Since the publication of Tao Yuanming's "The Peach Blossom Spring", commentators from past dynasties have sprung up and interpreted it one after another. People are very concerned about where the Peach Blossom Spring in the article is.
Those who talk about Kangwang Valley in Lushan Mountain are absolutely sure. Kangwang Valley is commonly known as Lushan Ridge. Take a car from the current Xingzi County to the pass, then go north along the Nanshan Highway leading to Lushan Mountain for several kilometers, abandon the car at a place called Guankou and walk to enter the Lushan Mountain Range. This is a top-secret valley with a length of 7 kilometers. “In the entire ridge, peaks and ridges confront each other and extend continuously. It is adjacent to the highest Hanyang Peak in the east and Changling Maer Peak in the west. It is covered by forests, with streams and springs flowing along it, and bamboos and trees. Green and beautiful, flowers and plants are blooming. The houses are close to the mountains and rivers, the green shade covers the villages, the roads are crisscrossed, the paddy fields and the dry land, men and women are working hard, showing the scene of a paradise" ("Lushan Tourism Introduction"). The "Hulukou" entrance into the valley is very narrow. As soon as you step into the valley entrance, you will be greeted by the sound of streams and forest waves. You will see towering green mountains, towering ancient trees, streams that follow the mountains, and paths that follow the streams. The mountains are covered with mountains and rivers, twisting and turning, and a line of blue sky appears above the head. Follow the path next to the stream for two or three miles. The mountain gradually slows down, and a village appears in front of you. The fields are lush and green, the "houses look like they are there", and the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard. If you go to the mountain in spring, the peach blossoms on the shore will be scorching, the fragrance will be thick, the clouds and mist will blend with the curling smoke, like silk ribbons, and birds will sing and flowers will fly all the way, as if you have entered a legendary fairyland.
This deep and narrow valley in Lushan Mountain is called Kangwang Valley in history and annals. The Song Dynasty's "Nankang Army Illustration" records: When Qin destroyed Chu, King Kang, the son of King Huai of Chu, took refuge in the valley. Qin general Wang Jian chased him in a hurry. Fortunately, there was a heavy storm and King Kang was able to escape. From then on, he lived in seclusion in the valley and "never came out again." Kangwang Valley is named after it. According to the "Xingzi County Chronicle", there is still a village at the end of the valley called "Banshan Kangjia". There is also a Kang family living in the village. In King Kang Valley, not only the beautiful scenery is exactly the same as that described in "Peach Blossom Spring", but the story of King Kang's refuge in Chu is also consistent with Tao Ling's words: "My ancestors took advantage of the opportunity to escape the Qin Dynasty, and led their wives to this desperate situation", and "thereby separated from outsiders". consistent. Tao Yuanming had lived in the southern area of ??Mount Lu for a long time, and must have been very familiar with the scenery in the valley and the story of King Kang's refuge. Therefore, he used Kangwang Valley as a life prototype to conceive of the Taoyuan situation, create art, and entrust his political ideals. It should be trusted. of.
Those who advocate Lianyungang in Jiangsu swear by it. The western foothills of Sucheng in the Yuntai Mountains of Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province are also known as the Peach Blossom Land written by Tao Ling. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the sea on one side. There is no way to the outside world except crossing the Hukou Ridge. Among them, the Kawahara is open and beautiful, the bamboo bamboos are swaying by the mountains, and the bend at the foot of the mountain leads to Gaogong Island, which is similar to the description in "Peach Blossom Spring" Striking similarities. "According to historical facts, Tao Yuanming did visit this place. In 400 AD, during the Gaogong Island War, when Tao Yuanming was serving as the commander of Liu Laozhi's army, he went to the battlefield in person. Therefore, his descendant, Tao Peng, the governor of Liangjiang in the late Qing Dynasty, The 'Ancestral Hall of Mr. Tao Jingjie, who joined the Jinzhen Army' was built next to Faqi Temple in Sucheng, and the plaque with inscriptions and stone inscriptions is still there." (See "Chinese Teaching Newsletter" Issue 6, 1995).
Perhaps people have a kind of admiration for famous people, and they all hope that their hometown is "related" to famous people in history. Xingzi County and Jiujiang County at the northern and southern foothills of Lushan Mountain have been fighting for hundreds of years to "seize" Tao Yuanming's birthplace. In the past few years, the dispute has reached an unprecedented intensity. Both parties have invited nationally renowned "ceramicists" to evaluate, study, note and recite pottery. Of course, they also hope to "arbitrate" Tao Yuanming's birthplace at an authoritative Tao Yuanming research conference, and regarding Peach Blossom Spring People have different opinions on the question of where the prototype is. According to statistics, in the land of China, there are "more than a dozen places suspected to be the prototype of the Peach Blossom Spring" ("Interesting Scenery of Mount Lushan").
