: “Regret that the stones of the river cannot withstand the drifting dust of dreams—where are the willow branches, where are the peach leaves? I can only envy those legendary generals and beauties whose resting places have left timeless traces. Ask how many years the moonlight by the lake has shone—after the song of the jade tree fades and the golden lotus is gone, it gathers these remaining hills and waters, where birds and flowers still echo the spring of the Six Dynasties.” This couplet was composed and written by Zeng Guangzhao.

The Square Pavilion is located at the northwest corner of the Water Courtyard. It is a two-story structure with a floor area of 42.34 square meters, originally built in the 14th year of the Guangxu reign (1888) with a wooden structure. It was rebuilt in 1974, with the lower eaves changed to a composite structure, though the roof remains wooden. The *Records of Scenic Spots in Jinling* states: “The Corner Tower of Zengyun Pavilion stands towering by the lake, offering an excellent vantage point.” The Lotus Appreciation Hall is situated at the northern end of the Water Courtyard, consisting of four rooms with a total area of 118.84 square meters, also built with a brick-and-wood structure, and its walls feature stone carvings and inscriptions. The corridor includes calligraphy by Lin Sanzhi in 1981: the clerical script characters “Poetic Mood” and the cursive script lines: “A slender stretch of water, the Lake of No Sorrow; the fair lady on the lake is named Lu. She loves not frivolous romance but purity—she envies the mulberry-picking maiden by the fields. The cool moon over Stone City curves like a bow; the splendor of six dynasties vanishes in a blink. Who resembles the lady of the Lake of No Sorrow, whose legacy flows eastward from the little bridge through the ages?” Qian Songyan inscribed the character “Spring,” Fei Xinwo wrote in cursive script: “Adjacent to a stretch of water, friendship lasts forever green.” Qian Songyan also wrote: “The last lingering light of dusk, where is the wind blowing to?” Fei Xinwo added: “The last song of the golden lotus fades, yet the colors of spring remain.” There is also a couplet: “Visiting scenic spots among flowers and birds, one would think this is where immortal beings on flat land find leisure to bathe; the good mountains form a screen—ask the birds and beasts across the stream, who is breathing in this coolness?”

Lu Xun’s cursive script from June 1931: “By the Rain Flower Terrace lie buried broken halberds; in the Lake of No Sorrow linger faint ripples. The beauty I long for is nowhere to be seen; in memory, I sing loudly under the river and sky.” Wu Zhongqi’s cursive script of Qing poet Ma Shitu’s poem *Willow Threads Weave Resentment*: “Recalling picking mulberry on the southern path, hometown... flowing eastward. Longing to confide in reversed writing, the wind caresses tender threads on the loom.” Xiao Xian’s clerical script of Ming poet Gu Qiyuan’s poem: “The lake ripples with the light of a jade mirror, peaks encircle like painted snails; drinkers’ towers hide amid vast waves, boatwomen return with fragrant waters. Gulls’ dreams never leave the reed islets, swallows’ mud still graces Tulip Hall. The people of Stone City are gone, but their fragrance remains—who remembers the pair of mandarin ducks flying toward Luoyang?” Sha Manweng’s writing of Yuan poet Xu Yanhui’s text: “All speak of the Lu family’s fair Lady of No Sorrow, unaware there is Altair in the heavens. Better to cast away ten thousand loads of rouge water, flowing into the Milky Way, a秋-colored stream.” Also displayed is a wooden couplet inscribed by Xue Shiyu of Quanjiao in the Xinyou year of the Tongzhi reign: “Visiting scenic spots among birds and flowers, one would think even earthly immortals would find leisure here; good mountains form a shield—ask the birds and beasts across the stream, who is breathing in this coolness?”