The legend that Xu Fu, an alchemist of the Qin Dynasty in China, led boys and girls eastward to Japan was widely circulated among Chinese and Japanese people. Today, it has become a historical symbol of Sino-Japanese friendly exchanges. When people talk about this ancient legend, they can't help wondering whether Xu Fudong really crossed this river in history. This is really an interesting topic. Although historians have discussed it for many years, the legend of Xu Fudong crossing the river is still an inconclusive historical mystery.
The Records of Xufu's East Crossing in Historical Records
Sima Qian's Historical Records first recorded Xu Fudong's crossing the river. According to Records of the Historical Records of Qin Shihuang, the Xu family of Qi wrote to Qin Shihuang: "There are three sacred mountains in the sea, namely Penglai, Abbot and Yingzhou. Immortals live in the holy mountain, where there is elixir of life. Please allow me to put the elixir of life for boys and girls. " So Qin Shihuang sent Xu Fu to take thousands of boys and girls to the sea to get medicine. However, Xu Fu spent a lot of money over the years, but failed to get the magic medicine. Afraid of being accused, he lied to Qin Shihuang that Penglai fairy medicine was not difficult to get, but he was often harassed by big sharks, so he could not bring it back. Please let him take an excellent crossbowman, shoot the shark with a crossbow, and get the medicine to revive him. Qin Shihuang asked Xu Fu to take the crossbowman and fishing tools and set off.
According to Records of Historical Records and Biography of Hengshan Mountain in Huainan, Qin Shihuang sent Xu Fu to the sea to seek the elixir of life. When Xu Fu came back, he lied to Qin Shihuang, saying, I was ordered by Qin Huang to meet Poseidon and asked him to look for the elixir of life. Poseidon complained: "The gift of the King of Qin is not enough, just enough for you to see the magic medicine, but you can't take it away. Next time you send boys and girls and various craftsmen, you can take them away. " Qin Shihuang was very happy after hearing this and sent thousands of boys and girls. "Everything is done in the grain." The Xufu plain is so wide that the king can't come. Historical Records does not record where Cui Fu visited the Guangze Plain. Fortunately, this is recorded in the ancient book "Six Chapters of Yi Chu" in the last week of the Five Dynasties. It records the words of Master Hongshun, a Japanese monk who crossed the sea to Luoyang, China in 927 AD: "Japan is also called Japan. In the East China Sea, Xu Fu led boys and girls to this country during the Qin Dynasty. "He also said that Japan has a Mount Fuji, also called Penglai Mountain. Xu Fu settled here, and his descendants are still called Qin. The so-called place where Xu Fudong crossed was Japan, which is recorded.
Is the record of Xu Fudong's crossing credible?
Some people think that Xu Fu is just a legend compiled in historical records, which is not true. Some people think that Penglai, abbot and Yingzhou mentioned in ancient books are a mirage, not today's island country Japan. But most people think that Xu Fudong's crossing is really true, after all, it is recorded in the literature of China and Japan.
1June, 1982, a village named Xufu was found in the census of geographical names in Ganyu County, Jiangsu Province, and its original name was Xufu Village, which was confirmed by the records of Ganyu County in the first year of Jiaqing and several genealogies in the Qianlong period. It is said that there is also a legend about Xu Fu circulating here. It is said that he is a famous doctor who knows both acupuncture and medicine and has treated many local people. Later, he was ordered to go overseas to look for the magic medicine and never came back. In memory of this famous doctor, the villagers built a Xufu Temple in the village. This discovery has attracted the attention of all parties. Many scholars in Jiangsu have explored whether Xu Fuqi really exists through on-the-spot investigation and citing literature. Is Xufu Village the hometown of Xufu? Does Xu Fu go to sea to cross the East? Where did Xufudong Ferry sail from? A series of questions such as which route to cross to Japan.
