Wei Wuji’s Art of War
Eight Lost Legends in Chinese History
China is a country with a long cultural history, which is not only reflected in its long span of time, but also in its Rich and colorful in connotation. From the historical objects we can see now and the events recorded and handed down by ancient books, we can strongly feel the shocking power of this cultural connotation. However, there are still many cultural treasures in historical records that we can only hear about but can no longer feel or touch. Regarding the gaps left by these cultural damages that lasted for more than a thousand years, we can only express regret in our hearts. I recited their names silently over and over again, keeping them firmly in my heart. These regrets that can only make us recall but never reach our reach mainly include:
1: "Lianshan"
"The Book of Changes" is called "the first of all scriptures" , which shows how important it has been in the history of Chinese culture and thought. At present, Chinese academic circles generally believe that the "Bagua" in Zhouyi was handed down by Fuxi, and was later interpreted by King Wen of Zhou into eighty-eight and sixty-four hexagrams, and Confucius added "Ten Wings" to form what we have today. The way you see it. However, it was impossible for King Wen of Zhou to deduce such detailed and specific hexagrams and lines based on one of Fuxi's eight diagrams, and to superimpose the three different lines of yin and yang out of thin air to form a six-line hexagram. Fuxi's theory suddenly grew exponentially. So has he learned from the experience and tips of his predecessors?
In fact, there are many ancient books that record that before the appearance of the "Book of Changes" and before the emergence of writing, the Xia and Shang dynasties already had their own "Book of Changes". When people after the Han Dynasty compiled ancient classics, they called the Yi Jing of the Xia Dynasty "Lianshan Yi" and the Yi Jing of the Shang Dynasty "Gui Zang Yi". The "Book of Changes" we are familiar with is just the Book of Changes that was popular in the Zhou Dynasty.
Obviously different from the "Book of Changes", the song "Lianshan Yi Yao Gua Elephant" is based on society as a system: "king, ministers, people, things, yin, yang, soldiers, elephants" eight elephants The composition is headed by Gen Gua, and all the clouds and gases come from the mountain. The mountains are the main ones, the mountains are the king, the mountains are the ministers, the mountains are the people, the mountains are the objects, the mountains are the yin, the mountains are the yang, the mountains are the soldiers, and the mountains are the elephants. According to records: "Lianshanyi" has 80,000 words, many of which are lost. At present, only some hexagram names, a few line names, hexagram and line words, image words, and fifty-two treatises from various schools have been preserved.
"Gui Zang Yi" is based on the life process as a system: "Gui Zang, birth, movement, growth, nurture, cessation, killing" consists of eight images, headed by Kun Gua, all things are Gui Zang On the ground. Each image is dominated by "Qi"; the weather is the return, the earth is the storage, the wood is the life, the wind is the movement, the fire is the growth, the water is the nurture, the mountain is the stop, and the metal is the kill. "Gui Zang" contains 4,300 words, most of which have been lost. Only the names of the hexagrams and lines of the sixty-four hexagrams have been preserved.
"The Book of Changes" is headed by Qian Tian, ??which means that everything in the sky and the world is "Zhou" prepared. This "Zhouyi" is originally called "Qiankun Yi", which is based on the universe. It consists of eight images: "sky, earth, sun, moon, mountains, rivers, clouds and air". Mainly based on the image of "shape". The dry shape is the sky, the kun shape is the earth, the yang shape is the sun, the yin shape is the moon, the earth shape is the mountain, the water shape is the river, the rain shape is the clouds, and the wind shape is the air.
Some scholars believe that the title "Lianshan", like "Gui Zang", was actually forged by Liu Xin in the Han Dynasty and cannot be trusted. But some people think: According to ancient book records, Confucius once saw "Gui Zang". If this is indeed the case, then the Lianshan and Guizang Yis must really be the ancient Yis before the Zhou Yi.
Mr. Wei Zhangbing, who specializes in the study of characters and patterns in Shuishi scripts of the Miao people in Guizhou, said that the eight-pointed star pattern on the Xia Dynasty colored pottery unearthed from the Dawenkou site in Tai'an in 1974 is exactly the same as the Taichi diagram in Shuishi scripts. According to this, Shuishu, "Lianshan" and "Gui Zang" were created at about the same time, both in the Xia Dynasty or earlier. He believes that these characteristics indicate that Shui Shu is most likely the "Lianshan Yi" and "Gui Zang Yi" that have been lost for more than 4,000 years.
