印泉照古——李根源与苏州

展览时间:2024-11-22 到 2025-02-20
展览地点:苏州博物馆本馆负一层特展厅、二层书画厅

印泉照古——李根源与苏州

“人生只合住姑苏,此老风流并世无”。苏州自古风物清嘉,物阜民丰,吸引外地人士接踵而至,明清之际,尤为寓公之渊薮。清末民初,世道纷扰,变革云涌,而苏州仍为四方所仰,视为桃源乐土,迁居其间者众,李根源即是其中之一。

流寓之士,或宦成而归隐,或随仕而客居,或避祸而迁徙,其间不乏积学能文者,擅长诗文书画,精于经史考据,各领风骚,影响一时。彼等寓公,既沐江南习俗,又感三吴风气,潜移默化间,性情气质、言辞举止,皆受其染而烙吴地印记,终生难以磨灭。

李根源(1879—1965),字印泉,又字雪生,号曲石,云南腾冲人。早年留学日本,矢志革命,入同盟会,曾任陕西省长、驻粤滇军总司令、农商总长,兼署国务总理,戎马倥偬之间,声威显赫。后悄然隐退,息影吴门。自1921年于苏州购宅,奉母定居,至1937年日军入侵苏州,离苏避难,前后凡十六年。此间,李根源入“九九消寒会”,获交吴中贤俊,与江南文人学士、书画名家、官僚士绅来往密切;乘一叶扁舟,遍历吴西诸山,探访名人冢墓,夜宿晓行,笔录见闻,成《吴郡西山访古记》;担任吴中保墓会会长、《吴县志》总纂之一,又辟葑门寓所为刻书之地,刊行《曲石丛书》;国难之际,募款慰军,为抗战阵亡将士筑“英雄冢”,执绋披麻,亲临祭奠。

苏城名胜,多寓公所造,如开封苏舜钦建沧浪亭、湖州沈秉成建耦园、德清俞樾建曲园。李根源亦筑阙茔于小王山,葬母其中,并镌贤达题咏,成摩崖石刻群。寓居吴门十数载,李根源深受吴中风物熏陶,去苏之后,每至夜阑人静,苏州之人物景致,常萦绕于梦。1950年,李根源重返故地,忆往昔峥嵘岁月,念及旧友,作诗以怀,并将其生平所藏书画、金石等,慷慨捐赠。晚年更归葬于斯,与吴中山水同眠。其与苏城,因缘际会,情深谊长,实非寻常。

今年春夏之交,苏州博物馆组织志愿小队,循李根源旧迹,再走西山访古之路。道途间,蚊蚋侵扰,大蛇拦路,足见当年其独探幽微之艰辛。古迹中,不少已湮没于尘烟,益显其记载之珍贵,而得以列入文保单位,端赖其保全之功。“近代大家”系列特展继“太炎传薪”之后,用此赓续,以缅公之遗风,思其高节,彰其遗绪。

展览得到故宫博物院、中国国家博物馆、国家图书馆、上海博物馆、徐悲鸿纪念馆、保山市博物馆、清远市博物馆、苏州碑刻博物馆、吴文化博物馆等文博机构的大力支持,在此谨致谢忱!


进入展厅

He Illuminated the Past---Li Genyuan and Suzhou

Foreword

“I would like to spend my rest life in Gusu where lives my friend who is of unparalleled grace”. Since ancient times, Suzhou embraced beautiful landscape where the rich land fosters talents and attracts outlanders. Between Ming and Qing Dynasties, plenty of bureaucrats in exile chose to resettle in Suzhou. And even in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic China when the country was in turmoil with surging revolutions, Suzhou was still deemed a dreamland for people all over the country to move in. Li Genyuan resettled in Suzhou just in that time.

