Tribal geography of Shennong Festival

According to a large number of literature records and analysis, Shennong was born in Lieshan. "Guoyu·Luyu" said: "In the past, the Lieshan family had the world, and its son was called Zhu, who could grow hundreds of grains and vegetables." "Zuo Zhuan·The 29th Year of Zhaogong" also said: "There was a son of the Lieshan family. It is said that the pillar is Ji, and it has been worshiped since Xia. "The "Book of Rites: Sacrifice" basically has the same saying: "The Lishan family has the world, and his son is called Nong, who can cultivate hundreds of grains; when Xia declined, Zhou abandoned it. Therefore, he was worshiped as Ji." The previous article has fully demonstrated that the Lieshan family, Lieshan family, and Lishan family were actually the same person, and their son Zhu or Nong was Shennong. Lieshan is probably the ancestor of Shennong. It can also be said that the first generation of Shennong set fire to the desolate place. Some people named the mountain, or the mountain was named after a person. In short, there is no doubt that Shennong originated from Lieshan. ?

So, where is Lieshan Mountain today? There are relatively detailed records of this in documents since the Wei and Jin Dynasties. For the convenience of discussion, here are the following quotes: Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty recorded in "Shui Jing Zhu·Lushui": "The (given) water source comes out of Dazi Mountain in the east and is divided into two rivers, one in the west and south of Li Township, and one in the south. Chongshan is called Lieshan. There is a cave at the foot of the mountain. According to legend, it is the place where Shennong was born. Therefore, "Li" calls it "Lieshan". There are nine wells in the north of the water. Zi Shu said, "When Shennong was born, the nine wells passed through it." ', it's called Si water. It's also said that if you draw a well, all the water will move. The well is now blocked, and the ruins seem to be there. There is Shen Nongshe in Lai Xiang, which flows to the southwest, which is Li Shui. Ye. Ci and Lisheng are similar, so it should be called Lishui. The water flows out of Yixiang to the southwest, and the water flows south to Suixian. This information generally explains that Suixian is now Suizhou. The landscape of the mountains and rivers in the north shows the overall direction of the two water divisions, pointing out that Ci Shui is Li Shui, Lai Xiang and Lai Guo are Li Xiang and Li Guo. Ci, Lai and Li have similar sounds, so they are connected. This shows that Shennong was raised here and was active in this area. Wu Liangkai: "The Rise of Shennong and the Effect of Yandi Culture", "Yandi and Yandi Culture", Hubei People's Publishing House, 1991 edition. ?

The "Illustrated Records of Jingzhou" compiled by Sheng Hongzhi of Liu Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty, the pictures were first lost, and then it was called "The Records of Jingzhou". Later, the whole book was lost. This book is an important topography of Jingzhou in ancient times. The legend and deeds of "Shennong was born in Lixiang" recorded in it have been cited in later books. For example, when Liu Zhao of Xiaoliang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty annotated "Book of the Later Han: Chronicles of Prefectures and States", he noted under the original text "Sui, there is a broken snake hill in the west": "In ancient times, Sui Guo was a snake with a bead in its mouth." Du Yu said: "There is Lai Pavilion." "Zuo Zhuan" states that in the fifteenth year of Xi's reign, Qi attacked Li in the north of the county. There are mountains in the north of the county, and there is a cave in the mountain. It is said that Shen Nong was born. "The wells are moving, that is, this place is the Shennongshe, and it is worshiped every year." Famous classics such as "Ji Xue Ji", "Taiping Huanyu Ji" compiled by the music historian in the early Northern Song Dynasty, and "Taiping Yulan" edited by Li Rifang in the early Northern Song Dynasty all quoted the record in "Jingzhou Ji" that Shennong was born in Lishan, Suizhou. ?

