The Eight Immortals and Zhaozhou Bridge
The Sui Dynasty chose a stone to drive the Hong Bridge,
it is famous all over the world for many years.
Where did the fairy go on his donkey?
The footprints are still visible.
(Song Dynasty Society Deyuan)
It is said that in the spring of that year, Lu Ban, who was only twelve years old and started from Lu Zuo, was still young and lived in the state of Lu. Next to the small mountain village in my hometown, when the clouds were steaming and the clouds were turning, I was swept up in the clouds by a gust of fairy wind. I walked southeast to Zhongnan Mountain, learned the immortal way, kowtowed to the Nanshan Taoist, and spent five years learning wood, tile, stone, and iron. Four skills. After waiting for his return to his hometown, he began to struggle through the difficulties of "opening up the mountains and forests" and finally became a great road. He made a career out of what he had learned and helped the common people. His kung fu became increasingly sophisticated, and he made many major achievements and many amazing creations in his subsequent life, and was known as the "Master Craftsman" by everyone.
It is said that one day, after Lu Ban completed the construction of the Beamless Hall of the Hanging Temple and the temple on Mount Wutai, he passed by the boundary of Zhaozhou on his way back to his hometown from Jin and saw the rough waves on the Wen River five miles south of the city. Transportation is very inconvenient. So this majestic Zhaozhou Stone Bridge was built overnight. It is extremely tall and extremely strong. It can be said that "the stars are shining brightly and communicate with the spirit of the earth, and they are released into the essence of the river and the sea (Ming Dynasty? Zhai Ruxiao)." Here, a bridge is built across the river, connecting the north and south traffic. On the bridge were merchants and travelers, carriages and horses were like dragons, and under the bridge were boats and boats racing. Zhaozhou City became a prosperous place where the people could live and work in peace and contentment, and everyone praised Lu Ban's achievements.
Guests from afar came, or someone asked: Have you seen the Zhaozhou Bridge? Do you know how big it is?
Another question: Have you seen the rainbow in the sky? ?
So, I proudly told him: Zhaozhou Bridge is like a beautiful rainbow falling from the sky. As high as the rainbow is, Zhaozhou Bridge will be as tall as it is!
As the story goes, at this time, the Eight Immortals traveling all over the world flew up to heaven to attend the annual peach festival held by the Queen Mother. During the conversation, they learned about Lu Ban's feat of building the Zhaozhou Bridge, which not only alarmed all the immortals, but also Even the Jade Emperor didn't believe that there could be such a skilled craftsman in the world, so he immediately issued an edict and sent the Eight Immortals down to earth to investigate.
After receiving the decree, the Eight Immortals pressed their clouds and slowly landed next to the Zhaozhou Bridge. When they looked around, it was both real and illusory; they saw that the Zhaozhou Bridge was like a huge black dragon, lying across it. Among the splashing waves of Wenshui River, flying and moving, it feels like flying through the air, which makes all the immortals stare in admiration. They met Lu Ban who was coming and said: "Seeing is believing; Zhaozhou Stone Bridge is indeed a masterpiece in the world. It is truly a masterpiece of heaven's craftsmanship and the best in the world! We admire it so much." I will report back to you when I return to heaven. Record the merit." After saying that, he turned his head and walked away with him. As they were marching, Zhang Guolao waved to him
"You go ahead, but I want to give Nalu Ban a try." Then he turned his head and went down to the imperial capital of Luoyang to make an appointment with Prince Chai; < /p>
——Chai Rong, Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty during the Five Dynasties, and Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Northern Song Dynasty, came to the Zhaozhou Bridge together to personally check the load-bearing strength of the bridge built by Lu Ban. Zhang Guolao rode a donkey and loaded the sun, moon and stars on the donkey's back. Lord Chai pushed a wheelbarrow and loaded it with Mount Tai in the East, Mount Huashan in the West, Mount Heng in the South, Mount Heng in the North, and Mount Zhongyue. Songshan, a famous mountain in the Five Mountains, was on top. Song Huang Lao Zhao was pulling the cart in front, traveling from south to north, and together they went up to the Zhaozhou Bridge. When approaching the top of the bridge, the bridge began to shake under the heavy weight. Lu Ban saw this and jumped into the river. He raised one arm under the bridge and gently supported the bridge with one hand. The Zhaozhou Bridge was immediately stable as before. , motionless. Zhang Guolao was so impressed that he twirled his beard and scolded him (sh6n), feeling ashamed of himself. So he gave up with a puff of his sleeves, summoned a few auspicious clouds, and led the crowd into the sky. As a result, Zhang Guolao changed to riding a donkey backwards to show that he would always admit defeat and accept the defeat. At the same time, re- Imprints were left under the pressure, and several magical traces have been left on the bridge since then: there are the hoof marks of the donkey Zhang Guolao rode, and a deep groove made by the wheels of the cart pushed and pulled by Prince Chai and Zhao Laohuang. There are also the knee pits where Prince Chai slipped and fell due to a moment of exertion.