Guangzhou’s historical story Part 1: The story of Baisuifang
In Datang Street, Zhongshan 4th Road, Guangzhou, there is a narrow alley called "Baisuifang", which is said to be Here is a poignant story.
Let’s talk about the late Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. There was a poor scholar named Wang Jianhan. He was diligent, studious and well-read in classics. In order to make a living, he opened a private school in this street to teach children how to read. He was conscientious and tireless in teaching, so many of the students he taught were successful.
Scholars in ancient times stayed at the cold window and grinded through the iron inkstone in order to gain fame, and the only way to gain fame was to take the imperial examination, and Wang Jianhan was no exception. However, he always failed in the exams many times. From black hair to white hair, he was still a commoner and could not even pass the exam. But he was not discouraged and failed repeatedly. Until I am 103 years old and walking with a cane, I still have to apply for the exam. The neighbor kindly advised him: "Old sir, why are you still striving for fame at such an old age? Even if I give you an official position now, you can't do it, so why not give up!" Wang Jianhan sighed and said: " Alas, it’s not the fame I want, but the dissatisfaction in my heart!?
When it came time for the exam, because Wang Jianhan was old, frail and mentally exhausted, he fell asleep as soon as he arrived at the dormitory and couldn’t even answer any questions. I didn’t know until the invigilator came to see him and saw that he was still sleeping. He woke him up and asked: "Is the article ready?" Wang Jianhan rubbed his eyes and asked: "Has the question been published? The paper is about to be handed in. Are you still there?" Unknown test question? Wang Jianhan was surprised and thought: Oh no, he failed this subject again! It would be very embarrassing if he handed in a blank paper! How about writing casually!? So he asked the test question and wrote whatever sentence came to mind. As meticulously crafted and quoted as before, it is better to finish it quickly than handing in a blank paper.
How did you know that Wang Jianhan actually passed the exam, and his grandson who took the exam with him also passed the exam. The story of the two masters and their grandson becoming a scholar became a good story, and people expressed their congratulations one after another. Wang Jianhan was overjoyed and thought calmly: Why did I fail in the exam when I tried hard before, but I succeeded this time when I wrote casually? Ah, yes, because I was too good at writing in the past, and I was proud of being able to quote obscure allusions. Even the examiner didn't know about it, so how could he win? But this time it was written in an easy-to-understand way, which suited the examiner's taste. Precisely? I don’t want my articles to be high in the world, but I want my articles to be a mid-level examiner? Ah!?
Wang Jianhan worked hard in the examination room for seventy years and went through the three dynasties of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong before he got the title His reputation as a scholar was widely circulated, and he was called the "Hundred-year-old Scholar of Three Dynasties", and the alley where he lived was called "Hundred-year-old Scholar".
Historical Stories of Guangzhou Part 2: The Story of Wuyang City
Many cities in China have their own nicknames. For example, Guangzhou is also known as Wuyang, Wuyang City, and Suiyuan.
Why is Guangzhou called the Wuyang City? This starts with an ancient legend.
A long time ago, there was a great famine in Guangzhou, and people had no rice for several days. But the official is like a robber, still asking for food from the people. At that time, there lived a father and son at the foot of the hillside in the city. Because he could not hand over the food, the father was arrested. The official asked the son to hand over the food within three days, otherwise his father would be killed.
This young man was very filial, but there was nothing he could do to save his father. He was so anxious that he burst into tears. One day passed, and two days passed. His cry moved the five immortals in the sky. The immortals rode five sheep of different colors and carried ears of grain to the boy's home. They gave the ears of grain to the young man and asked him to plant the grains into the soil quickly. At dawn tomorrow, they would be able to harvest a lot of rice. They also told the young man that if he encounters difficulties in the future, he should go to the foot of the mountain to look for them. After saying this, the immortal disappeared. The young man planted the grains according to the immortal's instructions, and he harvested several large baskets of rice the next day.
The young man handed over all the rice to the government. The official couldn't believe his eyes. He felt very strange, so he asked with a straight face the origin of the rice. The boy was a child after all, and under his coercion, he had no choice but to tell the truth. After hearing this, the official thought secretly: If he catches the five immortals, wouldn't he be able to make a fortune? So he released the young man and his father, and immediately ordered the officers to go to the foot of the mountain to capture the immortals.
