沈阳魁星楼:古代文人的精神家园

Shenyang’s Kuixing Tower:A Spiritual Land for Ancient Literati

在沈阳万泉河（俗称小河沿）的北岸大东区大什字街南端,有一条魁星楼路,还有一个以魁星命名的魁星住宅小区。现如今这个地方并不被大多数沈阳人所熟知,但在清代很长一段时期,这里曾是沈阳著名的盛京八景之一“星阁晴霞”所在地——魁星楼。沈阳魁星楼建于后金皇太极时期沈阳魁星楼建于后金天聪二年（1628年）,清太宗皇太极时期,位于当时的抚近门外头道沟。为了吸纳汉人学子,博采先进文化,天聪元年（1627年）清太宗皇太极宣布恢复考试选拔任用汉人生员制度,

In the second year of the Later Jin Dynasty(1628), during the reign of the Qing emperor Huangtaiji a Kuixing Tower was built outside the Fujin Gate in Toudaogou. One year earlier, the emperor restored the examination system for the Han scholars. He thought the Han scholars and the advanced Han culture would be useful for his rule and the best way to show his determination was to build a Confucius temple and a Kuixing Tower(for the best examinees) in the then capital city of Shenyang.Kuixing refers to the four of the twentyeight stars in ancient Chinese astrology. They are the stars that form the cup of the diaper. Together they are called "Kuixing Stars." Among the old literati the Kuixing Tower was a place of totem and spiritual land where they could worship their stars. Miao Gongen, a leading figure of the literati, was one of those who paid frequent visits to the tower. For a time a plaque was hanging in the west part ofthe tower. On the plaque was his calligraphy: The Civilized World. During the Republic period when Zhang Xueliang ruled the northeast China, the young ruler turned Wenchang Hall of the tower into a library.Unfortunately the tower is no longer there, leaving behind it only a narrow street and a road sign to tell the name of the street: Kuixing Tower Street, a name that may bring back some memories of the tower.