This magnificent old building is called Reclusive Hall. It is the main hall of the garden, andwas used by the owner for meeting his guests. Let’s learn a little bit of itsChinese pronunciation: YiYeTang. “Tang”,is a hall; “Yi” means a comfortable and easy life; “Ye” is an opposite to beingan official in the government. It is quite common that an ancient officials toseek or pretend to seek a commoner’ s life style.
This building was erected during the Ming Dynasty. It was destroyed in the war in1937 and this one was rebuilt in 1980. It is because of its nanmu wood pillars,that its called Nanmu Hall. And, since it has exits to all four sides, it iscalled the Four-sided Hall as well.
This building is at the centre of the old garden, andin the ancient times it was used by its owner to entertain his scholarlyfriends. Sweet-scented osmanthus trees are planted behind the house, the get-togetherswere held in the mid-autumn festivals when the flowers were in bloom and theweather was suitable. We can still see traces of these social gatherings on theinscribed boards outside and inside the hall, they are works of very famouscalligraphers of the Ming Dynasty. In front ofthis hall, there are two old pagoda trees. Their branches extend out likedragon claws, and so they are also called ‘dragon claw tree’. The one on thenorth side is more than four hundred and eighty years old.
When the hallwas built, the owner planted two pagoda trees to decorate its front garden.However, someone spread rumors that the owner had the intention to revolt, forthe trees had dragon claws which are symbols of emperors. The owner panickedand dug out one of the trees on the south. The remaining one is the oldestpagoda tree in Shanghai.
Please takea look at the pavement around the hall. Most of the paving stones are lightgrey in color and have a cracked ice pattern, and some larger, more complicatedpatterns which are motifs of good fortune:
The S-shapedpattern is called jade Ruyi, a symbol of good luck; there is a mysterious bookwithout letters; and there are eight tools of the Eight Taoist Immortals,namely, a banana fan, a sword, a basket of flowers, a flute, a Po gourd, a fishdrum, a yin and yang board, a Lotus. These are popular motifs used indecoration of furniture and architecture. Take a look the one in front of theoldest pagoda tree, this is a black flute. The one in front of the other pagodatree is a white sword. Can you see them?
Please walk byfive pieces of standing rocks north to Reclusive Hall, to the buildings on yourleft, they form the area of Clear Water and Rustling Trees.