The young man felt that something was not good, so he hurried to the foot of the mountain and told the immortals to leave quickly. The immortals nodded, thanked the young man for his care, and then told him to scatter the remaining grain seeds into the ground so that the government could not take them away and the common people could have something to eat. While they were talking, the guards arrived, and the five immortals rose into the sky. The guards had nothing to do. The five sheep brought by the immortal were left on the grass. When the guards were about to catch them, the five sheep gathered together and turned into a big stone. Today, we can still see the five stone sheep on Yuexiu Mountain in Guangzhou. The ram in the middle holds ears of grain in its mouth and raises its head high into the sky. However, this is not the immortal's five sheep, but the artist's masterpiece. It is said that five sheep turned into stones are in the Five Immortals Temple at the foot of Poshan Mountain. You may wish to go and have a look.
Historical Stories of Guangzhou Chapter 3: The Legend of the Weaver Girl Transformed into a Goddess
The last hall of the Nanhai Temple in Huangpu, Guangzhou is called Zhaoling Palace, which is dedicated to Shen, the wife of King Hongsheng. Madam's.
Shen was originally an ordinary peasant weaver girl, how could she become the wife of the noble King Hong Sheng? There is a magical legend here.
According to legend, a long time ago, there was a girl surnamed Shen in Shunde, Guangdong. She was as beautiful as a flower, capable of growing mulberries, raising silkworms, and weaving brocades. She was also kind-hearted and helpful.
One year there was a severe drought in Shunde. The fields were cracked and the crops were withered. Everyone was anxious. Shen's Weaver Girl thought: I heard that there is a Nanhai Temple in Yangcheng, why not go there to pray for rain?
Weaver Girl persuaded her parents and drove day and night to the Nanhai Temple a hundred miles away, kneeling before the flood. The Holy King prayed in front of God: "Your Majesty, the daughter of the people begs you. There is a drought in Shunde now. Please send down the rain so that my uncles and brothers can farm smoothly and my sisters can raise silkworms and weave brocades." If you wish, after the harvest, the folk girls will weave the best silk and satin for you to lay out. ?
King Hong Sheng saw that the Weaver Girl was busy with work and came to pray for rain for the villagers regardless of personal hard work. It was really valuable and he must help. Inspector: "Prepare" originally meant decoration, but because Weaver Girl's voice was thin and a bit gravelly, King Hong Sheng misunderstood her as "Madam" and acquiesced.
Sure enough, after the Weaver Girl left, it started to rain in Shunde, and the people happily farmed and got a bumper harvest. According to her promise, the Weaver Girl used the best silk to weave the most beautiful silk and satin, and took it to the Nanhai Temple to be laid out and restored to the gods.
When King Hongsheng saw Zhinu’s sincerity, he announced to the gods that he would name Zhinu “Mrs. Mingshun”. As soon as she finished speaking, Weaver Girl turned into a pile of dirt. That night King Hong Sheng reported a dream to the temple and asked him to shape the pile of soil into a statue and build a temple to worship it.
The Weaver Girl’s surname is Shen, and this palace is also called the “Mrs. Shen’s Palace”. Because many people in nearby Miaotou Village have the surname Cen, and the sound of "Cen" is similar to "Chen", the villagers affectionately call Weaver Girl "aunt". Legend has it that one evening shortly after the completion of this temple, children from many families in Miaotou Village disappeared. After searching around, they found Mrs. Shen's Hall and saw all the children playing here. The children said: Great aunt sang and danced with us and had a lot of fun! The villagers realized: Great aunt loves children very much and is the protector of children. ?So in the future, whenever I went to the fields or went out and it was inconvenient to take the child with me, I would always take the child to Mrs. Shen's hall, worship the statue, and say: ?Please take care of my aunt. ?You can put the child down and go away with peace of mind. Strangely enough, according to the villagers: Over the years, the children who have been sent here have never had any accidents. Believe it or not.