College of City Construction, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China

AbstractHorizontal inscribed boards are the main form for working people to long for and pursue a better life, and are an important carrier of traditional culture. From the perspectives of sociology, architecture and ecological folklore, this article analyzes the intrinsic relationships between people’s values, neighborhoods, customs and horizontal inscribed boards, and interprets the decorative value, human value and modern value of horizontal inscribed boards through preliminarily studying the cultural connotation of horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village.

Key wordsFarming-reading culture, Traditional villages, Jiuxia Village, Value of horizontal inscribed boards

1 Introduction

Horizontal inscribed boards are a decorative component unique to traditional Chinese architecture, concentrating the essence of many traditional Chinese arts, such as literature, painting, sculpture and calligraphy. They are of great value to the inheritance of local culture and the promotion of traditional culture. The farming-reading culture was born in the early days of Chinese feudal society. It is a unique product of the combination of ancient farming society and scholar culture, and is a Chinese-style rural culture[1]. Horizontal inscribed boards have become an important material carrier for contemporary people to perceive the spiritual connotation of farming-reading culture with their unique art forms and scripts. At present, most of China’s research on horizontal inscribed boards focuses on their artistry, textuality and production process, lacking systematic research on the value of the horizontal inscribed boards.

2 Historical overview of Jiuxia Village and connotation of farming-reading culture

Jiuxia Village is located on the plain and lakeside of Qinglan Lake. It is affiliated to Zhanggang Village Committee of Luoxi Town, Jinxian County, Jiangxi Province. A long-standing folk culture and profound historical monuments constitute the rich natural and human resources of the ancient village. Jiuxia Village has beautiful natural ecological environment fronting water and with hills on the back, and is distributed with plants. Continuous tile waves are in harmony with the surrounding mountains and farmland. The granite road, about five Chinese miles long, tightly ties together Qinglan Lake, Taihe Bridge, Centennial Ancient Well and several historical halls, which has created a profound natural and cultural heritage of Jiuxi Village. Jiuxia Village is a typical village in the post-farming civilization era. It is a historical carrier of residential buildings displayed in primitive ancient houses built in different ages. In September 2013, Jiuxia Village was announced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance as the second batch of traditional Chinese village. There are 19 horizontal inscribed boards in the ancient village. It can be said that the remained horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village are a "living dictionary" for the study of Chinese culture and other fields of history and culture.

According to the genealogical description, the first immigratory ancestor Zhou Chongli, with literary name of Yumei Xianguan, ever lived in Zhuyuan Village for a short time. Since Zhuyuan Village was not suitable for expanding into a large village, he moved westwards to the site of Jiuju Village (now Jiuxia Village) to live in seclusion and began to teach. Since then, as a first immigratory village for Zhou clan in Luoxi, Jiuxia Village has nourished and nurtured for generations. It has a history of more than 700 years. Farming-reading, as an ideal state of literati in the early days, originated from seclusion. Therefore, Jiuxia Village has a deep relationship with the farming-reading culture since the beginning of the village construction. "Farming is a primary task and reading can bring honor" has become the deep-rooted folklore consciousness of the Zhou clan in Jiuxia Village. The couplet on the horizontal inscribed board of the general gate of the ancient village (Fig.1) educates and expects the future generations to be virtuous, showing the ancestors’ education and expectations for future generations. The Zhou clan in Luoxi has worked hard and attached great importance to education for generations, forming a strong learning atmosphere. Combining the geographical environment and cultural background of Jiuxia Village, the connotation of its farming-reading culture is: farming is the foundation of life, and reading is way to enter the official career.

3 Decorative value of the horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village under the background of farming-reading culture

Horizontal inscribed boards are usually used for titling buildings. On one hand, they sign the buildings; and on the other hand, compared to numbering the buildings, horizontal inscribed boards can better reflect the taste and interest of the owner. The farming life and the ideal of entering the official career are integrated into the decoration of horizontal inscribed boards, exhibiting the forthright, sincere and royal character of farmers and the high ideals of readers.

