What did ancient literati pay attention to when traveling to famous mountains and rivers, from Sima Qian and Li Bai to Su Shi and Xu Xiake
Throughout the ages, the crisp autumn weather has always been a good day for traveling. "Travel" and "tour" were originally two concepts: "brigade" is the name for "guest travel", which means leaving one's hometown. Later, it was derived into business travel, military travel, migration journey, and even the emperor's journey. "You" means "the flow of flags", which later evolved into the meaning of "flow" and was given the intention of doing whatever you want. For example, "Youzaiyouzai" describes the leisurely and comfortable life, while "nomadic" and "nomad" are more Some unrestrained meaning. Generally speaking: "trip" focuses more on traveling and going out, emphasizing the process of traveling in space; "travel" focuses on expanding what you see and hear, and pursuing spiritual comfort and spiritual sustenance.
Our country has a vast territory with different terrains and climates, as well as different histories, cultures, and living habits. Therefore, since ancient times, there has been a saying that "it is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books."
In the Western Han Dynasty, Sima Qian once "collected the world and let go of the lost news". At the age of 20, he "traveled south to the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, went up to Kuaiji, explored Yu's cave, pried into nine doubts, floated to Yuan and Xiang, went to Wen and Si in the north; lectured on his career The capital of Qilu, observing the legacy of Confucius; Xiangshe Zou, Yi. He was trapped in Po, Xue and Pengcheng, and returned to Liang and Chu." After becoming an official, he traveled around Guanzhong, Shandong and other places, and also served as an envoy to distant places. Go to the Southwest.
After traveling to the famous mountains and rivers of the Western Han Dynasty, Sima Qian personally accumulated rich geographical data, which made "Historical Records" known as "the historian's swan song and the rhymeless Li Sao". Among them, "Historical Records" is particularly famous for its detailed research on mountains, rivers and scenery.
For example, Bashu region is rich in ginger, cinnabar, stone, copper, iron, bamboo and wood; Guanzhong Qinland has a developed planting industry and produces grains; Hebei Zhongshan region has strong handicrafts and many "beautiful things"; Hebei Yandi has both seaside and The mountainous areas produce fish, salt, dates, and chestnuts; the land of Sanchu is rich in rice and freshwater fish. Such a detailed description cannot be written just by immersing yourself in a study.
Ancient people were keen on traveling to enjoy the great rivers, pay respect to historical relics, wander in the beauty of the beautiful scenery, and be fascinated by the tranquility of the mountains, rivers and countryside. They enjoyed and learned while traveling.
When Xu Xiake was young, he had the ambition to "ask about the wonders of famous mountains and rivers". He traveled to places that no one had ever set foot before, encountered conditions where "the road was steep and snowy, and the journey was very difficult". Among them, there are cliffs that are as straight as a ladder falling down from the sky, and deep streams where you can dive into deep streams where you are stuck without a roof and unable to do anything.
Thirty years of fame, thousands of miles away. Whether it was surveying the height of a mountain, measuring the depth of a cave, or exploring the source trends of river topography, Xu Xiake "must record everything." After precipitation and accumulation, he finally completed "Xu Xiake's Travels", leaving a valuable wealth for future generations. .
"Those who are good at the mountains and rivers in the world may not be able to reach them, those who can reach may not be able to speak, and those who can speak may not be able to write." As a great geographer, traveler, explorer and writer, Xu Xiake will undoubtedly "be able to reach" "Being able to speak" and "being able to write" were achieved to the extreme, creating a new way of life for ancient Chinese literati. As the Qing Dynasty scholars commented, Xu Xiake "travels with his nature and spirit, and travels with his body and life. From ancient times, there is only one person."
Regardless of the shoes and coir raincoats, you can still enjoy it to your heart’s content——
The ancients traveled over mountains and rivers from time to time, trying to understand the philosophy of life and let go of worldly worries and fetters during the journey.
