Stories about the expression of filial piety in Huizhou architectural carvings

Mitasova Svetlana Alekseevna ORCID: 0000-0002-9791-1892 Doctor of Cultural Studies Professor; Department of Social Sciences, Humanities and Art History; Dmitry Hvorostovsky Siberian State Institute of Arts 660030, Russia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Krasnoyarsk, Lenin str., 22 mitasvet@mail.ru

Yan Tao ORCID: 0009-0006-2920-4885 Postgraduate student; Department of Social Sciences and Humanities and Art History; Dmitry Hvorostovsky Siberian State Institute of Arts; Institute of Fine Arts of Anhui Pedagogical University 660049, Russia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Krasnoyarsk, Lenin str., 22 287721811@qq.com

Introduction

Under the influence of Confucianism, the Huizhou region has developed its own unique culture. The neo-Confucian teachings of the brothers Cheng and Zhu Xi, which were formed on the basis of Confucian, as well as Buddhist and other philosophical ideas, were very popular. One of the main representatives of neo—Confucianism, Zhu Xi (1130 - 1200), was from Wuyuan County (Huizhou District). He also became the only person who was not a disciple of Confucius, but in whose honor a plaque was erected in the Temple of this thinker, which testifies to his significant contribution to the development of Confucian culture ^[1].

For six centuries, from the beginning of the Southern Song Dynasty to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1127-1795), the neo–Confucian teachings of the brothers Cheng and Zhu Xi had a huge impact on the socio-economic development and culture of Huizhou. According to this teaching, "the relationship between father and son is a relationship based on blood kinship, and the relationship between the ruler and his subordinates is a political relationship. The first type of relationship is original and innate, while the second is derived and acquired. Both are natural relationships, but filial piety is the basis, the prerequisite, in other words, the foundation" ^{[1, p. 94]}. From time immemorial, rulers have advocated the principle of governance based on filial piety, and used paternal law to emphasize the supremacy of monarchical power. In the feudal society of China, the concept of filial piety had a broad social basis, it was accepted by all segments of the population and had a certain influence on the folk construction crafts in Huizhou.

Research methods in the article: descriptive - describes the main Confucian subjects in carving, the typological-systematic method allowed us to fit existing subjects into the general system of Chinese Confucian art, created to educate the morality of the people.

The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that there are no such studies in the special Russian-language literature, all sources are written in Chinese. For the first time, the artistic embodiment of Confucian subjects in Huizhou architectural carvings has been analyzed. The literary and philosophical source of history is briefly given, the key cultural meaning is indicated - the manifestation of filial piety, the artistic features of the carving (composition, layout of the plans) are highlighted, and the symbolic interpretation of the depicted characters (birds, plants, trees) is also given. Woodcarving samples were published for the first time - the window of the living room of the ancestral temple of the ancestors of the Hu family, Jixi County; the window of the living room of the Zhichengtang house, Lu village of Yi County (late XIX century). A sample of brick carving is presented by the 2017 work of master Wu Zhenghui, demonstrating the ancient method of "nine-layer openwork carving". The material of the article expands the possibility of learning Chinese culture and art, and, consequently, contributes to the establishment of stronger intercultural ties between Russia and China.

Chinese sources on filial piety

The unique historical and cultural heritage of this area, as well as the material capabilities of local merchants, allowed one of the most important architectural schools in China to be formed. The exquisite stone, brick and wood carvings in Huizhou have been artfully integrated into the architecture. Decoration has become the main distinguishing feature of the Huizhou development. Three types of carvings, being the most common type of decoration in Huizhou architecture, had not only decorative, but also educational significance. Such works contributed to the spread of Confucian teaching. The Chinese understand the connection of philosophy and architecture as follows:

"What is immaterial is called "tao", what is material is called "qi". Culture can be considered as an incorporeal "tao", and architecture as a material "qi". Together, "tao" and "qi" make up an interdependent system" ^{[2, p. 64]}.

The dictionary "The Origin of Chinese Characters" says: "you need to be respectful to your parents. That's what the ancestors did, and that's what the descendants should do. Pass this tradition from generation to generation" ^{[3, p. 83]}. Here filial piety presupposes a good attitude towards parents. Representatives of the older generation honored their ancestors and bequeathed it to their descendants. The youth had to follow the tradition of honoring the elders and pass it on from generation to generation. Filial piety in family ethics was an important condition for creating a truly orderly and harmonious family. In ancient times, Chinese society did not have a social protection system for the elderly. Elderly people could rely only on their children, which greatly contributed to the deep-rooted filial piety in traditional Chinese culture.

Filial piety begins with service to parents. The Canon of Filial Piety emphasized: "Filial piety is the scripture of heaven, the righteousness of the earth, and (proper) the behavior of each person" ^{[4, p. 22]}.