"Kuo Di Zhi" compiled by Xiao Deyan of the Tang Dynasty records: "Lishan is a hundred miles north of Suixian County, Suizhou, and there are stone caves in Shandong. In the past, Shennong was born in Lixiang, and the so-called Lieshan clan was born in the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, it was the state of Li. The "Yuanhe County Chronicles" compiled by Li Jifu in the late Tang Dynasty recorded: "Sui County was an old county in the Han Dynasty and belonged to Sui Guocheng. It has not been changed in the past dynasties. Minglie Mountain is located a hundred miles north of the county. "Book of Rites" says: Lishan clan is also the Yan Emperor; it originated from Lishan, so it is called Lishan clan."?

It was compiled by Wang Cun and others in the Northern Song Dynasty. "Yuanfeng Jiuyu Zhi" records: "Suizhou: Shennong Temple is in Li Village." It is said that if one well is dug, all eight wells will be moved, and people dare not touch it. Now there is only one cave, which is shaded by a big tree, and that is where the community was established." "Geographical Records" records: "Lixiang, in the north of the state, is now called Lishandian. ... It is also said that Laixiang is Laiguo. There is Shennongshe."?

The above records are without exception. It shows that Shennong was born in Lishan, which is located in the north of today's Suizhou. The saying that Shen Nong was born in Lishan, Suizhou is related to each other from generation to generation, and it is proved by unanimous consent. "Guoyu Jinyu" records: "In the past, Shaodian married the Youchong Qiao family and gave birth to Huangdi and Yandi. The Yellow Emperor was born from Ji water, and the Yandi was born from Jiang water. They have different virtues, so the Yellow Emperor was Ji and the Yandi was Jiang. The two emperors used their teachers. To help each other, it is because of different virtues.

"For a long time, many scholars have regarded this piece of information as the earliest and most important evidence to determine the birthplace of Emperor Yan, which led to the formation of the "Jiang Shui Theory". The "Complete Ancient Texts of Three Dynasties, Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties" edited by Yan Kejun said: "The birthplace of Emperor Yan was In Jiangshui, because of his surname Jiang, he was called the King of Fire Virtue and was called Emperor Yan and Yiyun Red Emperor. ""Chinese History Manuscript" (People's Publishing House, 1976 edition) also said: "It is said that Emperor Yan was born in Jiangshui. "Lu Simian's "History of the Pre-Qin Dynasty" (1982 edition by Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House) said: ""The Century of Emperors" says: Emperor Yan's mother and daughter visited Huayang to feel the gods and gave birth to Emperor Yan in Jiangshui. This is the place where he was born. "; and derived from "Jiang Shui theory" is "Baoji theory." The "Dictionary of Chinese Scenic Spots" (1986 edition by Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House) compiled by the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Working Team and others says under the item "Shen Nong Temple": "In Baoji, Shaanxi Yujia Village is located on the south bank of the Weihe River in the city, five kilometers north of Baoji City. According to legend, Emperor Yan Shennong was born in Shanmeng Valley. After giving birth, his mother Jiang took her to Jiulong Spring to bathe. She was raised in Wayu. Later generations built a temple here to commemorate the birth. ...This place is bordered by the Qinling Mountains in the south and the Weishui River in the west, with beautiful scenery. "And "Qishan Theory" and "Common Sense of Ancient Chinese History" (China Youth Publishing House, 1978 edition) said: "Both the Huangdi tribe and the Yandi tribe first lived in Shaanxi", "The birthplace of the Yandi tribe is east of Qishan, Shaanxi. ". In fact, this piece of information cannot be used as evidence for the "Jiang Shui Theory". The reasons are as follows: First, the host of the "Jiang Shui Theory" believed that "Xi Shaodian married the Youchong Qiao family and gave birth to Emperor Huang and Emperor Yan". "生" refers to "birth" and "birth". In fact, "生" here does not mean birth or fertility, but should be understood as branches and descendants. In other words, "Guoyu·Jinyu" says less Dian gave birth to Huangdi and Emperor, which means that Huang Yan is a descendant of Shaodian, not that Huang Yan is the son of Shaodian. Xu Yangjie: "The Position of Emperor Yan and Shennong in Chinese Prehistoric Legends", "Emperor Yan and Culture of Emperor Yan", Hubei People's. Publishing House 1991 edition. Both Jia Kui and Wu Weizhao of the Han Dynasty have explained this point: "Shaodian was preceded by Emperor Huang and Emperor Yan. "Guoyu·Jinyu" quoted by Wei. Wei Zhao said: "Those who speak of birth are those who were born from the origin of the two emperors... They are called their descendants Zi'er." Jia Jun got it. ""Guoyu·Jinyu" Wei's Notes.