No matter what, "The Book of Changes" seems to be a quite mature work until now. It is unlikely that it appeared out of nowhere and has survived in its entirety to this day.
In 1983, engineer Hao Yongwei said at the National Geographic History Report: "He's Bi is the moonstone, produced in the west of Nanzhang in Shennongjia, the source of Jushui River, Bencangping and Yinyu River. area". It once again aroused modern people's curiosity to understand the origin, legend and quality of He's Bi.
He's Bi and the jade seals made from it were passed down intermittently for a long time in Chinese history until the Later Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. At that time, Shi Jingtang led the Khitan army to attack Luoyang. Li Congke, the late emperor of the later Tang Dynasty, climbed to the Xuanwu Tower and burned himself on the Xuanwu Tower with the Chuan Guo Seal in his arms. The Chuan Guo Seal disappeared and was never seen again.
Since then, in all dynasties and generations, the emperors of that dynasty have carved their own jade seals. There is no longer a true "jade seal" that has been recognized by all dynasties. This loss is so huge for the cultural history of the Chinese nation that anyone can weigh its weight. And what kind of material the jade seal of the country is made of may really become an eternal mystery.
Four: Burning books and entrapping Confucians and the loss of pre-Qin culture
After Qin Shihuang unified China, he decisively adopted a series of policies that were conducive to unifying the country, which played a very good role in stabilizing the regime at that time. effect. However, these policies have also produced some unpredictable and immeasurable consequences, profoundly affecting China's history and culture, and even causing irreparable losses. The well-known "burning books and entrapping Confucians" is such an incident.
In the thirty-fourth year of the First Emperor of Qin (213 BC), the First Emperor held a banquet in Xianyang Palace. Zhou Qingchen, the doctor's servant, praised the First Emperor in person, saying that "the gods are bright and holy, and the sea is pacified", "with the princes as counties and counties, everyone can live in peace and contentment", and "since ancient times, he has not been as majestic as your majesty." Dr. Qiren Chunyu Yue disagreed. He believes that in ancient times, the Yin and Zhou Dynasties enfeoffed their descendants to meritorious officials, so they were able to dominate the world. "Your Majesty now has a family at home, but his children are just ordinary men." If something happens, who will come to rescue him? For this reason, he advocated learning from the past, and believed that "it is unheard of to do things that last long without following the ancients."
Originally, it is normal to have different opinions when discussing government affairs, and it is even beneficial to the government. things. However, Li Si, who was the prime minister at the time, out of his own interests, advised Qin Shihuang: The five emperors will not reunite, and the three generations will not attack each other. Different eras have different methods of governing the country. "Your Majesty has created a great cause today and made achievements for all generations." How can we follow the example of the past three generations? Therefore, Li Si suggested prohibiting private learning and stipulated that "if anyone wants to learn, let the officials be their teachers." "Books in the world have the same text, and cars have the same track", and everything is based on Qin's standards. Except for the "History of Qin", all the history books of the Six Kingdoms were burned. Except for the poems, books, hundreds of books, agricultural, medical, divination and other books preserved by Qin historians, all books collected by the people were burned. Qin Shihuang was deceived by the statement of "making contributions to the world", so he agreed with Li Si's opinion and ordered the burning of books. After "Shu Tongwen", the writing is unified according to Li Si's Xiaozhuan style. All books, manuscripts, decrees, documents, etc. recorded in the six countries' respective calligraphy styles were burned. The large seal script written by the six kingdoms before Qin's small seal script has never been recognized by anyone since then.
The next year after the book burning, that is, the thirty-fifth year of Qin Shihuang (212 BC), another incident of "trapping Confucian students" occurred. Prince Fusu was implicated and sent to the frontier. The world fell into the hands of Qin Er, Zhao Gao and others step by step. Qin Shihuang's purpose of stabilizing his country by "burning books and entrapping Confucians" was not achieved. Li Si's purpose of "burning books and entrapping Confucians" to make himself famous was also completely eliminated when he was "cut in half" by Zhao Gao Failed.