Fig.1 The general gate of old Jiuxia Village (photographed by the author)

The simplicity, ecology and code of the farming culture are reflected in the decorative patterns, materials and themes. Among them, the frame decoration of the horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village widely uses the patterns of fairy tales, birds and beasts, trees and flowers as auspicious symbols. The old people who lived in the traditional farming life in Jiuxia Village pray for god blessing through these patterns, which are pinned with the expectations and longing for a better life of the villagers, fully demonstrating the simple characteristics of farming culture. Other than that, most of the horizontal inscribed boards are made of local wood or whole red stone. On the one hand, horizontal inscribed boards of wood and stone represent the spirit of fortitude and strength and can highlight the true nature of farmers. On the other hand, it is also in line with people’s deep feelings of being close to nature and living in harmony with nature. The relatively easy construction technique also makes the existing horizontal inscribed boards of the old buildings still intact, and they seem to be more simple and full of vicissitudes after so many years. The code of farming culture is the observance of moral cultivation, hierarchical order and ethical principles. The horizontal inscribed boards of the old buildings in Jiuxia Village are mainly based on the age and grade of the building owners, and inscriptions, materials,etc. are also well-researched, through which the code nature is reflected.

The reading culture of the horizontal inscribed boards is mainly embodied in the integration of many disciplines such as calligraphy, writing, seal cutting, painting and sculpture. The inscriptions in the horizontal inscribed boards of Jiuxia Village are mostly four-character, and the words are simple, appropriate and meaningful, taking the site and environment into account, following the principle of proper material selection, temperament coordination, elegant words and correct form and arrangement of lines, rich in literary value. Taking the horizontal inscribed board of "Xuan Ge Qian Hui" as an example, it is birthday congratulation for the sake of giving his mother-in-law surnamed Huang. "Xuan" comes fromBookofPoetry·OdesofWei·BoXi: "Yan De Xuan Cao, Yan Shu Zhi Bei" (how shall I get the plant of forgetfulness/I would plant it on the north of my house). In ancient text, "Xuan Ge", "Xuan Tang", "Xuan Shi" are commonly used to mean the mother. "Qian" originates fromStarby: "Tai Bai Hao Shang Gong, Qi Yue Nu Qian" (the wife of the minister Tai Bai, literary name of Shanggong, is named as Nu Qian), and it is often used to wish women’s birthday. The profound farming culture is the fertile soil for the cultural heritage of Jiuxia Village. It is revealed in the subject matter and engraving ornamentation centered on inspiration, self-cultivation, morality and encouraging learning. The horizontal inscribed board of Da Fu Di (Da Fu is a title of the imperial court to the senior official, such as Chao Yi Da Fu, Feng Zhi Da Fu and Zi Zheng Da Fu, a virtual title, no practical position, no salary. In ancient times, in order to show status, noble families generally name their houses as Da Fu Di) is engraved with vivid and diverse patterns. The inscribed board is symmetrical about the central axis. The two ends are decorated with the "Xian He Xian Zhu" (a bead in a red-crowned crane) pattern, echoing with "Shuang Lu Ta Chun" (two deer going on spring outing), surrounded by branches and stripes (Fig.2), symbolizing "Liu He Tong Chun" (a flourishing scene of everything in the world). In the patter of "Shuang Lu Ta Chun", the two deer stand in a dynamic standing position, and the deer head looks back and looks at the wheel, naturally showing the spirituality of the deer, echoing the theme. The double deer also mean "Lu Lu Shun Li" (everything is smooth). It not only reflects the cravings of the ancestors, but also the people’s longing for a stable life, adding a lot of interest to traditional residential buildings.

Note: 1. a bead in a red-crowned crane; 2. jade tablet pattern; 3. twisting branches; 4. two deer going on spring outing.

Fig.2 Schematic diagram of the horizontal inscribed board of "Da Fu Di" in Jiuxia Village

4 Humanistic value of the horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village under the immersion of farming-reading culture

The farming-reading culture is the culture formed in Jiuxia Village of Jinxian County over thousands of years. Since ancient times, Jiuxia Village presents the cultural characteristics of combining landscape feelings with architecture art, integrating Confucianism and clan culture and harmonizing people and society. This is inextricably linked to the growth of people in the soil infiltrated with farming-reading culture for generations.