In recent years, Taoyuan Cave in Hunan has also been called Peach Blossom Spring. Taoyuan Cave is located in Shuixi, 15 kilometers southwest of Taoyuan County. It overlooks the Yuanjiang River, with green mountains at its back, shady pines and bamboos, and beautiful scenery. Temples began to be built here in the Tang Dynasty. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the "Yuanming Temple" was rebuilt, and the Peach Blossom Temple, Shuiyuan Pavilion, Lianchuan Island, etc. were built along the mountain and named after Tao Yuanming's poems. Unfortunately, according to the "Taoyuan County Chronicle": Taoyuan Cave here was originally called "Wutou Village". It was renamed "Taoyuan Cave" because of the growing influence of Tao Yuanming's famous works.
Some scholars believe that the Peach Blossom Spring is "not a fiction by the author, nor a recreation of fantasy, but a realistic portrayal of the Miao society living in the Wuling area" ("Where is the Peach Blossom Spring?") The basis is that Liu Jingshu, a scholar of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, recorded in "Yiyuan": "At the beginning of the Yuan and Jiaqing Dynasties, people from Wuling shot deer and drove them into a cave to accommodate people. When the man entered the cave, he saw a ladder next to it. As he climbed up the ladder, he suddenly felt Miao people in the Wuling area of ??the county have a long history of worshiping peach blossoms, and have the custom of "inviting guests home, setting up wine and killing chickens for food". According to "A Brief History of the Miao Nationality", the Miao people in the Wuling area, as early as the Jin Dynasty, had shown a social scene of "silkworms harvesting filaments in spring, ripening in autumn and paying royal taxes" ("Poetry of Peach Blossom Spring").
I am afraid that the above are only part of the "mysteries" that have been verified. Whether they are correct or not is difficult to judge. It can be said that "it means yes and no" and "no means yes and no".
The Chinese have dreamed of the "Peach Blossom Land" for more than 1,600 years.
But until now, no one knows where the “real” Peach Blossom Spring is. Not only is this a strange thing, but it remains a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.
Where is the question? There are six major suspense: 1. Is Tao Yuanming a descendant of the Xitong barbarians, a "minority minority" who were discriminated against at that time? 2. What influence did Tao Yuanming's creation, life and thoughts have on the writing of "Poetry of Peach Blossom Spring"? 3. Where is the “Peach Blossom Spring” that was recorded earlier in history? 4. What “rumors” inspired Tao Yuanming? 5. Is the fisherman Huang Dao who "discovered" Peach Blossom Spring really a "minority" from the south, the Xitong barbarians? 6. Was there a Peach Blossom Spring in Wuling during the Tao Yuanming era?
Modern historian Chen Yinke took the lead in poking this "hornet's nest". In 1936, Chen Yinke published "A Circumstantial Evidence of the Peach Blossom Spring", questioning the generally accepted Wuling theory of the South and believing that the "real" Peach Blossom Spring was in the upper reaches of Hongnong and Luoshui in the north. After this paper spread, it had a great impact on society, and many people rushed to read it. In today's cultural circles, scholars are still debating this issue.
Maybe people will ask curiously: Isn’t the Peach Blossom Spring in Wuling? Is there another place called Peach Blossom Spring? In the eyes of ordinary people, the Peach Blossom Spring is a "final conclusion" in Wuling. It is simply unimaginable that this question has caused such a big controversy. why is that? It’s all the “trouble” caused by those questions. After reading this article, you will know why it is so mysterious.
Let’s start with the first question. Is Tao Yuanming a descendant of the Xitong barbarians, a “minority minority” who were discriminated against at that time?
Many people do not understand that Tao Yuanming was suspected of being a "minority" Xitong barbarian. Tao Yuanming's family may have been Xitong barbarians who were discriminated against at that time, and they were also "handled" by others. They belonged to a low-status common people. His ancestors originally lived in Poyang County (now Boyang, Jiangxi). After the Western Jin Dynasty destroyed the Wu Kingdom, they moved to Lujiang Xunyang (now Jiujiang, Jiangxi). They all belong to the Poyang Lake area, and are inhabited by Han, Xidong Man and other ethnic minorities. Tao Yuanming's great-grandfather was named Tao Kan. He was a pauper in his early years and made a living by fishing. When he came to Luoyang to "work for an official position", no one brought him into the "circle" because his "residence was not obvious", and even dealing with him was considered a shame. Although he later became a great warlord, was worshiped as Grand Sima, and was granted the title of Duke of Changsha, he was still despised by the scholars as a "Xigou". It can be seen that their family is discriminated against by the mainstream society and has no social status at all. It is very likely that they are Xidong barbarians. Otherwise, others would not call him a "Xi Dog".
