During the Tang Dynasty, both Buddhism and Taoism made great progress, so China's illusion flourished. In the Tang Dynasty, Yuefu was established. Magic is the imperial art of the court, and there are "all kinds of tricks" (magic, acrobatics, etc. ) deeply loved by the emperor.
Emperors of past dynasties respected Taoism and suppressed Buddhism, or worshiped Buddhism and suppressed Taoism according to their needs. Taoism and Buddhism are good at using illusion, and there are many bizarre stories and mysterious figures circulating in history:
Luo was a Taoist priest during the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Tang Ming. It is said that he had many illusions. On one occasion, he introduced Tang into the dreamland and lied that he was a moon-wandering official. When Xuanzong saw hundreds of people practicing and dancing in a wide court, the music they accompanied was called "Nishang Feather", so he wrote it down. The next day, he summoned musicians and composed "colorful feathers" according to their tones (see Yuefu Poems).
Zhang, a native of the Tang Dynasty, lived in seclusion in Zhongtiaoshan, claiming to have been born in the Yao period. He always rides a white donkey and can walk tens of thousands of Ali a day. During the break, he folded the donkey and put it in a bamboo container for clothes. When he used it, he took it out and sprayed it with water, and then he became a donkey. Wu Zetian sent someone to tell him to come out of the mountain, and he pretended to be dead. Later, during the Kaiyuan period, the envoys of Chinese sects welcomed Zhang Guo to Beijing with Xishu, and named him Dr. Guanglu, honoring him as "Mr. Xuan Tong", and prepared to betroth Princess Yu Zhen to him. After Zhang Guo's death, Xuanzong built a temple downstairs to worship him (see Shang You Lu).
Han Xiangzi, a native of the Tang Dynasty, studied Taoism since childhood. At a banquet, he advised Yu to abandon his official position and learn Taoism. There are two lines in the poem dedicated to Han Yu: "If you solve the problem, you can spend an instant." It means that he has a Tao that can make wine between wandering and carving, and can blossom and bear fruit instantly after planting, which is denounced as heresy by Han Yu. Han Xiang filled each guest with a glass of wine with a small gourd, and then planted lotus flowers with fire. In an instant, the flower quilt was printed with words: "Where is the home of Yunheng Qinling?" Snow blocked the blue horse. "(see" The Legend of Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty ")
Lv Dongbin, a native of Yongle Town in Tang Dynasty, practiced with his wife on Jiufeng Mountain. They lived in a cave opposite each other, hence the name "Dong Bin". Later, influenced by Zhong Liquan, he called himself "Answering People". He knows medical skills, he knows magic, he travels in rivers and lakes, and he treats people everywhere for nothing. After his death, people built the "Lv Gong Temple" in his hometown, which was changed to the "Lu" Temple in the Song Dynasty and the "Yongle Pass" Temple in the Yuan Dynasty. His statue is enshrined in Chunyang Hall, and people also call him "Lv Zu".
Magic was introduced to Japan during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. The ancient paintings preserved by Masakura Research Institute in Japan also include illusion performances in the Tang Dynasty, such as "Dancing on the Sword", in which a person easily lies on the tip of the sword and plays cymbals without any damage to his body. This program is today's "Lying Hanging"; "Dance in the pot" went in from the jar on this side and climbed out from the jar on the other side, which was later the "cylinder pier". Japanese Ninjutsu also incorporates many illusions of China, such as smoke screen, invisibility, evasion and so on, all of which can find the shadow of China's illusion.
Magical kung fu, even today, is still fascinating, and many masters are as straight as flying immortals.
Climbing rope to catch people: According to legend, during the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Tang Ming, not only a grand performance competition was held in Beijing, but also counties and counties were ordered to hold it. There is an illusionist in Jiaxing county's cell. The prison guard let him out and let him take part in the performance. After the game, they let him play. The man took a big rope as a prop and saw that he threw one end of the rope into the air. The higher he threw it, the straighter it stood, as if someone were pulling it. After throwing this 20-foot-long rope, he climbed up the rope with great agility and speed. When he reached the top, he disappeared immediately (see Yan Yi). Hehe, in the American drama Prison Break, the last "Eight Immortals" who escaped from prison seems to have climbed off the rope, but they are far from the illusionist in China.
"Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio" has the ability of "throwing the air and climbing the rope". At present, some people abroad perform such a program: the magician takes out a big rope from a round basket with a cover, throws one end of the rope into the air, and the rope stands still. The magician climbed up the rope and suddenly a puff of white smoke came out. In the blur, the magician disappeared, and the big rope fell into the basket along the hole as thick as the big rope in the middle of the basket cover. After lifting the lid of the basket, the rope disappeared, but the magician came out.
Back from the Dead: During the period of Xian Tong in Tang Yizong, a magician performed in a remote place in Beijing. He took a teenager as an assistant, only to see him cut off the child's head with a knife, put the child on the ground, and then ask the audience for a reward. After everyone gave him money, he only heard him shout, and the child immediately stood up and walked naked. The next day, he performed as usual, but his call failed and the child couldn't get up. He saluted the audience and said, "When I first arrived in Beijing, I had not visited the master, so today my skills are not good. Please leave my child alone and be a master. " Having said that, I still have no money to call my children again. At the right moment, the inspector said that he had killed someone and wanted to take him to court. He begged: so many people, I can't escape alone. I have other spells. Please watch. If you can't save the child, it's not too late to arrest me again. So he took out a melon seed from a small box and cut it with a knife. He called for the child again, but it was still ineffective. He sighed again and again and said, "My child is going to kill someone." Then he cut the melon with a knife and shouted, and the child immediately stood up intact. At the same time, a disgusting head in the audience suddenly fell to the ground. He quickly packed up the props with the children, put them in a cloth bag and tied them on his back. Exhale through your mouth at the same time. For example, the same white practice rushed into the air, and he climbed up with his hands. About ten people were missing, and the monk was beheaded and could never get up again. (See South Tang Wei Chiwo's Politics of China and Korea).
Growing pears in Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio is similar to this story.
In addition to fantasy, wandering around making wine, instant blooming, folding white donkeys, lying and hanging, hiding from the jar, climbing ropes to escape, killing and resurrecting, there are also dead branches blooming, drawing turtles back to life (see Youyang dialect in Tang Dynasty, Mi Bao performed magic with lights. On a candle about two inches thick and one foot long, five-color lights are emitted, which will not go out all night after being lit, and the lights are in the shape of balconies and gazebo (see Du Yang Miscellanies). There is also "dust on the forehead, towels as rivers and lakes, pearls and jade will fall when they are raised, and the opening will be chaotic." (see general code) and so on.
Now those colorful illusion performances are mostly circulated in name only. Modernity has been lost or changed beyond recognition, which makes people feel sorry, but at the same time, they have an infinite yearning for China's ancient folk culture.