4.1 Cultural connotationConfucian culture and clan culture together constitute the cultural connotation of horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village. Influenced by the Confucian thought of "cultivating the body, arranging the family, governing the country and leveling the world", Jiuxia Village has attached great importance to Confucianism and education. The farming-reading complex of the people in Jiuxia Village originated from the end of the Song Dynasty to the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, when the first immigratory ancestor Zhou Chongli moved here, establishing farming-reading as the family ideal. The genealogy records that "the water in Qinglan Lake is cold, and new people grow in the south shore of the lake". It describes that under the educational environment of farming-reading, many scholars have been cultivated in the history of Jiuxia Village. The remaining horizontal inscribed boards in the village are the most direct proof. The importance of reading for entering the official career and the teaching of human morality reflected in the inscriptions is the best testimony to the popular of farming-reading ideas. It can be seen that the farming-reading culture is rooted in local culture, and it has had a profound impact on the inscribed board culture and the value orientation of people.

"Reading will enable the family passed down, and farming-reading will enable it for a long time". Many of the clan’s "family training" and "family rules" are to be read as a clan’s cultural tradition and expectations. Horizontal inscribed boards can be said to be a family facade to highlight family style and sentiment. In the genealogy of Jiuxia Village, Zhou’s family training "respecting parents" and "entering the official career" is recorded, and it is reflected in the horizontal inscribed boards. At the time, the horizontal inscribed boards were often used to indicate the difference between the surname or official status, such as "Kong Fu" and "Shuai Fu", or literary name, money shop and shop. The horizontal inscribed board of "Shan Liang Ying Xiu" with far-reaching clan cultural and educational significance, remained in Jiuxia Village is rare in natural villages in China. Since then, the descendants of He Zhai have missed the place where he was born and the house he lived in as a teenager. At the threshold of his new home, he used the "goodness" as the theme to engrave the horizontal inscribed boards of "Shan Liang Yi Qing" and "Shan Liang Zu Shi", which have become one of the characteristics of Jiuxia Village.

4.2 Social functionsBecause of the symbolic meaning of good wishes, horizontal inscribed boards are often used as a medium for maintaining interpersonal relationships, with specific symbolic meaning. In the context of farming-reading culture, the social functions of the horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village are mainly manifested in propagating morality, signing status, expressing and inspiring, stimulating environment and supplementing and revising the history (Fig.3).

4.2.1Propagating morality. Horizontal inscribed boards are mostly hanged in a prominent position on the threshold of the gate house to admire the virtues and praise the good character and behavior, actually a kind of fold education. There are a total of 19 horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village, and many of them are centered on loyalty and kindness. The horizontal inscribed boards here play a role in promoting the ancestral wind and educating future generations. Among them, "Xian Guan Shi Zhou" and "Shi De Zuo Qiu" are actually a summary of the connotation of the horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village, that is, to be loyal, kind and clear-hearted and to do things seriously.

4.2.2Signing status. Horizontal inscribed boards can be used to advertise the taste, family and status of ancestors (such as "Shi De Liu Fang"), and to understand the origination of descendants, letting the family morality passed down for generations. "Lian Xi" refers to Zhou Dunyi, a neo-Confucianist of Southern Song Dynasty, so there are horizontal inscribed boards of "Lian Xi Yu Xiu", Zhong Hou Jia Feng" and "Zhong Hou Yi Qing" remained in Jiuxia Village. In addition, the horizontal inscribed board of Da Fu Di identifies the status and family glory.

4.2.3Expressing and inspiring functions. Horizontal inscribed boards are often used for confession and inspiration in residential buildings. The people in Jiuxia Village used the horizontal inscribed boards to express the master’s nostalgia for past life (such as "Shan Liang Zu Shi" and "Shan Liang Yi Qing") and the ambition of self-cultivation (such as "Shi De Zuo Qiu" and "Xian Guan Shi Zhou"). The horizontal inscribed boards appeared in the early days of Jiuxia Village were carved out of a single piece of red stone. In the room of "Shi De Zuo Qiu", the owner of the house deliberately chose a large piece of bluestone to make the threshold stone carving "Shi De Zuo Qiu", in order to show the merit of the ancestors and the determination of the descendants to be innocent and kind.