The records in the household registration files at that time can affect a person's life's destiny. Household registration files during the Eastern Jin Dynasty were divided into "yellow registration" and "white registration". Local residents in the south of the Yangtze River were classified as "yellow"; overseas Chinese who traveled to the south were similar to "floating population", so the overseas Chinese settled in counties and counties and were classified as "white", which was equivalent to applying for a "temporary residence permit". At that time, the powerful nobles enjoyed special privileges, and "they were unable to do anything in a hundred battles, so they lived in a private family." Therefore, many common people from poor families pretended to be nobles to avoid taxes and servitude. Once you falsify and change it, write a glorious "myth" on it, and secretly fill in that there was no official title or title in the first place, you will not only enjoy privileges throughout your life, but you may also take advantage of this distinguished qualifications to become an official, like a fish in water, and rise to the top.
The Tao Yuanming family may have secretly changed their household registration files and passed themselves off as ethnic Chinese as a discriminated "ethnic minority", but they were caught and the lid was not closed. After the "negative" news spread , so everyone thought that his family was "Xidong Barbarians", so even though Tao Kan was a great warlord, he was still called "Xidong Barbarians".
Therefore, it is not accidental that Tao Yuanming had a rough life and encountered obstacles everywhere. What's even more unfortunate is that by the time Tao Yuanming grew up, his family, which had several generations of high-ranking officials, had already declined. At the age of forty-one, he became the magistrate of Pengze County. He only served as an official for more than eighty days. Thinking of the hardships he had experienced over the years, he felt so shameless. After being in the officialdom for so long, he still had to submit to an official. Why do you need to "bend for five buckets of rice" when your boss who is younger than you bows down and salutes? It was better to "retire" early, so Tao Yuanming threw away the county magistrate's seal, voluntarily resigned, and went home to farm.
He was neither a prominent official nor a powerful nobleman. He was also suspected of being a minority Xitong barbarian, and he was discriminated against by the mainstream society. Therefore, in the minds of the world at that time, Tao Yuanming was just a man with a noble personality. A hermit, his poems are not famous.
More than a hundred years after Tao Yuanming's death, he was hailed as a great poet by his admirers. Xiao Tong, Prince Zhaoming of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty, compiled and prefaced it, and also held a "press conference" for the launch of "The Collection of Tao Yuanming". For a time, Tao Yuanming's net worth soared, and he became a great poet of his generation. As a result, he was praised as the founder of the Pastoral Poetry School and became the writer who had the greatest influence on later generations during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. For example, Li Bai in the Tang Dynasty refused to bend his waist to serve the powerful. This was the legacy of Tao Yuanming, the "advanced" and "pace-setter" who "could not bend his waist for five buckets of rice."
Now let’s talk about the second question and see what impact Tao Yuanming’s creation, life and thoughts had on the writing of "Peach Blossom Spring Poems". Based on the documentary materials, it can be concluded that there must be a close connection.
Tao Yuanming lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests and devoted his life to composing pastoral poetry. As a folk literature artist, he wrote a large number of pastoral poems, which include descriptions of pastoral natural scenery, experiences of his own labor and production, leisurely living, socializing, reading and drinking, etc.
Tao Yuanming loved natural scenery, hated the real society, called it "vulgar", and believed that officialdom was a "cage" and a "dust net". He was afraid of "going to jail" and wanted to "escape": "A young man has no sense of custom and a natural love for hills and mountains. He accidentally fell into the dust net and was gone for thirty years. ... After being in a cage for a long time, he can return to nature."
As a farmer, Tao Yuanming was very poor. In a poem commemorating the ancient farmhouse, he said, "Change your ambitions and always work hard" and "Liao is a citizen of Longmu", which means that you must work hard and farm with peace of mind. There is also a poem about his weeding of beans: "At the foot of the southern mountain where beans are planted, the grass is full of beans and the seedlings are sparse. I wake up in the morning to clean up the wasteland and filth, and return home with a hoe in the moonlight. The road is narrow and the grass and trees are long, and the evening dew stains my clothes. There is not enough clothes. Cherish it, but it will be true." In a poem about harvesting early rice, he gets up early to harvest and returns home at night, "Isn't it hard for the Tian family?" Tao Yuanming was so diligent, but he could not help but "be hungry in summer and sleepless in cold nights". He even had no rice to cook and was forced to beg for food.