Among bureaucrats in exile, some of whom were in seclusion after achieving success of their official career, some of whom took up temporary residence due to job transfer, and others of whom moved in to avoid disaster, many were knowledgeable leading stars and of great influence who were good at poetry, prose, calligraphy and painting, and proficient in textual research of classics and history. Being exposed to Jiangnan customs while experiencing the style of Wu regions, those bureaucrats’ disposition, temperament, speech and manners were all dyed by the characteristic of Wu unconsciously and perpetually.

Li Genyuan (1879-1965), known as Yinquan and Xuesheng and could also be called Qushi, was born in Tengchong city of Yunnan Province. In his early years, Li Genyuan studied abroad in Japan, and was committed to revolution, joining the Revolution Alliance. Served as Governor of Shaanxi Province, Commander-in-Chief of the Yunnanese Army in Guangdong Province, Director-General of Agriculture and Commerce, and Premier of the State Council, Li Genyuan was a prominent figure in the military field with great reputation. Afterwards, he quietly resigned and resettled in Suzhou. Li Genyuan lived in Suzhou for a total sixteen years with a starting point of attending his mother in his new house in 1921 and an end point of taking refuge away from Suzhou because of the aggression in 1937. During the period in Suzhou, Li Genyuan joined the Society of Dispersing the Cold by Counting Nine Periods, gaining acquaintance with sages in Wu area and having close connection with Jiangnan literati, calligraphers, painters, bureaucrats and gentry. He used to take a small boat to visit tombs of celebrities by travelling all over the mountains in western Wu the whole day and night, and eventually completed the book Visiting Historical Sites in Western Mountains of Wu Prefecture, recording what he saw and heard. Li Genyuan also acted as the president of the Association of Tombs Preservation in Wu area, and one of the chief editors of the Records of Wu Prefecture. In order to carve books, he used his house in Feng Gate as the base, printing and publishing the book Qushi Series. In the time of national crisis, Li Genyuan raised fund to support the troops and payed respects to fallen soldiers in the war of resistance in sackcloth at the Monument of Heroes he built.

Scenic spots in Suzhou were mostly built by resettled bureaucrats, such as Su Shunqin from Kaifeng and Canglang Pavilion, Shen Bingcheng from Huzhou and Couple’s Retreat Garden, Yu Yue from Deqing and Quyuan Garden. Li Genyuan also built a graveyard in Xiaowang mountain for his mother and engraved sages’ inscription on the mountain cliffs which developed into a cluster of inscribed stones. Resettled in Suzhou for more than 10 years, Li Genyuan was deeply influenced by the scenery and customs with Wu characteristic which would frequently reoccurred in his late-night dream after leaving Suzhou. In 1950, Li Genyuan went back to Suzhou and wrote poems cherishing the great days of the past and his old friends. His collection in his whole life including paintings, calligraphy, and bronze and stone inscriptions, etc, were all donated out of generosity. Li Genyuan was even buried in Suzhou after death, accompanied by the landscape of Wu area. His extraordinary relationship with Suzhou, was serendipitous and era-driven while deep and lasting for the rest of his life.

At the turn of spring and summer this year, Suzhou Museum organized a volunteer team to follow the footsteps of Li Genyuan, visiting the historical sites in western mountains again. Along the way, mosquitoes and snakes infested the road, showing the hardship of exploring by alone in those days. Many of the historical sites were ruined without remains, highlighting the preciousness of Li Genyuan’s records. And owing to his preservation, some were made to be listed in the cultural heritage units. As the second Special Exhibition of the “Modern Academic Masters” Series, just after the special exhibition of “Zhang Binglin’s Inheritance and Innovation”, this exhibition is to cherish the memory of Li Genyuan, recollect his moral virtue and manifest his legacy.

The exhibition was strongly supported by institutions of culture and museums including the Palace Museum, National Museum of China, National Library of China, Shanghai Museum, Xu Beihong Memorial Museum, Baoshan Museum, Qingyuan Museum, Suzhou Museum of Inscribed Stone Tablets, Museum of Wu, to which I would like to extend my sincere thanks!