The treatise "Twenty-four Examples of filial Piety" was compiled by Guo Jiujing during the Yuan Dynasty from the actions of 24 typical figures of filial piety in history, and in our time, "Twenty-four Examples of Filial Piety" have been published as an appendix to the "Classics of Filial Piety". The treatise includes, for example, the following stories: Yu Shun (the legendary ancient emperor whose filial piety touched the sky), Emperor Han Wen-di (personally tried medicines for his mother), Min Sun (despite the cruel treatment by his stepmother, continued to be respectful and eventually touched her heart), Zhou Zhongyu (carried rice from afar to feed his parents), Dong Yun (sold himself into slavery to get money for his father's funeral), Tan Zi (extracted deer milk in the mountains for his parents), Jiang Ge (worked as a mercenary to support his mother), Lu Ji (at the age of six, while visiting from relatives, he hid oranges to bring them to his mother), Cui Shannan (fed breast milk to a toothless mother) and other stories ^{[5, pp. 3-78]}. By status, the sons include emperors, officials, scientists, as well as ordinary people; by age - young men, middle age and the elderly; by epoch - representatives of the Han, Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties, Tang and Song. These stories reflect the respect and reverence of the ancients for filial piety. Many of them are based on real historical figures and events and are used to foster respect for parents and elders. The masters of the three types of Huizhou carvings also turned to these subjects very often.

Stories about the expression of filial piety in architectural carving

The work "Leaving the service to find a mother" (Fig. 1) tells about the official Zhu Shouchang during the reign of the Song Dynasty. Zhu Shouchang was separated from his biological mother at the age of seven, who was married against her will. The separation of the son from his mother lasted for more than fifty years. All this time, Zhu Shouchang was looking for his mother wherever he served. During the reign of Emperor Song Shenzong, he left his post to go in search of his mother. When he finally found his mother, she was already over seventy years old. The carved sculpture depicts Zhu Shouchang kneeling in front of his mother. The viewer is presented with a touching picture of Zhu Shouchang's meeting with an elderly mother. The official expresses his filial respect to her for the first time.

In the center of the work "Collecting mulberries in different vessels" (Fig. 2) four people, a horse, mountains, several military flags, a tent, two willows in the foreground, a small bridge, a stream and people's houses on the right. This painting tells the story of Cai Shun, who lived during the reign of the Han Dynasty. The young man lost his father early. Then there was a war, people were starving. Firewood and rice were very expensive, so Cai Shun harvested mulberries to feed himself. One day Cai Shun met the rebels, one of whom asked him: "Why do you put red mulberries separately from black?" Cai Shun replied: "Black mulberries (ripe fruits) I will give it to my mother, and I will keep the red mulberry (unripe fruits) for myself." The fact that Cai Shun leaves the best fruits to the mother speaks of his filial piety.

The plot "A sample of medicinal decoction" (Fig. 3) tells the story of Liu Bang, who founded the Western Han Dynasty in 202 BC. Liu Bang had four children, one of them was named Liu Heng, he was known for his filial piety. Liu Heng treated the Empress Mother, who was bedridden due to illness, with great respect. Liu Heng prepared the medicinal decoction himself and did not leave her side day or night. Every time the medicine was ready, Liu Heng tasted it to check if it was too bitter or hot. Only after personally tasting the decoction, he gave it to his mother. Fulfilling the duty of filial piety, Liu Heng was ready to sacrifice his health for his mother.

The plot "Celebrating the birthday of an elderly family member" (Fig. 4) is a landmark work by Wu Zhenghui. This work is characterized by the highest level of Huizhou brick carving technique. Wu Zhenghui created a component-by-component image using the "layer separation method". He cut from the 1st to the 7th layer in the traditional way, and then added the 8th and 9th layers using the technique of "layered side cutting", reviving the ancient technique of "nine-layer openwork carving" ^{[11, p. 100]}. "Celebrating the birthday of an elderly family member" is a symmetrical composition. In the middle, closer to the top, there is a hieroglyph "show" ("longevity"). The characters in the foreground and the details of the landscape behind are in a picturesque mess. There are 26 characters in the picture with different dynamics, while all have a joyful look. An elderly couple is sitting in the center of the festive hall, both of them have radiant and good-natured faces. The happy expressions on the faces of the anniversaries demonstrate the benevolence of the older generation. Some characters are busy preparing a festive feast, others are chatting and laughing, children are playing, surrounded by anniversaries. The painting vividly and convincingly depicts a joyful birthday scene and harmonious family relationships, and also demonstrates the unique artistic specifics of Huizhou brick carving.