Tao Yuanming reformed the theory of nature and advocated "non-violent non-cooperation". He was a great thinker. Mr. Chen Yinke said in the article "The Relationship between Tao Yuanming's Thoughts and Qingtan": "Yuanming's thoughts are the result of inheriting the evolution of Qingtan in the Wei and Jin Dynasties and creating a new theory of nature based on the Taoist theory of nature that his family believed in.····· ·At the end of the day, his attainments are almost similar to those of Taoists who adopted Zen Buddhism to improve their teachings a thousand years later. However, in terms of the innovation of the old meaning, it is actually from the medieval era of our country. Such a great thinker is not only one of the best in literature in ancient and modern times, but also one who is best known to the world!" According to Mr. Chen Yinke's research, the old nature theory openly opposed the "famous religion" of "cannibalism" and even engaged in Religious uprising, and although Tao Yuanming's New Nature Theory opposes "famous religion", it only engages in "non-violent non-cooperation", that is, it does not cooperate with political forces, learns Confucianism externally, and cultivates Taoism internally, integrating the spirit of life into the creation of the universe. , reaching the state of "harmony between man and nature". This is similar to the way Taoism absorbs Zen teachings to improve its teachings, and is also an example of Chinese culture absorbing foreign cultures.
Exactly like this, after life is integrated into the creation of the universe, pastoral life has "true meaning" everywhere. According to Tao Yuanming, whose "heart is at both ends", the "true meaning" of life can only be obtained from enjoying pastoral scenery, experiencing labor and production, reading and drinking, as evidenced by his poems: "The house is built in the human environment, There is no noise of carriages and horses. How can I ask you? I am picking chrysanthemums under the east fence, and I see the beautiful scenery of the mountains at night. There is a true meaning in this, and I have forgotten to say it. What is the "true meaning" mentioned in the poem? It should be genuine, pure and natural. Zhuangzi has long said: "The reason why a true being is influenced by heaven is naturally not easy."
Peach Blossom Spring is a placebo imagined by Tao Yuanming, a bit like taking ecstasy pills for modern people. He wanted to use it to completely negate the established society at that time, so as to place his lifelong poetic ideal on pastoral landscapes. These ideals are all reflected in "Poems of the Peach Blossom Spring": The scenery in the Peach Blossom Spring is peaceful and harmonious, and nature and people are integrated; there is no secular government, no agricultural taxes, no handymen, no exploitation and plunder, everyone is free and equal, and everyone is free and equal. People work, every family is rich, and people live happily.
Some people may ask: What kind of ideal world is Peach Blossom Spring?
Many people believe that the Peach Blossom Spring is a fairyland with Taoist overtones. There is probably a sentence in "Peach Blossom Spring Poems" that "Five hundred strange traces are hidden, and the world of gods is once opened." Therefore, poets all think that Peach Blossom Spring is a fairyland. For example, Han Yu's "Peach Blossom Spring Picture" has "It is unclear whether there are gods or not. The poem "Speaking of Honesty and Ridiculousness"; Liu Yuxi's "A Journey to the Peach Blossom" has a poem that "As soon as the immortal family left, there is no trace, and there are so many flowing water and mountains to this day"; Wang Wei's "A Journey to the Peach Blossom" has a poem that "I went to the human world to avoid the place at first, but when I became an immortal, I did not return." And the poem "Spring is full of peach blossoms and water, I don't know where to find the source of immortality". It is said that the first person to think that Peach Blossom Spring was a fairyland was Tao Yuanming's book "Afterwords of the Search for the Gods".
Almost no one has doubted that the true Peach Blossom Spring is in Wuling (now Changde). Since Tao Yuanming, literati and poets of all dynasties have been competing to chant "Peach Blossom Spring". For example, in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were Yu Xin, Xu Ling and others; in the Tang Dynasty, there were dozens of people such as Wang Changling, Li Bai, Liu Yuxi, Du Mu, etc.; in the Song Dynasty, there were Wang Anshi, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian , Zhu Xi et al.
Mr. Chen Yinke was the first skeptic in modern times. Therefore, after he wrote "A Circumstantial Evidence of the Peach Blossom Spring", it aroused controversy in the academic circles, including Mr. Tang Changru's "Reading Circumstantial Evidence of the Peach Blossom Spring and Questioning it", Mr. Lao Qian's "An Occasional Story of the Peach Blossom Spring", and Mr. Lu Yaodong's "Where is the Peach Blossom Spring?" 》questioned him.
In recent years, China's tourism industry has developed rapidly, and many places have taken advantage of the opportunity to hype it up. With the cooperation of some scholars seeking hidden documents, they have made far-fetched claims to be "real" Peach Blossom Lands. As a result, "real" peach blossoms sprouted like bamboo shoots after the rain, popping up all over the country overnight.