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Hanyu Pinyin | HuángshíGōng |
Huang Shigong (Chinese :黃石公;lit.'Yellow Rock Old Man') is a semi-mythological figure and Taoist hermit [1] who lived between the Qin dynasty and Han dynasty. [2] He gave Zhang Liang a treatise on military strategy called Huang Shigong San Lue (The Three Strategies of Huang Shigong) and the Lingqijing divination manual that allowed Zhang Liang to transform into an adept statesman and powerful war theorist. [3] [4]
According to legend,Huang Shigong was an important minister of Qin Shi Huang's father,King Zhuangxiang of Qin,surnamed Wei,and named Che. After King Zhuangxiang died,it was Qin Shi Huang's turn to ascend to the throne and govern. However,he proved to be arbitrary and tyrannical,ignoring the advice of his loyal ministers. Wei Che,dismayed by the situation,chose to retire and left the court. [5]
Upon learning of Wei Che's departure,Qin Shi Huang considered two factors. Firstly,despite his youth and recent ascension to the throne,he recognized the need for assistance in firmly establishing his rule. Secondly,Wei Che,a seasoned minister from the previous emperor's era,leaving might subject Qin Shi Huang to ridicule for being intolerant. Determined to retain Wei Che's support,Qin Shi Huang gathered trusted men and horses and chased him to the foot of Mount Li. There,he earnestly attempted to persuade Wei Che to return with kind words. Wei Che,however,remained resolute in his decision and refused to go back. Subsequently,Wei Che chose to live in seclusion in the Huanghua Cave at the base of Mount Huang in the northwest of Pizhou. Due to the unknown nature of his real name,people began referring to him as Huang Shigong. [5]
As a wanted man by the government,Zhang Liang travelled to Xiapi and stayed there for some time,using fake identities to evade the authorities. One day,Zhang Liang took a stroll at Yishui Bridge and met an old man there. The man walked towards Zhang Liang and chucked his shoe down the bridge on purpose,after which he yelled at Zhang,"Hey boy,go down and fetch me my shoe!" Zhang Liang was astonished and unhappy but obeyed silently. The old man then lifted his foot and ordered Zhang Liang to put on the shoe for him. Zhang Liang was furious,but he controlled his temper and meekly obliged. The man did not show any sign of gratitude and walked away laughing.
The old man came back after walking a distance and praised Zhang Liang,"This child can be taught!" [6] and asked Zhang Liang to meet him at the bridge again at dawn five days later. Zhang Liang was confused but agreed. Five days later,Zhang Liang rushed to the bridge at the stroke of dawn,but the old man was already waiting for him there. The old man chided him,"How can you be late for a meeting with an elderly man? Come back again five days later!" Zhang Liang tried his best to be punctual the second time,but the old man still arrived earlier than him,and he was scorned by the old man once more and told to return again five days later. The third time,Zhang Liang went to the bridge at midnight and waited until the old man appeared. This time,the old man was so impressed with Zhang Liang's fortitude and humility that he presented Zhang with a book,saying,"You can become the tutor of a ruler after reading this book. Within ten years,the world will become chaotic. You can then use your knowledge from this book to bring peace and prosperity to the empire. Meet me again 13 years later. I'm the yellow rock at the foot of Mount Gucheng." [3]
The old man was Huang Shigong. The book was titled The Art of War by Taigong (太公兵法) and believed to be the Six Secret Teachings by Jiang Ziya,while some called it Three Strategies of Huang Shigong . In legend,Zhang Liang returned to the indicated site 13 years later and did see a yellow rock there. He built a shrine to worship the rock. After Zhang Liang's death,he was buried with the yellow stone. His descendants also pay homage to the yellow stone when visiting his grave during the Double Ninth Festival and the Winter Solstice.
