Xuanwu Lake

Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s a great honor to share one story with you.

On my day off, I’d like to bring my book and hammock to Xuanwu Lake Park. The breeze is blowing, and there are many tourists in the park. I’m looking for one cozy place to tie my hammock. When I lay down and close my eyes to enjoy the wind and the fresh air, I apparently feel the fresh breeze together with raindrops blowing. I just get up and find nobody there! I walk along the lakeside, the road is wet like rain before, there are some birds flying around the lotus flowers on the lake with tiny mist, this picture of fairyland really attracts me.

Nearby, an elder is smiling to me. I’m so surprised about his dressing and I asks: “Dear sir, are you making films here?”He smiles to me and says: “Do you want to know something interesting about Xuanwu Lake?Follow me.”

Suddenly, everything around us seems to be moving.I can’t believe that was real. I seem to see a lot of soldiers with many ships made by wood, and the flags are fluttering in the wind under the name by “Wu”! “We are at the Three Kingdom Period. It’s the first time the lake was put into use. After that, in Song dynasty the place you see convert more lakes into farmland.” With what he said,the scene changed; we can see vast tracts of fertile farmland,curl smoke and tree-lined village besides the lake.

What a concordant picture! “When history moves to Ming Dynasty ,this lake is closed around 250 years I want to tell you about why and how!”

Then we move again, when we stop, we are in front of one traditional building called“Huangce archives”. “What is that for?” I asked. That wise man said “It’s a collection of the whole country’s household registration and taxation into one book which we call Huangce.Huang means yellow only used for royal, and whole book is covered by yellow silk, that’s why we get the name.” We open one book. We can see officials write every man’s name and possess the land by himself precisely.

“Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang built 960 rooms in 4 isles, wrote 2,000,000 books, those isles all in the middle of the lake. On the other hand Xuanwu Lake is located far from the city. It’s best defense against fire, a man-made destruction. That’s why he chose the natural barrier,Xuanwu Lake, to build Huangce archives.” And in case of fire, the emperor said “No cooking on the isle , no lighting in the evening, and no bringing the open fires, otherwise people will be killed!” There is none fire accident happened in Xuanwu lake. In case of safety, the emperor built stone tablet set up around the lake. Civilians and animals are forbidden inside.

Around the lake there are full-time military defense, no fishing and no living closed to the lake, but they allowed the civilians to fish twice a year only in winter. “They force us to move our home from generation, no drinking and no farming in the lake!”

At this time, the old man said angrily “You know I’m the victim of this havoc, they just buried me besides those rooms to protect it to avoid mice disaster. How can he do that to me!Just because he is the emperor? ”“No! My descendants will find out I didn’t die to protect the emperor’s property, I died to show my dignity.” His voice is getting louder and louder.

Then I heard a hurried step behind me, the wise man said to me “My child go, cherish the life that you are living, and learn lessons from my story! Good luck!” He disappeared suddenly. I tried my best to run, but I fell down, when I opened my eyes, I lay down on the grass, and the book was open on the page of Mao’s story.

If you want to know more about Xuanwu lake ,welcome to Nanjing. I’ll be with you!

关键词点击

玄武湖黄册库

玄武湖黄册库是中国明代专门收贮全国赋役档案的中央档案库。建于明代初年，位于南京玄武湖中的群岛上。明洪武十四年（1381）推行黄册制度，规定各地每10年编造一次赋役册籍，共4套，其中3套用青色封面（称青册），由布政司、府（州）、县各存1套；1套用黄色封面（称黄册）上交中央户部。万历三十年（1602），后湖册库达667间，收贮黄册153万余册，至明代末年黄册多达179万余册，同时藏有全国丈量土地绘制的鱼鳞图册。为中国古代规模最大的档案库。

知识拓展

明朝

明朝（1368年―1644年）是中国历史上最后一个由汉族建立的大一统中原王朝，共传十二世，历经十六帝，享国276年。

元末爆发红巾起义，朱元璋加入郭子兴队伍。1364年朱元璋称吴王，建立西吴。1368年朱元璋称帝，国号为大明，因皇室姓朱，又称朱明，定都于应天府；1420年朱棣迁都至顺天府，以应天府为陪都。明初历经洪武之治、永乐盛世、仁宣之治等治世，政治清明、国力强盛。中期经土木之变由盛转衰，后经弘治中兴、嘉靖中兴、万历中兴国势复振，晚明因东林党争和天灾外患导致国力衰退，爆发明末农民起义。1644年李自成攻入北京，崇祯帝自缢殉国。明朝宗室在江南建立南明，随后清朝趁乱入关，击败大顺、大西、南明诸政权；1662年永历帝被杀，南明灭亡。

明代疆域囊括汉地，东北抵日本海、外兴安岭，后缩为辽河流域；北达戈壁沙漠一带，后撤至明长城；西北至新疆哈密，后退守嘉峪关；西南临孟加拉湾，后折回约今云南境；并在青藏地区设有羁縻卫所，还曾收复安南，明代极盛国土面积约达一千万平方公里。

明朝是继汉唐之后的黄金时期。明代无汉之外戚、唐之藩镇、宋之岁币，天子守国门，君王死社稷。清朝官方评价明朝为“治隆唐宋”、“远迈汉唐”。 OFThuos+CnlTIv2gPIOE5yL+W+ucPFIYXO5VOY6QMSDZd2b94VDLWutY9HHaZKID