Jin'gu Villa

Jin'gu Villa was a famous private garden-estate in ancient Luoyang during the Western Jin dynasty.
It was owned by the brutal aristocrat Shi Chong . 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.
Because of this story of beauty perished and splendor turned to emptiness, many poets have written about it, including Zhang Ji, Du Mu, Li Xianyong, Su Zheng, Cao Song, and Xu Teng 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 liú shuǐ wú qíng cǎo zì chūn rì mù dōng fēng yuàn tí niǎo luò huā yóu sì zhuì lóu rén	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.