Symbols, homophones and other ways are used in the design to help express congratulations from the younger to the older relative. Some of the plants depicted in the three types of Huizhou carvings are also associated with celebrating the birthdays of an elderly family member – these are pines, cypresses, peaches, chrysanthemums. The same semantic load is carried by the image of bats, cranes and other animals. In China, pines and cypresses are called "the best of all trees", they are famous for their frost resistance, slimness, height and durability and symbolize honesty, nobility, longevity and immortality. The graceful crane has the appearance of a noble husband (Jun tzu), he has the manners of an immortal and the body of a Taoist - he seems to have detached himself from the hustle and bustle of the world. A steady turnover-congratulation: "may the longevity of the pine and the crane prolong your years" reflects the wishes and hopes of ordinary people in relation to long-lived and virtuous aesthetes. According to legend, peach trees protect against evil spirits. Also in China, the peach is considered a symbol of longevity, it is often painted to wish a happy birthday to an aged person.

The plot "Filial piety in procreation" is very important for Chinese culture. The Confucian scholar Meng Tzu said: "There are three types of filial irreverence, and the worst of them is the lack of offspring" ^{[6, p. 30]}. In the society of that time, childlessness was considered the greatest disrespect for ancestors, so the idea that the house should be full of children and grandchildren is unconsciously rooted in the hearts and value system of the Chinese. In the works of architectural carving, the plot "The more children, the happier the family" is used very often, and it is conveyed through the image of people, animals, plants, etc. The visual center of the woodcarving "Qilin brings sons" (Fig. 5) is the celestial. He holds a lotus in his hand and sits on a qilin, a mythological horned horse with scales. A lotus in the hands of a celestial means that he came to contribute to the birth of a son - this is a benevolent wish for the birth of an heir. All the other characters focused on the visual center. The children on the left are waving a flag, showing the way. The phrase of the four hieroglyphs on the flag translates as "all five sons have passed their degree exams" and expresses hope for the success of their descendants in their careers. The other children in this carved painting are holding various utensils in their hands.

The wood carving "The Phoenix Bird brings sons" (Fig. 6) depicts a scene of dancing with lanterns during the Chinese traditional Spring festival. The child on the right holds the largest lantern in the form of a phoenix, the child with a lantern in the form of a parrot calls the children with lanterns on the left to meet the phoenix. On the left there are various lanterns in the form of a basket with flowers, a bat, a pomegranate, a lotus, a peach as a symbol of longevity, etc. Dancing with lanterns in China is an event designed to express benevolence. There is a phrase that very accurately expresses the message of this work: "I say goodbye to a house full of people watching a dance with lanterns. May every year add happiness and longevity to the elderly, and the young have children. After the lantern dance is over, everyone will receive gold, silver and other jewelry when they return home" ^{[7, p. 263]}. Both the phoenix bird and the qilin give sons, but they are distinguished by the fact that the qilin brings life, and the phoenix brings good luck. Not only carvings with images of people carry the benevolence "more children – more happiness". The pomegranate pattern in three types of Huizhou carvings also symbolizes fertility: there are many seeds inside the pomegranate fruits, and they are located close to each other, which represents a large offspring, so people often used pomegranates to decorate new homes and bless newlyweds. Such patterns give an idea of folk customs and customs and indirectly reflect the spiritual needs of people, as well as their positive and optimistic attitude to life, desires at various stages, fervent love and respect for life.

Conclusion

Due to the influence of Confucian culture, Huizhou architectural carvings have a pronounced semantic content. Seeing the whole in the private, the three kinds of Huizhou carvings are an extremely representative craft of Chinese folk art. They combine instructive and life-affirming historical subjects, folklore, folk customs and customs. Most of the children in Huizhou district families received excellent Confucian education, attached great importance to their studies, and knew the rules of etiquette. The main values were such Confucian virtues as devotion, filial piety, honesty and loyalty, and filial piety also became the core of the Huizhou family culture, which makes the three types of carving a unique carrier of Huizhou's home education and a form of expression of the culture of "filial piety".

Figure 1. Wood carving "Leaving the service for the sake of finding a mother", 1898. The window of the living room of the ancestral temple of the ancestors of the Hu family. Jixi County. Yang Tao's personal photo archive.

Figure 2. Wood carving "Collecting mulberries in different vessels", 1898. The window of the living room of the ancestral temple of the ancestors of the Hu family. Jixi County. Yang Tao's personal photo archive.

Figure 3. Wood carving "Sample of medicinal decoction", 1898, Window of the living room of the ancestral temple of the ancestors of the Hu family. Jixi County. Yang Tao's personal photo archive.

Figure 4. Brick carving "Birthday celebration", 2017. Yang Tao's personal photo archive.

Figure 5. Wood carving ""Qilin brings sons", the end of the XIX century. The window of the living room of the Zhichengtang house. The village of Lu County I. Yang Tao's personal photo archive.

Figure 6. Wood carving "Phoenix bird brings sons", the end of the XIX century. The window of the living room of the Zhichengtang house. The village of Lu County I. Yang Tao's personal photo archive.

^[1] The article is an intermediate result of the 2020 Anhui Province Youth project in Philosophy and Social Sciences "Narrative Analysis of Auditory Perception and Acoustic Design of Huizhou Architecture". Project number: AHSKQ2020D143.