The horizontal inscribed boards reflect the historical and cultural events and social ethos in the context of the times. They became the epitome of the mimetic reality of social reality condensation at that time[3]. The horizontal inscribed board of "Zong Ji Fu Yin", which stands on the general gate of the ancient village, is the symbol of the village of Luoxi. The horizontal inscribed board of "Jia Bang Jin Shi", donated by Zhang Tingyu, a famous senior official of the three dynasties, is a condensation of the wishes. The horizontal inscribed board of Da Fu Di recorded the important historical events and was the proof of the glory of the clan. The horizontal inscribed boards have witnessed the development of Jiuxia Village and the evolution of the building, and they play an important role in the recording of local folk culture.

4.2.4Supplementing and revising history. "When horizontal inscribed boards are used to study the history, the property of the time can be seen; and when horizontal inscribed boards are used to study books, the essence can be understood". By interpreting the characters, dates, and events of horizontal inscribed boards, the retains of history can be traced. The house of "Yi Men Lai Qing" is the first house that both the building time (1833) and builder (surnamed Zhou) are marked. Because the owner of the house is the fourth son of He Zhai, it implicates that the former residence of He Zhai "Shan Liang Ying Xiu" and other boutique houses built by the descendants of He Zhai are built around 1833, providing time nods for the history of residential buildings in Jiuxia Village. In addition, "He Zhai Gong Ci" is the second building in Jiuxia Village that clearly identifies the time of building and the builder ("Shan Liang Yi Sun Li", a kind-hearted descendant), providing the lower reference time for the construction of the old buildings in Jiuxia Village.

Note: Social functions include the follows: ①marking building; ②signing status; ③imitating environment; ④propagating morality; ⑤expressing and inspiring; ⑥supplementing and revising history. The social functions of the above horizontal inscribed boards were as follows: a. ①②③; b. ①②③; c. ①②④; d. ①④⑤; e. ①②; f. ①④⑤; g. ①④⑤; h. ④⑤; j. ①⑥.

Fig.3 An illustration of the social functions of the traditional horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village

5 Modern value of the horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village from the perspective of farming-reading culture

5.1 Planning aesthetic valueThe ideal of farming-reading into the decorative aesthetics affects the planning site and architectural layout, and plays a role in adding interest and strengthening imagery. The first four generations of the Zhou people of Jiuxia Village have official experience in the city, so the village was earliest planned and built by imitating the city (Fig.4). The ancient village gate is also built in the form of imitating city gate. The whole village has a solid guard wall for defense. The planning and layout of the village can reflect the humanistic consciousness and environmental concept embodied in the farming-reading culture. The village covers an area of about 20 ha. The overall layout is rigorous, basically facing south. The architectural styles of different historical periods are clear and orderly. The lanes and roads connect the old and new houses in the village with other buildings as a whole. The cultural relics of the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as ancient houses, ancient wells, flagpole stone and slate roads are concentrated in the center of the village. On the other hand, the horizontal inscribed board "Zong Ji Fu Yin" standing on the general gate of the village and the woodcut couplet define the general gate of Jiuxia Village as "Meng Zhong Zhi Men", namely, the gate of friendship and kindness. Since then, the cultural heritage of Jiuxia Village has been laid. In addition, Zhou Youliang purchased the Qinglan Lake and Wudachai Mountain as private property, creating a poetic life in the mountains and rivers for the descendants of Jiuxia Village and reflecting the "landscape feelings" of the ancestors. This is the unique and long-awaited spiritual orientation of the literati.

Fig.4 Schematic diagram of the initial layout of Jiuxia Village (genealogical data)

5.2 Historical and cultural valueThe spirit of farming-reading culture has long been cast in the history and culture of Jiuxia Village. Therefore, studying the history and culture of Jiuxia Village must inevitably trace the development process of the farming-reading culture. The farming-reading culture in Jiuxia Village originated from the beginning of the relocation of the ancestors. Later generations have taken the farming-reading as family ideal. The first five-room courtyard in Jiuxia Village was ever owned by a father and son who were both senior officials had been used for primary education in the old village. This had greatly encouraged the younger generation tow work hard and gain fame. This benign circular effect lets the excellent traditional culture of Jiuxia Village be passed down from generation to generation in the long history. Since ancient times, Jiuxia Village has presented the cultural characteristics of combining landscape feelings with architectural art, integrating Confucianism and clan culture and harmonizing human and nature. The horizontal inscribed boards of "Chun Xuan Bing Mao" and "Chong Gao Xian Shou" highlight the filial piety culture and reflect the moral quality of Confucian culture, respecting the old and loving the old. The horizontal inscribed boards centered on "loyalty" and "goodness" show a strong religious cultural color. The horizontal inscribed boards made of natural materials such as wood and stone are to express respect for nature. It can be said that the horizontal inscribed boards remained in the traditional residences of Jiuxia Village are a "living dictionary" for the study of Chinese culture and other fields of history and culture.