Secondly, the host of "Jiang Shui Theory" not only understood the "生" in "Xi Shaodian married Youchong Qiao, Huangdi and Yandi" as fertility , and the "Cheng" in "Yellow Emperor was made of Jishui, and Yandi was made of Jiangshui" later in "Yu of Zhou·Yu" is also understood to mean "sheng", and "Jishui" and "Jiangshui" are interpreted as the names of Huangdi and Yandi respectively. Specific place of birth. His thinking logic is that the first sentence of "Guoyu·Jinyu" only tells who the Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor were born, and the second sentence further explains the specific birthplace of the two. This understanding seems logical. , but it is actually a misreading of the original text of "Guoyu·Jinyu". Because as has been demonstrated before, the "生" in the first sentence does not necessarily refer to birth or birth, so the "成" in the second sentence does not necessarily mean. "Born" in a certain place. The ancients already knew this clearly. For example, Wei Zhao commented on this passage in "Guoyu·Jinyu": "Ji, Jiang, are the names of water. Cheng, it is said that growth leads to success. "It means that the two emperors Huang and Yan lived, developed, and grew stronger in the Ji and Jiang river basins respectively. In addition, the word "cheng" in the second half of the second sentence immediately following it can also help us understand The meaning of "cheng" in the first half of the sentence: The so-called "different virtues according to success" obviously means different virtues according to "length", rather than different virtues according to "birth". ?

It can be seen that Emperor Yan was born in. The basis on which the "Jiang Shui theory" is based is not tenable. The "Jiang Shui theory" is undoubtedly a tower in the sand, and the "Baoji theory" and "Qishan theory" derived from the "Jiang Shui theory" are naturally the same. A tower in the sand. Of course, there is another important piece of evidence for the "Baoji theory" and the "Qishan theory", that is, "Qishui River is to the east, south of Jiangshi City, and is Jiangshui." This historical data is also unhelpful to the establishment of the "Baoji theory" and the "Qishan theory". According to relevant scholars' research, the ancient Qishui (Jiangshui) is now the Qishui River, which flows from the old Wugong East into the ancient Qishui River. The Qishui River and the Lishui River flow from the north bank of Panjiawan into the Wei River. To the east of the water. Li Hanwei: "Research on the Legend of Emperor Yan Being Born in Suizhou", "Emperor Yan and the Culture of Emperor Yan", Hubei People's Publishing House, 1991 Edition. Obviously, this record in "Shui Jing Zhu·Weishui" can only be attributed to "Baoji Theory" and " "Qishan Theory" provides contradictory evidence.

However, although there are no records about the birthplace of Emperor Yan in the pre-Qin classics, some information about the birthplace of Emperor Yan has been revealed in the literature records about the birthplace of Emperor Yan and Shennong after the Qin and Han Dynasties. Although the historical fact of the unity of Emperor Yan and Shennong was formed in ancient times, the concept of unity was only formed during the Qin and Han Dynasties.

