Why everyone likes Zhongnan Mountain
Zhongnan Mountain is the natural barrier of the ancient city of Xi'an. It can be said to be the father mountain of our Xi'an. At present, more than 5,000 hermits live in seclusion here, living a comfortable life "straight to the point". Based on my field trips and interviews, I think there are three main reasons why the hermits like Zhongnan Mountain and regard it as a holy place to practice cultivation.
First, Zhongnan Mountain has a long-standing hermit culture, which is the result of traditional influence.
China’s hermit culture has a long history, and the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove” and Tao Yuanming in the Wei and Jin Dynasties can be said to be representative figures.
A line from Tao Yuanming, the originator of landscape poetry, "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the Nanshan Mountains." Although it describes the Lushan Mountain around his own life, it can be used universally here. It has given many people who have failed in their official career a realistic view. Those who are frustrated in life take a shot in the arm and find a way to escape.
If a person can no longer control his own life, then he should be more open-minded, step out of the circle of life, enter nature to seek relief, and change his lifestyle. This is also a good way to live.
Since Tao Yuanming, many literati, monks, Taoists, and those who are not satisfied with their real life have begun to imitate their predecessors and choose to live in seclusion.
Since the mid-Tang Dynasty, the great poet Wang Wei returned to his roots and chose to live in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain. He also built a tall villa "Wangchuan" and spent all day reciting poems and painting in Zhongnan Mountain, intoxicated by nature. , making many people in later generations extremely envious. Through Wang Wei's personal promotion, Zhongnan Mountain's hermit culture has been further developed.
The next one is "Zhongnan Shortcut". If you understand this idiom and allusion, you can understand why so many people go to Zhongnan Mountain in modern times.
A man named Lu Zangyong in the Tang Dynasty wanted to be an official but could not find a way. So, he lived in seclusion on Zhongnan Mountain, dozens of miles south of Chang'an, the capital, while observing what was going on in the city at any time. He deliberately pretended to be an expert from outside the world, and used people around him to spread the word that an expert was living in seclusion here. At the same time, he studied hard in the mountains, wrote a lot of poems, and commissioned petty officials to send them to the emperor to show his talents.
Finally one day, his talent impressed the emperor, he was invited to come out, and he became an official as he wished.
After Lu Zangyong, those literati who were more or less famous and had not successfully entered the official career flocked to Zhongnan Mountain in the hope that their talents would be discovered. Since then, the allusion of "Zhongnan Shortcut" has become more and more famous.
Secondly, the Zhongnan Mountains have deep ravines, are quiet and humid, have dense vegetation, and are rich in resources. Many places are covered with large tracts of woods, creating good conditions for seclusion.
The key to hermit life is to be "secluded" and not be discovered or disturbed by others. You can get close to nature wholeheartedly and listen to the tranquility and innocence of nature with your heart. This is the life that all hermits want. The natural conditions of Zhongnan Mountain can just meet the needs of the hermits.
In the Zhongnan Mountain area, there is a small river meandering at every valley entrance, flowing from the top of the mountain to the foot of the mountain. Each river is formed by the convergence of many small streams. The clear rivers and streams can first provide the hermit with domestic water. It is simply unrealistic to live in seclusion in a place without water.
On Zhongnan Mountain, there are many wild fruits in the three seasons of spring, summer and autumn. Hermits can pick wild fruits and eat them, which can supplement the body with necessary vitamins. More importantly, there are very rich Chinese herbal medicines in Zhongnan Mountain. Some hermits understand pharmacology and can collect, prepare and prepare medicines by themselves to protect themselves from diseases.
Thirdly, after the original villagers on Zhongnan Mountain moved away, many old houses were left behind to provide shelter for the hermits.
In the past, in the Zhongnan Mountain area, you could see many village houses scattered on the mountain, a few to the east and a few to the west. It was very inconvenient for people to live. Therefore, villagers were encouraged to move to flat areas under the mountains.