Scholars believe that Ganyu belonged to Qi State during the Warring States Period and Langya County during the Qin Dynasty, which is consistent with the historical records that Xu Fu was a native of Qi State. In order to live forever, Qin Shihuang visited Langdai and ordered the alchemist to ask for fairy medicine. Xu Fu and others may escape the tyranny of Qin by crossing the sea. The starting point of Xu Fu's voyage to the West may be Xushan in Jiaonan County for the first time, Lanshantou near Lianyungang or along Haizhou Bay for the second time, and some people think it may be the "East Gate Valve" of the Qin Dynasty, that is, Kongwangshan in Haizhou today. The second successful eastward crossing may be through the Yellow Sea to the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, through the cheju strait between Jeju Island and Kyushu Peninsula, and finally landed on Kyushu Peninsula. Therefore, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu Peninsula, Japan has the "Xufudi Monument", as well as the stone burial and ancestral temple of Xufudi. Xu Fu is also the main god enshrined in Gionee Mountain Shrine in Saga Prefecture. He is revered by the local people as the god of sericulture, agriculture and medicine.
The study of Xu Fu in 1980s is not limited to Jiangsu, but also a hot topic in Taiwan Province, Hongkong and Japan. One of the most shocking views is that Xu Fu and the legendary Japanese founding emperor Emperor Jimmu are the same person. As early as 1950, Wei Tingsheng, a scholar, put it forward in the book Xu Fukao's Founding Japan. Later, Taiwan Province scholar Peng Yu 1975- 198 1 8 visited Japan and obtained a lot of investigation and research data. 1In June, 982, "Xu Fu is a test of Emperor Jimmu" was published, which further proved the statement that "China Xu Fu was the first generation of Japanese Emperor Jimmu in Qin Dynasty".
This inference was put forward in 1950, which caused great repercussions in Japan. Japanese scholars soon spontaneously formed the "Japan National Skull Index Measurement Association", which was funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Anatomy professors from universities all over the country measured the skulls of male and female students in universities. It took five years to collect the measurement results of 670,000 people representing the residents of 280 counties and cities in China, which were collated and analyzed by Dr. Hasebe, the most famous authority of Japanese physical anthropology, and compared with the skull index of neighboring nationalities in Japan. Finally, it is confirmed that the skull index of modern Japanese is almost the same as that of people in China, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian and other provinces, but it is different from people in other provinces. Finally, it is concluded that "Japanese ancestors in prehistoric times once lived along the East China Sea coast of China".
Yang Chang wrote in the article "A Study on Hong Kong and Taiwan's Blessing and Its Influence in Japan" that Hirohito's third son, Gong Li, agreed with the view that "Blessing is Emperor Jimmu". It is said that when 1975 "Hong Kong Chuifu Society" was founded, it was affirmed in the congratulatory message that "Chuifu is the father of our Japanese nation". On April 1980 and 19, Saga Prefecture of Kyushu Island held an unprecedented "Blessing Festival" on the "Emperor's Birth Day" in Japan. There are lyrics in the festival song: "A long history of more than two thousand years! Celebrate the shrine sacrifice, obey the orders of the Qin Emperor, lead the boys and girls, and Xu Fu led the people to land in Sijing Bay, Minghai, split the dense reeds and move on. "
However, some people deny that Xu Fudong's crossing is true and give some strong evidence. For example, Xu Fu led a large number of boys and girls to Japan. Why didn't Chinese characters come to Japan at that time, but they didn't come to Japan until the 2nd century? Another example is the legend that Xu Fu brought papermaking to Japan, but China was still writing with bamboo slips in the Qin Dynasty, which obviously does not conform to the factual logic. Therefore, these people think that "Xu Fudong Crossing" is completely a myth and legend fabricated by later generations, and the existing relics about Xu Fu in Japan are also forged by local monks. As for the view that Chui Fu and Emperor Jimmu are the same person, it is even more groundless. So, is Xu Fudong's crossing a legend or a historical fact? As scholars and experts have not yet reached a consensus, this issue will remain a historical mystery to be explored. No matter whether the "mystery" can be solved in the future, it is certain that "Xu Fudong Crossing" is a historical witness to the friendly exchanges and peace between the Chinese and Japanese peoples.