In the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai followed the Yangtze River and began his life journey of going to the country with a sword, saying goodbye to his relatives and traveling far away. Li Bai spent most of his life in the company of famous mountains and rivers, including the Lushan Waterfall, which "flows down three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way has fallen into the sky", the surging Yellow River, which "runs to the sea and never returns", and the "no one cares about it". Along the way, we can see the majestic Zhongnan Mountain, which is green and green, and the fairy mountain in dreams, where the clouds and clouds may fade or become visible. Li Bai's rich travels always give his poems a kind of boldness and spaciousness.
From Dingzhou, Hebei in the north, Danzhou, Hainan in the south, Sichuan and Chongqing in the west, and Penglai in the east, Su Shi's footprints have been left. During the adverse journey of life, Su Shi expressed his love for the landscape while writing poems and lyrics: in Mizhou, he praised the beautiful scenery of Chaorantai as "half a trench of spring water and a city full of flowers, and mist and rain darkening thousands of homes"; when he first arrived in Huangzhou, he lamented that "the Yangtze River surrounds Guo knows the beauty of fish, and feels the fragrance of bamboo shoots in the mountains." When boating on the red cliff, he chanted "The great river goes eastward, and the waves are gone, and the romantic figures of the ages"...
In the third year after coming to Huangzhou, Su Shi went on a trip with his friends. A sudden heavy rain made his friend feel embarrassed, but he didn't care: no matter how bad the wind and rain were, it would be better to chant poems and shout; no matter what the mango shoes and coir raincoats were, he could still enjoy life to his heart's content.
"Shishuoxinyu" records such a story: Living in Shanyin. It snowed heavily at night, so I slept, opened a room, and ordered to drink wine. Looking around is bright, and because of hesitation, I chant Zuo Si's poem "Zhao Yin". Suddenly I recalled that Dai An said that he was wearing it in Shan at that time, even if he took a small boat to get there at night. After passing through the place, he arrived and returned without building the gate. When people asked him why, the king said: "I was going on a trip when I was happy, but when my excitement was over, I came back. Why should I see Dai?"
Dai Andao was a knowledgeable and elegant man, and his relationship with Wang Huizhi was very good. It was snowing at night, and Wang Huizhi thought of his friend Dai Andao who was far away in Shanxi, so he prepared his boat and paddled and went there at starry night. From Shanyin to Yanxi, the moonlight shines on the river, the boat moves forward briskly, and the scenery along the way is covered with silver. Arriving at the door of Dai Andao's house, Wang Huizhi felt so happy that he turned around and returned home.
In Wang Huizhi's eyes, where he goes is not important, nor is the length of his stay. What is important is the spiritual experience and feelings. This kind of behavior based on whim reflects the informal "Wei and Jin style".
In the final analysis, state of mind is the most important. Through travel, feelings and insights are present. True comfort actually comes from deep within, not from the distant beyond.
There is a dialogue in "Lieh Tzu": In the beginning, Zi Liezi loved to travel. Huqiuzi said: "The imperial soldiers like to travel, but what is good about traveling?" Liezi said: "The joy of traveling is for no reason. When people travel, they observe what they see; when I travel, I observe the changes. How about traveling? You! There is no one who can identify him."
Liezi believed that the essence of traveling lies in appreciating the changes in things. His teacher Huqiuzi pointed out that the most advanced travel is not knowing where to go or what to see, but the key is to find happiness from within.
Comparing the two, Liezi's travels belong to "outer travels", that is, "running around in a hurry, the flowers are gradually enchanting the eyes, and the body and mind are exhausted"; Huqiuzi has entered the realm of "inner view", that is, "everything is wandering around" Yes, everything is observed."
"The Tao Te Ching" says: "The sage knows without doing, understands without seeing, and achieves without doing." When people learn to see the world with their hearts, their travels will become more transparent. Along with this, "Vipassana" has become an excellent way to find yourself - put aside the trivialities and troubles in life, calm down and experience the real moments, and feel the beauty and richness of life. Therefore, even an afternoon rain or a beautiful bouquet of flowers can make the human body realize the essence of nature.
