What is Yuan Tiangang’s specialty? What era did he come from?
Yuan Tiangang, an astronomer, astrologer, forecaster, Feng Shui master, Taoist priest and fortune teller in the early Tang Dynasty, was born in Chengdu, Yizhou (now Chengdu, Sichuan). He was good at learning from the wind, but he was not satisfied after repeated tests. In the Sui Dynasty, he was appointed as the Yanguan Order, and in the Tang Dynasty, he was appointed as the Order of Huojing (Linqiong). He is the author of "Liu Ren Ke", "Five Elements Phrase Book", "Three Generations Physique", "Tui Bei Diagram" (co-authored with Li Chunfeng), "Yuan Tiangang's Bone Weighing Song", etc. Tongzhi records, including the volume "Xuan Yao of Yi Jing". Lost for a long time. Gao Yuxiang, the founder of the contemporary Yin Yang Yi School, commented on Yuan Tiangang: "The name is like the bright moon covering the ages, and the sound is like spring thunder shaking the past and present."
Yuan Tiangang once met Du Yan, Wang Gui and Wei Ting in Luoyang. It is predicted that Du Yan will become famous all over the world for his distinguished articles;
Wang Gui will reach the fifth rank of general within ten years; Wei Ting, who has a face like a tiger, will be appointed as a military attaché. He also predicted that all three of them would be demoted and punished after becoming officials, and they would all meet again at that time. Sure enough, during the Wude period of Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, Du Yan was selected as a bachelor of Tiance to serve as the imperial censor; Prince Li Jiancheng recommended Wang Gui to be the fifth-grade prince Zhongyun, and Wei Ting was appointed as the military attaché Zuowei. Just when their official careers were going smoothly, the three of them did not expect to be implicated in the palace coup and were demoted to Junzhou together. As expected, they met Yuan Tiangang again here. Yuan Tiangang met again and predicted that "the public ranks will eventually become more expensive", and in the end they will all reach the third rank. The future and outcome of the three people were later verified to be as expected. By the early years of Emperor Taizong's reign, Yuan Tiangang had become world-famous for his fortune-telling predictions. Emperor Taizong Li Shimin summoned Yuan Tiangang and praised his exquisite and profound skills, and asked him: "In ancient times, there was Jun Ping (Yan Junping of the Han Dynasty, Master Shushu), how about I win your favor now?" Yuan Tiangang replied that Yan Junping was born at the wrong time, and I am much better than him! In Jiucheng Palace, he was asked to read fortunes for Zhang Xingcheng, Ma Zhou and other important ministers of Zhenguan, and his predictions about future events were all accurate.
It is said that in order to calculate the fortune of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin ordered Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng, two famous astronomers at that time, to compile the "Tuibei Tu", the most amazing book of Chinese prophecies. Li Chunfeng used the Zhouyi Bagua to make calculations. Unexpectedly, he became addicted to calculations and got out of control. He actually calculated the fate of China for more than 2,000 years after the Tang Dynasty. Until Yuan Tiangang pushed him on the back and said: "The secrets of heaven cannot be leaked anymore, or... Go back and rest." Hence the name of this prophetic book "Tuibei Tu". "Tuibei Tu" contains sixty images. Each image is accompanied by a prophecy and a "Ode to the Day" rhyme poem, which predicts the main events that occurred in Chinese history from the Tang Dynasty to the future of Datong.