The first scholar to point out the birthplace of Emperor Yan Shennong was Zheng Xuan, a famous Confucian scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Zheng Xuan based on Zhan Qin in "Guoyu·Luyu" and Cai Mo's remarks about the Lieshan clan and his descendants in "Zuo Zhuan·The 29th Year of Zhaogong", and referred to the definite theory of the unity of Emperor Yan and Shennong during the Qin and Han Dynasties. , when annotating similar records in "Book of Rites·Sacrifice", the Lishan clan, or Lieshan clan, and Emperor Yan were regarded as the same person: "Lishan clan, also known as Yandi. Originated from Lishan, or Lieshan." " Since Zheng Xuan thought that the Lieshan clan (Shen Nong clan) and Emperor Yan were the same person, their birthplaces were naturally in the same place. Not long after, Wu Weizhao of the Three Kingdoms period took the lead in responding to Zheng Shuo. When he annotated Zhan Qin's words in "Guoyu·Luyu", he said: "The Lieshan family is also the name of Emperor Yan. It originated from Lieshan. "Li (Ji)·Sacrifice" lists Lieshan as Lishan." Since the pre-Qin classics only recorded the birthplace of Shennong (Lieshan) and no record of Emperor Yan's birthplace, Zheng Xuan and Wei Zhao decided that the birthplace of Emperor Yan after Shennong was unified was Lieshan. ?

In the Western Jin Dynasty, Huangfu Mi put forward two views on the birthplace of Emperor Yan Shennong in "Century of Emperors". On the one hand, he accepted the opinions of the aforementioned Zhan Qin, Cai Mo, Zheng Xuan, Wei Zhao and others, and advocated that the Yan Emperor Shennong clan was born in Lieshan: "The Yan Emperor Shennong clan...originally originated from Lieshan Mountain, or it was called that at that time. The first Kuei clan , for the Nong Emperor..." Volume 78 of "Taiping Yulan" quoted "Century of Emperors". On the other hand, he was deeply influenced by Xu Chen Jiuji's statement in "Guoyu·Jinyu" that "Emperor Yan was made from ginger water", and he had great influence on Emperor Yan. The legend of Shennong's birthplace is further elaborated: "The Yan Emperor Shennong's mother was a daughter of (Chongqiao) HT〗. She was a Shaodian concubine. She traveled to Huayang and was inspired by the gods and gave birth to Emperor Yan. She grew up longer than Jiang Shui, so her family name was Yan. ""Taiping Yulan" Volume 70 quotes "Emperor Century". "Shui Jing Zhu", "Shui Jing Zhu·Weishui", "Yi Wen Lei Ju", "Yi Wen Lei Ju·Emperor Department", "Ji Xue Ji", "Ji Xue Ji" Volume 9, "General Chronicles" and "General Chronicles·3" "Emperor Chronicle One". The record in "Century of Kings" cited in other classics is roughly the same. This record in "Emperor Century" puts forward two points of view, that is, Emperor Yan Shennong was born in "Huayang" and "grew up in Jiangshui". Among them, "grows in ginger water" can be said to be the correct understanding of "made with ginger water" in "Guoyu·Jinyu", which will not be repeated; and born in "Huayang" is the origin of "Huayang theory". So, where is Huayang today? According to research by relevant scholars, there are three "Huayang" mentioned as place names in "Historical Records". This is what King Zhao Wuling captured when he attacked the Zhongshan Kingdom in "The Family of Zhao". Huayang, the Huayang where Qin defeated Zhao and Wei over Han in "The Family of Han", is also the Huayang where Qin Baiqi overthrew Wei in "The Biography of Bai Qi Wang Jian", and the Huayang where "Huayang's black water is only Liangzhou" in "Xia Benji". Among them, the first Huayang Judgment Zhang Shoujie "Zhengyi" is an alias of Beiyue Hengshan, and the second Huayang Judgment Zhang Shoujie "Zhengyi" is located in today's Mi County, Henan Province. However, there is no information about the birth of Emperor Yan Shennong in these two places so far. Records and legends. According to the analysis of relevant records in "Shang Shu Yu Gong" and "Han Shu Geography", the third Huayang should refer to the area south of Huashan, combined with the "Huayang Jun" and "Huayang Jun" mentioned in "Historical Records·Ranghou Biography" The "Mrs. Huayang" mentioned in "Historical Records·Biography of Lu Buwei" can be considered to be the general name given by the people of Qin or Guanzhong to the vast area south of Huashan, including Chu. Li Hanwei: "Research on the legend that Emperor Yan was born in Suizhou" ", "Yandi and Yandi Culture", Hubei People's Publishing House, 1991 edition. This statement is not unreasonable, but it is a bit too general. We believe that the "Huayang" mentioned by Huangfu Mi probably refers to the upper reaches of the Han River south of the Qinling Mountains. From the Southern Dynasties to the Song Dynasty to the Sui Dynasty, the upper reaches of the Han River in what is now Shaanxi Mian County once established Huayang County and Huayang County. Perhaps there is Huayang in the local area. Related to place names. ?

