| During the Ming and Qing dynasties,Hui merchants quickly became the dominant merchant group in Yangzhou,thanks to their convenient transportation,advantageous location and flexible business methods.While Yangzhou provided many favourable conditions for the merchants,they also contributed to the economic,cultural and urban development of Yangzhou,especially to the development of its gardens,and Jiang Chun was a representative figure of the merchants in Yangzhou.Jiang Chun’s gardens in Yangzhou were numerous,costly and unique in style,injecting vitality into Yangzhou gardens in terms of construction skills and cultural style,reflecting his Confucian character as a merchant.In particular,Jiang Chun’s private garden life was rich and varied,reflecting the interaction between Yangzhou merchants and literati through the poetry,opera and literary exchanges in the gardens,which contributed to the development of Yangzhou culture.Jiang Chun’s economic and cultural activities in Yangzhou are a microcosm of the life of the Huizhou merchants in Yangzhou,from which we can get a glimpse of the living conditions and spiritual pursuits of the Huizhou merchants in Yangzhou in the Ming and Qing dynasties.Under the involvement of the merchants,Yangzhou produced a unique blend of Yangzhou garden architecture and culture,distinct from and different from the gardens of Suzhou and Huizhou,demonstrating the power of the merchants to influence the development of Yangzhou.The study examines the private gardens built by Jiang Chun from the perspectives of their prosperity,cultural significance,public activities and evaluation of Jiang Chun’s private gardens,in order to explore the important role played by the Hui merchants of Yangzhou in the Ming and Qing dynasties on Yangzhou gardens and even on the economic,cultural and municipal construction of Yangzhou city,which is also an important inspiration and reference value for the conservation and heritage use of Yangzhou city gardens at present. |
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