Appreciation of the prose of Hao Zhankui's "Kowloon Stone Cypress"
The rocks of Baishan Mountain give birth to cypresses, and their roots go into the Shishan Mountain as roots;
The roots of the mountain of stone cypresses are one, and the eternal cypresses of Shishan Mountain will last forever.
This is an ancient poem describing the Kowloon cypress in the Han Dynasty. The poem is vivid, tragic and full of perceptions, imagination and prayers.
For more than two thousand years, Han cypress has grown on rocks that lack soil and water. It has a well-developed root system, a proudly curved trunk, and luxuriant branches and leaves. Trees and rocks are one, relying on each other. The Immortal Wind Taoist Bone stands majestically in front of the Bianque Temple, showing its antiquity and full of magic, interpreting the changes in world affairs and revealing the true meaning of life.
Bian Que Temple, also known as Bian Que Temple, is located in Neiqiu Ancient County at the foot of Taihang Mountain. It covers an area of 150,000 square meters. It is a place to worship and worship Bian Que, the ancestor of Chinese medicine. It is an ancient building and the largest and oldest existing Bianque temple complex in my country. In addition to the Bianque Temple in the temple area, the Wenwang Baizi Hall, Sanxiao Hall, Jade Emperor Hall, Laojun Hall, Sanqing Hall, Caishen Hall, Stele Tower, etc. have all been destroyed. Even the main building, Bianque Temple, has been destroyed. The temple has also undergone extensive renovations. Only the nine ancient cypresses from the Han Dynasty inside and outside the temple area are like living fossils, more like old people who have gone through vicissitudes of life. They are separated from the Bianque Temple by the water and become the welcoming ancient cypresses of the Bianque Temple. They bear witness to the rise and fall of the times and historical changes, and to the human race. History of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
The areas that form cities. However, there are only a handful of existing ancient trees in the territory. In the Tang Dynasty, there was the King Chestnut Tree in Qiannanyu, and in the Han Dynasty, there was probably only the Jiulong Stone Cypress in Neiqiu.
People are walking trees, trees are standing people, and ancient cypresses are the incarnations of Bian Que’s master and apprentice. It is said that Bian Que had ten disciples, all of whom had superb medical skills and unique skills. They continued to practice medicine and treat diseases after the death of their master, and were widely praised by the government and the public. After their deaths, they were buried one after another on the stone mountain opposite Bian Que Temple, keeping company with their master. A cypress tree was planted in front of each of their graves. Over time, the proud and proud cypress trees grew lush and lush, hugging the terrain, drinking the wind and dew, blending into the mountains and rocks, welcoming the rising and setting of the sun and moon, and sending winter and spring away.
Echoing the Kowloon stone cypress, there are three sacred cypresses of the Han Dynasty planted at the same time. Two of them are called bird cypress and dragon cypress, growing in the temple area; the other is called Feng cypress. , standing quietly on the southeastern hilltop not far away.
When entering the temple area, the first thing that catches the eye is the famous Bird Cypress. According to legend, the wood grain of this magical cypress tree looks like birds playing. Every dawn, all the birds come alive and chirp to their heart's content. It is so pleasant to hear that all kinds of diseases can be cured by hearing this wonderful sound.
Good things always come to an end. A group of thieves have been coveting the sacred bird for a long time and racked their brains to steal it for themselves. After careful planning, in an early winter season, in the name of purchasing crop straw, the tree trunks of Bird Cypress were fenced high to cover people's eyes and ears. The trunks were thrown away and the core board of the immortal bird was stolen.
After suffering a disaster, Niao Bai lost his voice and left a long scar on his torso, showing the world the vicissitudes of life.
In the spring of the following year, a magical bird brought a mulberry seed from the south of the Yangtze River and embedded it in the branch of the cypress tree. After sitting there and crowing for three days, it quietly left.
Soon, a small mulberry tree grew from the fork of the tree. Over the years, it became a wonder of "trees within trees, mulberries within cypresses", leaving behind a sad and fascinating story of "birds and cypresses contain silkworms".
Not far further in, on the east back side of Sanxiao Hall, stands a several-armed dragon-claw cypress, with large and small branches bent like dragon claws.
Bird cypress and dragon cypress live in the temple area, while phoenix cypress stands alone on the hilltop not far from the temple area. The crown of the phoenix is like a phoenix. Later generations sympathized with her lonely situation and called her the lost sister bai. In our country's long feudal society, the idea of male superiority and female inferiority was paramount, which resulted in men and women not being allowed to be buried in the same place, and women not being allowed to enter elegant halls. It is said that all the disciples of Bian Que have statues of their disciples in Bian Que Temple. Only the female disciple Yi Mei was buried alone on the hilltop in the southeast after her death. Its position. It sounds regretful.