After experiencing this cultural catastrophe in Chinese history, no one can count how many historical records, cultural classics, palace narratives, folk legends and other immeasurable historical treasures China has lost. come out. If it weren't for the "Book of Secretaries" hidden in the screen wall in the home of the sage Confucius, one of the "Five Classics and Four Books" would have been missing. This cannot be regarded as an eternal regret brought about by a major cultural catastrophe in Chinese history.
Five: Destruction of Afang Palace
The Afang Palace built by Qin Shihuang is the most majestic palace building in historical records. No matter in the first three generations or in the two thousand years until the end of the Qing Dynasty, there is no other ancient building that can compare with Afang Palace.
After Qin Shihuang unified the country, the country became increasingly powerful.
In the thirty-fifth year of the First Emperor's reign (212 BC), he began to build a palace in Shanglin Garden south of the Wei River. Due to the vastness of the project, only one front hall, the Epang Palace, was built during the reign of the First Emperor. According to the "Historical Records: The Chronicles of the First Emperor of Qin": "The front hall of Afang is five hundred steps east to west and fifty feet north and south. Ten thousand people can sit on the top, and a flag of five feet can be built below. The pavilion road runs all the way from your highness to the Nanshan Mountain. The top is regarded as the Que, and it is the restoration road. It crosses the Wei River from Afang and belongs to Xianyang. "It is conceivable that it is so large that it wastes people and money.
In Qin Dynasty, one foot was approximately 0.23 meters. Taking one step as six feet and three hundred steps as one mile, the front hall of Epang Palace is about 690 meters wide from east to west and 115 meters deep from north to south. It covers an area of ??about 80,000 square meters and can accommodate tens of thousands of people. There are more than enough people. It is said that Epang Palace has more than 700 large and small halls, and the climate in each hall is different during the day. Today, in the south of Sanqiao Town in the western suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, starting from Jujiazhuang in the east and reaching Gucheng Village in the west, the Epang Palace ruins with an area of ??about 600,000 square meters are still preserved. It can be seen that the Epang Palace has many palaces, a wide building area, and a grand scale. It is an unparalleled palace building in the history of world architecture.
The poet Du Mu of the Tang Dynasty wrote in "Ode to Afang Palace": "The six kings are finished, the four seas are one, the Shu Mountain is Wu, and Afang comes out." Here, Du Mu directly links the birth of Afang Palace with the destruction of the Six Kingdoms. Putting this together, it can be seen that in the Tang Dynasty more than a thousand years after the fall of Qin, the majestic image of Afang Palace still deeply affected the people of that time. It "overwhelms the pressure for more than three hundred miles, isolating the sky and the sun. Lishan Mountain is built in the north and turns west, going straight to Xianyang. The two rivers melt and flow into the palace wall. Five steps to the first floor, ten steps to the pavilion; the waist of the corridor is unobstructed, and the eaves are high. ; Each one holds onto the terrain, fighting with each other. There are twists and turns, and the water eddies in the honeycomb are countless. The long bridge lies on the waves, and there is no cloud in the sky. How can the sky be clear? I don’t know the west or the east. The singing stage is warm and the spring is harmonious; the dancing hall is cold and the wind and rain are miserable." The momentum has been passed down to this day through Du Mu's "Afang Palace Fu" thousands of years later, and it still makes people imagine.
But what does Epang Palace, a miracle in the history of ancient Chinese architecture, look like? What is the inheritance relationship between it and the ancient buildings left today? Are there some ingenious craftsmanship used in construction at that time that have not been handed down? These seem to be mysteries for the ages. The only thing that is certain is that if the Afang Palace can survive to this day, it must be much more spectacular than the Taj Mahal in India and the Louvre in France! From the bronze chariots and horses unearthed from the chariot and horse pits buried in the tomb of Qin Shihuang, we can see that the craftsmanship at that time was far beyond our imagination! And if Afang Palace can survive to this day, what an important reference and guidance it will have for our country’s construction technology and craftsmanship!
