Jin'gu Villa

Jin'gu Villa (Traditional Chinese: 金谷園; pinyin: Jīngǔ Yuán; also translated as Golden Valley Villa) was a famous private garden-estate in ancient Luoyang during the Western Jin dynasty.

It was owned by the brutal aristocrat Shi Chong (石崇) . Lüzhu was his singing girl, renowned for her beauty and flute-playing. Shi Chong's rival, Sun Xiu, coveted her and tried to obtain her from Shi Chong, but Shi Chong would not give her up. In the end, Sun Xiu's faction seized Shi Chong and resolved to put him to death. Lü Zhu chose to end her own life, following him into death as an act of devoted fidelity.^[1]^[2]

Because of this story of beauty perished and splendor turned to emptiness, many poets have written about it, including Zhang Ji (張繼), Du Mu (杜牧), Li Xianyong (李咸用), Su Zheng (蘇拯), Cao Song (曹松), and Xu Teng (徐熥) etc..

Poem by Du Mu

This is a historical-themed poem by the 9th-century poet Du Mu. He composed it while travelling in Luoyang, after seeing the ruined walls and remains of the Golden Valley Villa.

中文	Modern Pinyin	English Translation
繁華事散逐香塵流水無情草自春日暮東風怨啼鳥落花猶似墜樓人	fán huá shì sàn zhú xiāng chén^{[note 1]} liú shuǐ wú qíng cǎo zì chūn rì mù dōng fēng yuàn tí niǎo luò huā yóu sì zhuì lóu rén^{[note 2]}	Golden ages have faded, turning to fragrant dust. Stream flows with no heart, while the grasses rise in spring. In the twilight, birds mourn within the eastern breeze, That figure falls from the terrace like a scattering of petal.

Note

^ “Fragrant dust”: the finest powder of aloeswood. It is said that Shi Chong, in order to train the footwork of the dancing girls in his household, would spread aloeswood shavings over an ivory bed and have them tread upon it; those who left no trace were rewarded with pearls.
^ i.e. Lüzhu

References

^ 《晋书石崇传》:崇有妓曰绿珠，美而艳，善吹笛。孙秀使人求之。崇时在金谷别馆，方登凉台，临清流，妇人侍侧。使者以告。崇尽出其婢妾数十人以示之，皆蕴兰麝，被罗縠，曰：“在所择。”使者曰：“君侯服御丽则丽矣，然本受命指索绿珠，不识孰是？”崇勃然曰：“绿珠吾所爱，不可得也。”使者曰：“君侯博古通今，察远照迩，愿加三思。”崇曰：“不然。”使者出而又反，崇竟不许。秀怒，乃劝伦诛崇、建。
^ 金性尧 (1993). 唐诗三百首新注. 上海古籍出版社.

[3] “Fragrant dust”: the finest powder of aloeswood. It is said that Shi Chong, in order to train the footwork of the dancing girls in his household, would spread aloeswood shavings over an ivory bed and have them tread upon it; those who left no trace were rewarded with pearls.

[4] .e. Lüzhu

[1] 《晋书石崇传》:崇有妓曰绿珠，美而艳，善吹笛。孙秀使人求之。崇时在金谷别馆，方登凉台，临清流，妇人侍侧。使者以告。崇尽出其婢妾数十人以示之，皆蕴兰麝，被罗縠，曰：“在所择。”使者曰：“君侯服御丽则丽矣，然本受命指索绿珠，不识孰是？”崇勃然曰：“绿珠吾所爱，不可得也。”使者曰：“君侯博古通今，察远照迩，愿加三思。”崇曰：“不然。”使者出而又反，崇竟不许。秀怒，乃劝伦诛崇、建。

[2] 金性尧 (1993). 唐诗三百首新注. 上海古籍出版社.

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