Rural Imperial City

Author: Li Xinping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This series primarily focuses on the inner world of travelers' observations and reflections, rather than the external landscapes and skylines. In these books, readers can see the author's disciplined philosophical thoughts, a generally sound academic background, as well as the ingenuity and keen insight evident in the writing. History and landscapes, landscapes and the indigenous people who built them, undergo a relatively complete historical and cultural evolution in each book. Readers can immerse themselves in this cultural emotion, either flowing with it or jumping through it, giving rise to an alternative, lingering, and reflective experience. This alternative, lingering, and reflective experience is both intellectual and emotional; it is both exhilarating and indescribable. It is a cultural emotion that can no longer be newly created, replicated, or reconstructed, a sentiment that touches upon deeper emotional or psychological aspects—such as an understanding of ancient architecture, a novel sense of another regional culture, and an authentic experience of the residential complexes of Shanxi during the Ming and Qing dynasties, including "Confucian Merchant Family—Chang Family Manor," "Trustworthiness in the Middle Hall—Qiao Family Manor," "Red Six Great Houses—Wang Family Manor," and "Rural Imperial City." It is also the amazement at the order, regulations, beauty, tranquility, and preservation of world cultural heritage sites and historical cities like "Northern Wei Yungang," "Detailed Explanation of Pingyao," and "Riding to Yanmen Pass." It is the enchantment of "Wutai Mountain Pilgrimage to the Summit," "Jinci Temple Dream," and "Hengshan Mountain's Marvels," where one becomes lost in the experience without realizing it. It is the silent yet profound of the root culture, "Hongtong Ancestral Roots," which leaves no trace like snow, and so on. Experiencing these above-ground cultural relics of the Shanxi Plateau nourishes the soul of an ancient civilization that has long been forgotten, and preserves the image of historical and cultural continuity. The "People Speak of Shanxi" series is an extremely authentic and reliable read. Its profound meaning lies in all aspects of culture, particularly in the ability to interpret beauty, ancient architectural art, and traditional culture. Each book informs readers of the origins of these beautiful and instructive landscape values. In fact, each book also allows for a mental journey through the landscapes. The Imperial City Mansion, a National AAAA-level tourist attraction, is home to Chen Tingjing, a Qing Dynasty official who held the highest rank of Imperial Light Department Minister, Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, and Vice Minister of Personnel with four additional ranks. He was one of only two Grand Secretaries from Yangcheng to enter the central power core in the feudal history of the Yangcheng region. The cultural giant family built this magnificent mansion in this remote mountain village, leaving one in awe. The Imperial City Mansion was constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, hence it exhibits distinct styles from both periods, vividly highlighting its unique architectural style that combines ancient residential buildings, official residences, ancestral halls and temples, commemorative structures, academies and study halls, small gardens, and defensive fortifications.