The origin of Mulan Lake Scenic Area
The origin of Targang
According to legend, Mulan Lake was once a flat land a long time ago. The land here is fertile, the people are outstanding, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. One day, there was a sudden strong wind, flying sand and rocks, and a fiery red ribbon with a fireball falling from the sky. Then there was a heavy rain, thunder and lightning, as if the sky was about to collapse. The people did not dare to go out, but closed their doors and prayed to the sky. Overnight, hills and peaks suddenly appeared on this flat land. Since then, the fertile fields here have been destroyed, droughts and floods have occurred every year, and crops have failed. People worship Buddha and pray all day long, asking for God's blessings, but to no avail. Later, a Taoist priest told the farmer in a dream that the hilltop was a fire dragon descending from the sky, and the top of the mountain was a blue dragon descending to earth. They were both the patron saints of the Jade Emperor. He was demoted to the earth for offending the Jade Emperor, so this place became a land of fire dragons. No crops or trees can grow. To this day, there is still a saying that maple trees cannot survive if they are planted there.
Later, some people here ran away from home, and some did not want to leave the old place where their ancestors had lived for generations, so they invited a Feng Shui master to check the pulse and ward off evil spirits. The Feng Shui master walked around this place several times and said that this was a place where dragons and lions fought, and it would be strange if the people did not suffer. To suppress evil, a tower must be built. The people chose an auspicious day according to the Feng Shui master's instructions and built a high tower on this hill. However, the tower fell down again and again after being built several times. The people had no choice but to ask for help again. The Feng Shui master came, and after looking at it for a long time, he said that the tower was not in the right position. It should be built on the lion's ears so that it would not fall over and stop the dragon and lion from fighting. The people really did as the Feng Shui master said, and the tower did not fall down. Since then, the weather here has been smooth again, and the people have lived and worked in peace and contentment. Later, people named this place "Targang", and this name has been used to the current Targang Street where Mulan Lake is located.
The magical Crane Temple It is said that General Mulan practiced martial arts in Qingshi Ridge since he was a child. One day, a naughty boy saw Mulan's natural beauty and she was as beautiful as a fairy. He suddenly had evil thoughts and tried to tease her. Mulan became angry and whipped the naughty boy, causing a catastrophe. The matter was reported to Mulan's master, Master Tieguan. , but said that she was bullying others with force, and Mulan's master was indiscriminate, so he demoted Mulan to the temple to practice martial arts on her own. Mulan did not dare to disobey her teacher's orders and immediately got up and left. When Mulan was riding a horse and strolling in the mountains, dozens of cranes and egrets flew from the sky to surround her. Mulan's horse also roared and soared into the sky, carrying Mulan and the cranes to a place called Tian Practice martial arts by yourself by the small lake in Weir. Whenever the practice reaches a wonderful point, a pair of cranes will stand on the top of the tree and flap their wings in admiration. A few years later, Mulan learned martial arts and joined the army for her father, and the dozens of cranes quietly left. The local people also felt that it was magical and strange, and could not understand it. They thought it was the will of the gods, and they cultivated Mulan's spiritual energy, so they built a temple on the back mountain of Tianyan and named it "Xianhe Temple" to show their piety. Seek blessings from the gods.
Now, perhaps it is the coming of the gods again, or perhaps it is the aura of General Mulan. On the Chunshugang Peninsula by Mulan Lake, people have seen the descendants of the cranes - the egrets again. These birds flock together, some from autumn to spring, and some from spring to autumn. They multiply and live on the banks of Mulan Lake, the hometown of General Mulan. They live in the same mountain for a long time and never leave. There are more than hundreds of thousands of them in total. These herons in various shapes and forms merge with nature to form beautiful and moving pictures. It attracts countless Chinese and foreign tourists to visit here, making the once peaceful Mulan Lake become lively, jubilant, and full of the atmosphere of the times.
The origin of Qingshui River
According to legend, a long time ago, Mulan Lake was not called this name, but Tianyan, and Qingshui River was not called this name, but Mushui River (Black River). water river). At that time, both sides of the Mushui River were lush with trees, red flowers and green grass, and the environment was quiet, but the river water was relatively turbid. One day, little Mulan, accompanied by a crane, rode a magical horse that flew into the sky to the riverside, where she wanted to practice swordsmanship. Practice martial arts by yourself. When the river god heard this, he was worried that the turbid river water would stain Mulan's fairy-like body, and overnight, all the murky water turned into clear water.
Day after day, year after year, Mulan practiced martial arts by the river. When she was hungry, she drank water from the river to satisfy her hunger. When she was tired, she lay down by the river to rest. A few years later, Mulan finally developed good martial arts skills and joined the army for her father. The muddy river where Mulan drank and bathed in the horse has a clearer water quality and a pure and fragrant fragrance. Whenever passers-by pass by here, they have to go to the river to wash their hands and drink water to soak up the fairy spirit of Mulan. It is said that this can eliminate disasters and turn bad luck into good luck.
In order to commemorate General Mulan, people changed the name of Tianyan to Mulan Lake and the Muddy Water River to Qingshui River.
Mulan General Temple
On the west bank of Mulan Lake, along the winding mountain road, about three miles west, is the General Temple where people admire heroines. According to the "Ancient Biography of Mulan": "The emperor commended her for her filial piety and gave her a thousand-mile horse in the inner stable, so that she could gallop home. Mulan took off her military uniform and arranged her old clothes... She died at the age of ninety and finally returned home. Her home is under the tomb of the general on Mulan Mountain. "The Jiangjun Temple originally had three grand and skillfully constructed temples, surrounded by greenery and ravines, with winding paths and connected courtyards. Above the main hall hangs a golden plaque with the words "loyalty, filial piety, loyalty, loyalty and martyrdom" with vigorous writing; on both sides of the main entrance there is a horseman carved in stone, holding a whip and leading a horse. On the left side of the door, a bay-red horse trembled its mane and roared, while on the right side, a snow-white horse was about to gallop. These superb carvings once evoked people's imagination of General Mulan's heroic appearance when he was galloping on the battlefield and performing feats in foreign lands. There is also a huge stone chamber at the south end of the first hall. The walls are carved with reliefs such as Wangxiang Terrace, Naihe Bridge, and the Ten Halls of Hell. The second hall enshrines a gilt statue of General Mulan, which is three meters high. General Mulan, who has returned in triumph, stands with his sword in hand, looking heroic. The three halls are dedicated to Buddhist gods.
There is a tall tomb just a stone's throw behind the General Temple, which is said to be the burial place of General Mulan. The mountain pond under the tomb is like a mirror, with scattered flowers; pine branches are wet and green, and the breeze is blowing. Literati from past dynasties often wrote poems and poems about the ancient times. According to historical records, Zhang Tao wrote in "Song of General Mulan": "The grass grows on Mulan Mountain, and the bones are buried in the general's tomb. ... If you don't see it, the Han Dynasty is sleeping in the Tang Tomb, where deer and elk are sleeping, and the old capital is sighing at the separation. Only Mulan The mountains do not change, and the green hills alone belong to the eyebrows." There is a tall tombstone in the general's tomb, with six characters "Tomb of General Mulan" engraved on it.
The existing General Tomb was built in the Tang Dynasty and was repaired many times during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Today, there are still a pair of stone lions in front of the temple and a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree that has experienced vicissitudes of life.