Yuan Mei Suiyuan Habitation Paradigm Research

The feudal society reached its last heyday during the Qianlong-Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty,when the social aesthetic culture was transforming from the traditional style to a modern one.It was historically inevitable for Yuan Mei to form a typical lifestyle in Suiyuan Garden(Suiyuan Garden,a famous private garden in Nanjing.It was formerly Cao Xueqin’s ancestral garden,but Yuan Mei bought it and renamed it as Suiyuan in 1748.)It was a profound historical tradition that contributed to his life of leisurely visiting the mountains and springs,returning to pastoral while doing business,writing articles and taking in disciples at the same time.Yuan Mei,taking the saints as his models,resigned and retired from the world.However,unlike the traditional high-hearted and austere hermits,Yuan Mei enjoyed an unprecedentedly colorful retired life.As someone said: “I have met more than millions of hermits,but I’ve never ever met one as unusual as Mr.Yuan.” Yuan Mei’s living contents in Suiyuan Garden included the following aspects.First,in terms of his living environment,he operated the garden according to his personal preferences and living needs to feel like “I’m part of the garden!” He held secular activities in the garden every day,in which people were allowed to be completely relaxed,surrounded by the cozy environment,to achieve the spiritual freedom.Suiyuan Garden was open to the public,serving as the bridge to connect to the outside world.In terms of his literary creation,apart from dedicating himself to writing,he also took in disciples,made friends with literati and established the Spirit School to realize his literary ideal.In terms of his daily life,guided by his spirit-orientated view that acknowledges the legitimacy of human desires,he led a sensual life,indulged in the red powder and green mountains,and a luxurious life with exquisite meals every day.In addition,to avoid risks and to support his life in Suiyuan Garden,he became a professional literati and started his own cultural business,which enabled him to make wide connections with others and establish his social reputation in various cultural activities.At last,he gained both wealth and fame,and his “Spirit Thought” was widely spread.Yuan Mei’s unique spiritual state and life mode as a literati was evolved into a typical Yuan Mei’s lifestyle in Suiyuan Garden,reflects the poetic wisdom of jiangnan literati,that is,a lifestyle that combines practicality with aesthetics,secularity with poetry,leisure and seriousness with amusement at the same time.This typical lifestyle in Suiyuan Garden,not only largely expanded the space of the ancient Chinese literati’s spiritual and material life,but also of great referential significance to the modern intellectuals to make their own life choices.