5.3 Sociological valueBecause of the symbolic meaning of good withes, horizontal inscribed boards are often used as a medium for maintaining interpersonal relationships. Therefore, the study on horizontal inscribed boards cannot be limited to material level. Instead, the links between horizontal inscribed boards and the social system, the political environment and the cultural background should be further analyzed. The genealogy records that He Zhai is a descendant of the big brother Ding Fang (Gong Sheng of Ming Dynasty), and Ding Fang was once awarded with the inscribed board of "Jia Bang Yin Shi" by Zhang Tingyu and the inscribed board of "Feng Gao Luo She" by Sun Houlin, a district officer. Honoring and congratulating horizontal inscribed boards are mostly used for gifts from superiors to subordinates or congratulations between peers, and inscription, presenting and hanging are all important ceremonies. The civilian people are not allowed to hang horizontal inscribed boards privately, which reflects the strict social hierarchy and ritual culture. On the one hand, congratulating horizontal inscribed boards are to express the appreciation of donators for the moral quality of recipients to achieve the purpose of maintaining interpersonal relationships. A good social atmosphere had been maintained through the ceremonies. On the other hand, the official awarding horizontal inscribed boards is a means for the ruling class to maintain feudal ethics. Taking the recipients as moral models played a role in guiding social trends and stabilizing social order.

5.4 Tourist valueAs the pace of urban life accelerates, country fields have become the best place for modern urbanites to escape from the cement forest and return to green nature, promoting the rapid development of rural tourism. The natural and humanistic features of Jiuxia Village are the products of the long-term accumulation of traditional farming-reading culture. Jiuxia Village is located on the shore of the Qinglan Lake, has beautiful scenery, and continues the planning that imitates urban layout of the ancient time. The houses are neatly arranged and there are many cultural relics. The people who have grown up in this beautiful landscape have been immersed in the farming-reading culture for thousands of years, and a loyal and honest folk style has been cultivated and has become a major advantage resource for the tourism of Jiuxia Village. The horizontal inscribed board culture provides a rich humanistic tourism resource for Jiuxia Village and provides new ideas for the use of rural tourism cultural resources. Through the combination of static protection and dynamic activation, such as construction of cultural pavilions, organization of experience activities and creation of teaching experimental bases, the production process of traditional horizontal inscribed boards and the connotation of farming-reading culture are passed down and carried forward.

In the cognition of the farming-reading culture in horizontal inscribed boards, the limitations should be accurately understood, the inner essence should be extract rationally, and the excellent concepts of horizontal inscribed board farming-reading culture in art culture and environmental protection can be applied to the reality. Only establishing the correct concept and using the innovative and activated inheritance methods can the value of horizontal inscribed boards and their farming-reading culture be passed down and the inheritance of the essences be achieved.

6 Conclusions

As the pace of urban life accelerates, country fields have become the best place for modern urbanities to escape from the cement forest and return to green nature. The farming-reading culture is poured into the horizontal inscribed boards, conveying the poetic life and the spiritual character of simplicity and curiousness. This is the expectation of modern people returning to the fields and viewing landscapes. Through studying the value of traditional horizontal inscribed boards in Jiuxia Village from the perspective of farming-reading culture, this article advocates the humanistic spirit of returning to the countryside. Simultaneously, in the cognition of traditional horizontal inscribed boards and their farming-reading culture, the limitations should be accurately understood, the essences should be extracted rationally, and the excellent concepts in art culture and environmental protection can be applied to the real environment. Only establishing the correct concept and using innovative and activated heritage can the value of traditional horizontal inscribed boards be continued for a long time and the inheritance of the essences be achieved.