Bian Que, whose surname is Qin and whose name is Yue, is the originator of Chinese miracle doctors. He is the most famous miracle doctor in the history of our country and is also the synonym for famous doctors in our country.
He is proficient in internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, gynecology and other medical techniques. He pioneered and summarized the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine: inspection, smell, inquiry and incision, and wrote medical books such as "Difficult Classics". During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Bian Que's medical practice traveled all over the vassal states of Qin, Qi, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Jin and so on. He was a miracle doctor who practiced medicine and cured diseases for the people. After he cured Jin Dynasty doctor Zhao Jianzi's five-day coma, he was given 40,000 acres of land in Pengshan, Zhongqiu (near today's Neiqiu Bianque Temple). He settled in Pengshan, practiced medicine, and collected herbs. His medical skills improved and his reputation grew. Long.
Bian Que not only had excellent medical skills, but also had extensive research on society and human nature.
It is said that once Bian Que went to see the King of Wei.
The King of Wei asked: "I heard that all three of your brothers are good at medicine. Who among the three of you has the best medical skills?"
Bian Que answered truthfully: " My eldest brother has the best medical skills, the second brother is second, and I have the worst medical skills."
King Wei was surprised and asked: "Then why are you famous all over the world, but the two of them are unknown?"
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Bian Que explained: "Because my eldest brother treats people's diseases, the important thing is to prevent them before they happen. The diseases are eradicated before they show signs, so people don't know about it and don't remember it. My second brother was cured of the disease when he first started taking medicine, so everyone thought it was a minor illness that he could cure. They didn’t know that if the disease progressed, it would be fatal. Treating diseases when they are already dying can often bring them back to life, so even though I have the worst skills, my reputation has spread all over the world. Practicing medicine and treating diseases is the best way to prevent them from happening before they happen, but it is unknown in the world. Cure the disease is the next best thing, but it is considered to be a minor illness, so I can only spread my name in the countryside. I save the patient when he is dying. Although he saves his life, it greatly damages his vitality and leaves sequelae, but my name can be passed down. The world."
The conversation between Bian Que and King Wei seemed to be about medical skills, but in fact it was about medical skills discussing society and life, and the principles of life reflecting medical skills.
Bian Que heals people and makes them live longer. When he was over ninety years old, he still took his two disciples to Qin to practice medicine, and was highly valued by the King of Qin. The imperial physician of the Qin State ordered Li Xi to "know that his skills were not as good as that of a magpie, so he ordered someone to assassinate him."
After the people of Pengshan received the news that Bian Que had been killed, they were very sad. They sent people to steal Bian Que's head from Qin State, buried it ceremoniously at the foot of Pengshan Mountain, and erected a monument and built Bian Que Temple to commemorate it. The local Jiaozi Village and Langjiazhuang Village were renamed "Shentou Village", which has been used to this day and has become a historical legend.
It must be mentioned that the dragon has a special origin and emotion in the Chinese nation. "Nine" is the largest number, representing the most, largest, and longest; "dragon" is the lord of all beasts. It is not only a totem of the Chinese spirit and culture, but also a symbol of national cohesion, centripetal force and creativity, and also represents the Ninth Five-Year Plan. Supreme, supreme. To be able to compare "Nine" and "Dragon" is by no means ordinary. As far as I know, there is "Jiulonggang" in the Huanggang area of Hubei Province. It is a natural Feng Shui treasure place where Kowloon gathers. It is also the hometown of a large number of famous and powerful figures such as Dong Biwu and ***. In addition, there are the "Nine Dragon Pines" in Fengning County, Saibei Bashang, and the "Nine Dragon Stone Cypresses" in Neiqiu County, east of Taihang. A pine and a cypress both stand in Yanzhao, each with a magical appearance. The ancient pine has nine curved branches and a huge canopy, and the ancient cypress has nine towering bodies, each hugging the terrain. As the saying goes, pine trees last for thousands of years, and cypress trees last for ten thousand years. Surprisingly, the "Nine Dragon Cypresses" of the Han Dynasty are indeed thousands of years older than the "Nine Dragon Pines" of the Song Dynasty.
The mountains are due to the trees, the trees are due to the ancient temples, the temples are due to the names of the people, and the people are due to the history. Mountains, trees, temples, and people complement each other, complement each other, and live in harmony. They stand quietly in the historical years, enriching their respective experiences, explaining the philosophy of worldly affairs, and interpreting the true meaning of life. Fortunately, the ancient pines and cypresses are once again in their prime, and an era of cultural prosperity is approaching.