Six: The burning of Hua Tuo's "Qing Nang Shu"
Hua Tuo practiced medicine in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and was the first doctor in China who could perform surgical operations. His legendary medical skills throughout his life have amazed people of all ages. The story of scraping Guan Yu's bones to cure poison has been written into official history, adapted into various dramas, and widely circulated among the people.
Judging from historical data, the most miraculous thing about Hua Tuo was his surgical operations. This kind of surgical operation was not implemented in Europe until 1400 to 500 years ago. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Hua Tuo could use the anesthetic "Ma Fei San" he invented to anesthetize the patient, and then cut open the patient's stomach and perform surgery on the internal organs. Clean it, then remove the necrotic part, sew it up, put it into the abdomen, and finally sew up the wound. After applying the plaster, the patient can recover within a month.
Not to mention that "surgery" and "Mafei San" are more than a thousand years old in other countries around the world. Looking at the specifications of the surgical process recorded in historical data, it is very difficult and cannot be performed in ordinary hospitals today. of. Doctors with such medical skills were not called "miracle doctors" nearly two thousand years ago, but they would have been revered as "gods". Unfortunately, not everyone can understand and trust such a "god". When Hua Tuo planned to open Cao Cao's skull to induce "wind saliva" and cure his migraine, Cao Cao mistakenly thought that Hua Tuo was going to harm him. Put him in jail.
Hua Tuo knew that he could not escape from Cao Cao's clutches, so he wrote what he had learned in his life into the "Qing Nang Shu" in prison, intending to pass it down to benefit mankind. He handed the "Qing Nang Book" to Wu Yao, who was in charge of him, and wanted him to inherit his medical skills.
There are two theories: First, Wu Yaoyu happily accepted the letter and told Hua Tuo that he would inherit his medical skills and become a good doctor who could save people from fire and water. After he took the book home and put it away carefully, he returned to the Yamen and resigned from his job, preparing to go home and study medical books. However, when he got home, he found that his wife was burning books. He stepped forward and snatched the remaining pages, leaving only the last few that recorded the art of castrating chickens and pigs. It is said that the method passed down in the "Qing Nang Shu" is still used to castrate animals today. Wu's wife said: Even if you learn like Hua Tuo, you will still die in prison like him. What's the use! Secondly, Wu Yaoyu did not dare to accept the book at that time. Hua Tuo was so disappointed that he burned the "Qing Nang Book" with a fire.
No matter which theory is used, "Qing Nang Shu" has disappeared. The "Huangdi Neijing" has been passed down, which has established the theory of traditional Chinese medicine; the "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" has been passed down, which has established Zhang Zhongjing's status as a "medical sage"; the "Compendium of Materia Medica" has been passed down, making Li Shizhen's reputation as a "medicine sage" spread throughout the world. It is a pity that Hua Tuo's "Qing Nang Shu" has not been handed down. Chinese medicine has lost too much: What is Hua Tuo's understanding of human internal organs? What does he know about the human brain? From which part of the brain does he intend to "draw out the saliva"? What is the formula of his Ma Fei Powder? How does he control the dosage of "Ma Fei Powder"? How does he solve the problem of disinfection? How to deal with possible infections? These questions, for us, can only be some eternal mysteries.
Seven: The disappearance of the "Preface to the Lanting Collection"
Wang Xizhi, the calligraphy sage of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, has a position that no one can shake in the history of Chinese calligraphy. His best calligraphy work that has been passed down through the ages is the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" written in 353 AD. This is something that anyone with a basic understanding of Chinese calligraphy is familiar with. The story about the "Preface to the Lanting Collection" has also been widely circulated in history. The most recognized theory is that after Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty sent Xiao Yi to the monk Biancai to defraud Wang Xizhi's original calligraphy "The Preface to the Lanting Collection", he kept him forever. He took it with him and left a will: he would be buried with this unique treasure after his death. It is said that Yan Li's original work "Xiao Yi Tsao Orchid Pavilion Picture Scroll" (now in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan) reflects this matter in the form of painting. Therefore, later generations believe that the final destination of "Lanting Collection Preface" is in the Zhaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty.