So, after the merger of Emperor Yan and Shennong, was the birthplace "Lieshan" or "Huayang"? We believe that Shennong and Emperor Yan were two tribes that appeared one after another in the pre-Qin classics and their The title of the leader cannot be the same place of birth. The reason why there are two theories of "Lieshan" and "Huayang" in the birthplace after the merger of Emperor Yan and Shennong is that the former is probably because Shennong was born and was tainted with Emperor Yan, while the latter is probably because Emperor Yan was born and was tainted with Shennong. , because the Five Elements theory locates the Yan Emperor sect in the south, this puts the "Huayang theory" under fire and makes the "Lieshan theory" the icing on the cake. After the two merged into one, Huayang was connected to Shennong from Emperor Yan, and Lieshan was connected to Emperor Yan from Shennong.

However, it has been concluded that Emperor Yan was located in the south, so the "Lieshan theory" is more reasonable than the "Huayang theory". Moreover, the ancient Zeng State had its capital in Lishan (Lie Mountain) in Suizhou, and its principal clan was named Jiang, who was undoubtedly the authentic descendant of the Miao Emperor Yan. Therefore, if we must find out where the Yan Emperor and Shennong clan were born after they merged into one, the "Li Shan theory" has the most sufficient reason. What's more, the relics of Emperor Yan's Shennong clan are most common in the upper reaches of the Han River, a tributary of the Yangtze River, and most concentrated in Lishan, Suizhou. According to legend, Gucheng County was named after Emperor Yan Shennong tasted grains there, and Shennongjia was named after Emperor Yan Shennong tasted herbs there. As for Mount Li in Suizhou, there are relics such as Shennong Cave, Shennong's House, Shennong's Well, and Shennongshe. Hubei Province Suizhou Local Chronicles Compilation Committee: "Suizhou Chronicles·Scenic Sites", China Urban Economic and Social Press, 1988 edition. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that Lishan is the hometown of Yandi Shennong. ?

Of course, it must be emphasized that the "birthplace" discussed above means the place of early living and working, and cannot be mechanically understood as the "birthplace". If you insist on pinpointing the birthplace of an ancient legendary figure based on myths and legends, it is like asking for a fish from a tree. Understanding this, it is not difficult to understand why Huangfu Mi's "Emperor Century" coexists two theories about the birth and land after the merger of Emperor Yan and Shennong. Because the Yandi Shennong Tribal Alliance is an extremely large tribal alliance, its activities cannot be limited to one corner, but should include the entire upper and upper reaches of the Han River south of the Qinling Mountains and its wider area. However, the early activity areas of the Shennong tribe should be In the upper reaches of the Han River with Lishan as the center, the early activity area of ​​the Yandi tribe may be in the upper reaches of the Han River with Huayang as the axis; after the two merged into one, the upper reaches of the Hanshui River and even the wider area became the Yandi Shennong Tribe Alliance However, based on various legends, Lishan Mountain in Suizhou is its center. Wu Liangkai: "The Rise of Shennong and the Effect of Yandi Culture", "Yandi and Yandi Culture", Hubei People's Publishing House, 1991 edition.