大红灯笼高高挂

七绝和汉宫秋词长咏石榴花
榴花初染火般红，
果实涂丹映碧空。
自古人夸多子贵，
如今徒惹恨无穷。

山石榴
【唐】杜牧
似火山榴映小山，
繁中能薄艳中闲。
一朵佳人玉钗上，
只疑烧却翠云鬟。

榴花
【唐】韩愈
五月榴花照眼明，
枝间时见子初成。
可怜此地无车马，
颠倒青苔落绛英。

山石榴寄元九
【唐】白居易
闲折两枝持在手，
细看不似人间有。
花中此物是西施，
芙蓉芍药皆嫫母。

赵中丞折枝石榴
『元』 马祖常
乘槎使者海西来，
移得珊瑚汉苑栽；
只待绿荫芳树合，
蕊珠如火一时开。

zoo in winter

别理我，烦着呢！

不要着急，休息，休息一会儿

趁你们都睡的时候，先让我吃顿独食儿

那么大地方，干嘛非趴我身上睡啊

这不是冰红茶吗？怎么喝完没走三步就倒了，莫非是景阳岗的三碗不过岗？

我这叫冰上芭蕾，够拉风的吧

这冰冻结实了没有，别一脚踩空掉下去，我可得小心点儿

虎符-合同的前身

   最早接触虎符这个名词，还是在中学语文课本中《信陵君窃符救赵》一文，该篇选自司马迁《史记·魏公子列传》，写的是魏国公子无忌，即信陵君，结交隐士侯嬴，并采纳侯嬴所献之计，让魏王宠妃如姬窃取兵符，解救赵国的原委始末。到底这个用来调兵遣将的兵符是什么样子，最早始于何年代，在自己心中一直是个不解之谜。直到参观了首博举办的《中国记忆-5000年文明瑰宝展》，看到阳陵错金铜虎符之后，这个谜团才终于得以解开。 

  “虎符”最早出现在春秋战国时期，作为中央发给地方官或驻军首领的调兵凭证，制作材料以铜铸为多。汉应劭《风俗通·祀典·桃梗苇茭画虎》中曾写到：“虎者阳物，百兽之长也，能执搏挫锐，噬食鬼魅。”将兵符制作成虎型，足见古人对虎的形象的崇拜，虎符象征着皇权的至高无上。 

   从汉朝开始至隋朝，虎符均为铜质，分成两半，右半存于朝廷，左半发给统兵将帅或地方长官。当中央调兵谴将时需要派使者去合符，两半勘合验真，方能出兵。虎符的背面刻有铭文，从来都是专符专用，一地一符，绝不可能用一个兵符同时调动两个地方的军队，以此防止地方军叛乱的发生。 

  《中国记忆-5000年文明瑰宝展》中展出的这枚虎符，高3.14厘米、长8.9厘米，山东临城出土，现藏于中国国家博物馆。虎作趴伏状，昂首前视，长尾曲翘，四足向前平伸。虎背左右各有错金篆书铭文“甲兵之符，右在皇帝，左在阳陵”两行十二字，是秦始皇统一全国后颁发给驻守阳陵将领的兵符。

         

                          阳陵虎符拓片 

      到了唐代，唐高祖为避其祖先李虎的名讳，废止虎符，改用黄铜做鱼形兵符，称为“鱼符”。武则天当朝后改为“龟符”，中宗年间又恢复为鱼符。”。《朝野佥载》写道：“汉发兵用铜虎符。及唐初，为银兔符，以兔子为符瑞故也。又以鲤鱼为符瑞，遂为铜鱼符以佩之。至伪周，武姓也，玄武，龟也... ”。鱼符也分左右两半，中缝处刻有“合同”两字，分开后，每半边符上只有半边字，合在一起才见完整的“合同”两字，所以又称此符为“合同”。这正是我们现在签约时一式两份、中缝盖章、双方各持一份的“合同”的前身。 

    现存最早的虎符是秦惠文君时期的“杜虎符”，出土于1973年陕西省西安战国秦墓，现藏于陕西省博物馆。虎符高4.4厘米，长9.5厘米，厚0.7厘米，作昂首疾奔状，尾端卷曲。此符身上刻有错金铭文九行四十字：“兵甲之符，又在君，左在杜，凡兴士被甲用兵五十人以上，必会君符，乃敢行之，燔燧之事，虽毋会符，行。” 意思是说50人以上的用兵需要验虎符才可以征调，但遇到烽火燃起的紧急军情，可以不受此限制。 

        

                     杜虎符

一叶知秋

water cubic and bird nest

秋游陶然亭之动物篇

秋游陶然亭之风景篇

The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace landscape, dominated mainly by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, covers an area of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is under water. Its 70,000 square meters of building space features a variety of palaces, gardens and other ancient-style architectural structures. Well known for its large and priceless collection of cultural relics, it was among the first group of historical and cultural heritage sites in China to be placed under special state protection.

The Summer Palace, originally named Qingyi Yuan or the Garden of Clear Ripples, was first constructed in 1750. It was razed to the ground by the Anglo-French Allied Forces in 1860. The Government of the Qing Dynasty started to rebuild it in 1886 with funds that it had misappropriated from the Imperial Navy and other sources. Renamed two years later as Yihe Yuan or the Garden of Health and Harmony, it was supposed to serve as a summer resort for the Empress Dowager Cixi. Known also as the Summer Palace, it was ravaged by the Allied Forces of the Eight Powers that invaded China in 1900. The damage was repaired in 1902. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Summer Palace has undergone several major renovations. Its major attractions such as the Four Great Regions, Suzhou Street, the Pavilion of Bright Scenery, the Hall of Serenity, the Wenchang Galleries and the Plowing and Weaving Scenery Area have been successively restored.

The Summer Palace is a monument to classical Chinese architecture, in terms of both garden design and construction. Borrowing scenes from surrounding landscapes, it radiates not only the grandeur of an imperial garden but also the beauty of nature in a seamless combination that best illustrates the guiding principle of traditional Chinese garden design: “The works of men should match the works of Heaven”. In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List with the following comments

Built in the 15th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1750), this 150-meter bridge links the east bank and the South Lake Island. It is the longest bridge in any Chinese imperial garden and was named for its seventeen arches. Over 500 stone lions in different poses are carved on the posts of the bridge's railings. At both ends of the bridge are carved four strange animals. Strong and powerful, they are outstanding evidence of Qing stone carving.