At that time, Wang Xizhi took advantage of his drunkenness and used a rat-whisker pen to write impromptuly on silkworm cocoon paper. With his mind and hands free, he wrote a 28-line, 324-word poem that was praised by future generations. "The Preface to the Lanting Collection", "the best running script in the world", was famous and sought after all over the world at that time. Tang Taizong loved calligraphy and was an accomplished calligrapher, collector and calligraphy theorist in the Tang Dynasty. He devoted his life to collecting authentic calligraphy works of Wang Xizhi. It is said that he has acquired more than 2,200 pieces. "Tang Huiyao·Calligraphy" records: "On the eighth day of the first lunar month of the sixth year of Zhenguan, he ordered to rectify the ancient and modern Gongshu Zhong, Wang and other authentic works of the imperial palace, and obtained 1,510 volumes." It also records: "I tried to buy them with gold and silk. "Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is highly regarded as an ancient book, so I have to offer it to you." After he obtained the "Preface to the Lanting Collection", he fell in love with it even more. When he wrote the "Lun" for "Book of Jin·Biography of Wang Xizhi", he admitted that he was interested in Wang Xizhi's calligraphy. The work "The heart admires and the hands chase". He also talked about his experience in copying Wang's calligraphy in "On the Intention of Writing": "Those who want to learn calligraphy must first know that there are Wang Youjun's wonderful works: the real calligraphy "Le Yi Lun", the running script "Lanting", the cursive script "Seventeen Posts", etc. "It's the way to calligraphy." Therefore, it is completely reasonable for Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to be buried with him after his death.
The Zhaoling Mausoleum has been stolen in history. When Wen Tao, the warlord of the Five Dynasties, robbed the Zhaoling Mausoleum, it was recorded that "the palace system is as grand and magnificent as the human world." You can imagine the distant and majestic scene of the layers of sleeping rooms inside this "palace under the mountain".
However, the Zhaoling Mausoleum has not been officially excavated, and it is difficult to fully grasp the conditions of the underground palace of its tomb. The only historical records of it are the old and new "History of the Five Dynasties·Biography of Wen Tao" and "Tang Huiyao·Ling Yi" . According to these historical records, the Zhaoling Mausoleum was carved out of stone into the mountain to form the Yuan Palace (tomb chamber). The distance from the tomb passage to the tomb chamber mountain is about 75 feet, and five stone gates were placed in front and back. The interior of the tomb is as magnificent as the Nine-layered Palace in Chang'an City.
Regarding its origins, everyone knows the story of the great collector Zhang Boju who traded a palace for this painting. Apart from this, there is no other painting from the Sui Dynasty in the world. However, the "Xuanhe Painting Book" records that "the paintings of Zhan Ziqian in the Imperial Palace Collection" include as many as 20 paintings such as the Vimalakirti statue, the picture of the heavenly king conferring a pagoda, and the picture of the Lotus in disguise!
There are too many to list, and any collection can stun the world! It is a pity that these priceless treasures mentioned above were plundered by the Jin soldiers to the North after suffering the "Jingkang Disgrace" and never came back. As a result, Chinese civilization lost a large number of unparalleled precious treasures. Compared with the cultural relics lost when the British and French allied forces burned the Old Summer Palace and the Eight-Power Allied Forces occupied Beijing, we can only say that a considerable part of those things are still preserved in museums in various countries, and from time to time, cultural relics kept in private hands flow to the auction market. We still have the opportunity to see these lost cultural relics or there is hope to welcome them back to the country. But we can only say goodbye to these national treasures that were lost and damaged thousands of years ago with great regret. This cannot but be said to be a wound that can never be healed in the history of our nation’s development!
After understanding the above historical facts, we will feel that the ancient treasures and classics now preserved in the Palace Museum and the National Library are nothing compared to those treasures that were destroyed in history. A big witch. The disappearance of every national treasure will add new scars to the hearts of Chinese descendants who truly understand their value. Five thousand years of time have caused so much trauma to our bodies and minds! Only by understanding these relics left by our ancestors, protecting them as thoughtfully as possible, and nourishing our hearts with their profound cultural connotations can we heal the scars on our hearts caused by ignorance and mistakes in history and preserve them. The soul of the nation continues to be passed down from generation to generation without any damage.