Why did the down-and-out talented Tang Bohu, who pretends to be romantic, confide in Taohua Wutu?
Tang Yin, also known as Liuru Jushi and Taohua Anzhu, is one of the four talents of Wuzhong. He excels in poetry, calligraphy, and painting, especially painting, and is known as the 'Four Masters of the Ming Dynasty' together with Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, and Qiu Ying.
Unlike in films and television, the 'Three Smiles Lingering Autumn Fragrance' Tang Bohu, the real Tang Bohu had a rough life, was unsuccessful in his official career, and experienced several ups and downs in his fate, deeply tasting the coldness of the world.
The Tang family took Jinchang as their county, and his father ran a tavern at Changmen. At the age of 24, Tang Bohu entered a period of adversity, with his parents, wife and children, and sister passing away one after another. He could only turn his grief into strength and study hard.
He was talented and unrestrained, first in the prefectural examination at the age of 16, and a top scholar at the age of 29, famous in Jiangnan. Later, because he made friends with Xu Xiangke's great-grandfather Xu Jing, he was involved in the scandal of leaking examination questions and became a victim of the struggle. He could only be an official in this life. He was proud and resigned without taking office, and his second wife also left him.
Tang Yin spent a year traveling through famous mountains and rivers. He sorted out his feelings and also accumulated material for his poetry and painting, writing 'I write about the green mountains when I am idle, and I don't make money from people's sins'.
In 1503, the 34-year-old Tang Yin built a house in Taohua Wutu, selling his writings and paintings for a living, and sleeping on flowers. He set up Wuge Pavilion, Mengmo Pavilion, Xuepu Hall, and Jiudie Pavilion. When he was tired, he slept, and when he woke up, he sang, spending his days with music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers, and tea.
In 1505, Tang Bohu married the 31-year-old Shen Jiuniang, who shared his interests, without regard for etiquette. In this carefully created Peach Blossom Land, he wrote 'I only wish to die in the midst of flowers and wine, not to bow before cars and horses'.
He was generous and unrestrained, often inviting friends such as Wen Zhengming, Zhu Yunming, and Xu Zhenqing to gather here, exchange ideas on poetry and painting, and make friends with wine. He and Zhu Yunming made friends in their youth, and the two of them imitated beggars beating drums in the rain, singing the tune of 'Lotus Flower Falling', and when they got money, they bought wine and drank heavily in the wild temple, free and easy.
In 1514, Tang Bohu became a staff member of Prince Ning, but before he had a chance to turn his life around, he almost became a rebel, but luckily he feigned madness to escape disaster. Later, there was a natural disaster in the Wuzhong area, and Shen Jiuniang died of overwork. He could only rely on his good friends Zhu Zhishan, Wen Zhengming, and Wang Chong to make ends meet.
Tang Bohu, who was 54 years old, died in poverty and illness, leaving behind his last poem, 'The world and the underworld are all alike, just like drifting in a foreign land'. Life is like morning dew, why suffer for so long. Nothing lasts forever, only love is eternal.
Today, the site of Tang Yin's former residence in Taohua Wutu, Baohua Temple, is also a municipal cultural protection unit in Suzhou. Tracing back to the origin of Taohua Wutu, it was originally the place where Zhang Changshi of the Han Dynasty planted mulberries. Mei Xuanyi built the earliest private garden 'Five Acres Garden' here, and Taishi Zhang Zi built 'Taohua Wutu Villa' southwest of Five Acres Garden.