According to the Collection of Lost Records of Immortals (仙传拾遗),after Zhang Liang helped Liu Bang establish the Han dynasty,he practiced self-cultivation using the book given to him by Huang Shigong. He refined his qi,stopped eating,and his body became light,ultimately ascending to heaven and becoming the Taixuan Tongzi (太玄童子) who often attended the Taishang Laojun. [7]
In the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West ,there is a mention of his encounter with Zhang Liang. When Sun Wukong found himself in a heated argument with his master,Tang Sanzang,he decided to part ways and soar through the realms. Upon reaching the East Sea,he received an invitation from the Dragon King of the East Sea. Inside the palace,a painting titled "Three Entrances to the Bridge" caught his eye. He inquired about its meaning,prompting the Dragon King to tell a tale. [8] [9]
The Dragon King recounted,"At the end of the Qin dynasty,Zhang Liang encountered Huang Shigong on a bridge. To gauge his potential,Huang Shigong deliberately knocked off his shoe three times,each time falling beneath the bridge,testing Zhang Liang's patience. Though tempted to anger,Zhang Liang maintained respect for the elder. Impressed by his diligence,Huang Shigong secretly imparted a heavenly book to him under the cover of night. This knowledge later enabled Zhang Liang to assist Liu Bang in establishing the Han dynasty. After achieving peace,Zhang Liang relinquished his position,retreated to the mountains,embraced the Daoist path,and ultimately attained immortality." [10]
Concluding the tale,the Dragon King advised Sun Wukong,stating,"The Great Sage,if you do not protect Tang Sanzang and heed his guidance,you will not attain enlightenment and will remain merely a demon. Return to your master." Moved by the story,Sun Wukong returned to Tang Sanzang's side. [11]
Huang Shigong is worshipped as a deity in Chinese folk religion and Taoism. [12]
Qin Shi Huang was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers,he assumed the invented title of "emperor",which would see continuous use by monarchs in China for the next two millennia.
Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the great Chinese novels,and has been described as arguably the most popular literary work in East Asia. It is widely known in English-speaking countries through Arthur Waley's 1942 abridged translation,Monkey.
Zhang Liang,courtesy name Zifang,was a Chinese military strategist and politician who lived in the early Western Han dynasty. He is also known as one of the "Three Heroes of the early Han dynasty" (漢初三傑),along with Han Xin (韓信) and Xiao He. Zhang Liang contributed greatly to the establishment of the Han dynasty. After his death,he was honoured with the posthumous title "Marquis Wencheng" by Emperor Qianshao. Zhang Liang is depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu by Jin Guliang.
King Zhuangxiang of Qin,personal name Ying Yiren,Ying Ziyi or Ying Zichu,was a king of the Qin state. He was the father and predecessor of Qin Shi Huang,who would later unify China proper and become China's first emperor. He was posthumously honored as Taishang Huang by the Qin dynasty.
Zhang Han was a Chinese military general of the Qin dynasty. When uprisings erupted throughout China during the reign of Qin Er Shi,Zhang Han led the Qin armies and successfully quelled several of these rebel forces. In 207 BC,Zhang Han was defeated by Xiang Yu of Chu at the Battle of Julu,after which he surrendered along with his 200,000 troops. He was conferred the title "King of Yong" (雍王) by Xiang Yu and given part of the lands in Guanzhong as his fief when Xiang split the former Qin Empire into the Eighteen Kingdoms after the fall of the Qin dynasty. Zhang Han's territory was conquered by Liu Bang in 206 BC,and he committed suicide a year later.
The Three Strategies of Huang Shigong is a treatise on military strategy that was historically associated with the Taoist hermit Huang Shigong and Han dynasty general Zhang Liang. Huang Shigong gave this treatise to Zhang Liang,that allowed Zhang to transform into an adept statesman and powerful war theorist. The treatise's literal name is "the Three Strategies of the Duke of Yellow Rock",based on the traditional account of the book's transmission to Zhang. Modern scholars note the similarity between its philosophy and the philosophy of Huang-Lao Daoism. It is one of China's Seven Military Classics.
The Sixteen Kingdoms,less commonly the Sixteen States,was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded by the "Five Barbarians",non-Han peoples who had settled in northern and western China during the preceding centuries,and had launched a series of rebellions against the Western Jin dynasty in the early 4th century. However,several of the states were founded by the Han people,and all of the states—whether ruled by Xiongnu,Xianbei,Di,Jie,Qiang,Han,or others—took on Han-style dynastic names. The states frequently fought against both one another and the Eastern Jin dynasty,which succeeded the Western Jin in 317 and ruled southern China. The period ended with the unification of northern China in 439 by the Northern Wei,a dynasty established by the Xianbei Tuoba clan. This occurred 19 years after the Eastern Jin collapsed in 420,and was replaced by the Liu Song dynasty. Following the unification of the north by Northern Wei,the Northern and Southern dynasties era of Chinese history began.
In Chinese history,a Taishang Huang or Taishang Huangdi is an honorific and institution of a retired emperor. The former emperor had,at least in name,abdicated in favor of someone else. Although no longer the reigning sovereign,there are instances where the retired emperor became a power behind the throne,often exerting more power than the reigning emperor.
The Story of Han Dynasty is a Chinese television series based on the events in the Chu–Han Contention,an interregnum between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the founding of the Han dynasty in Chinese history. The series was first broadcast on CCTV in China in 2003. Directed by Wei Handao,the series starred Hu Jun,Xiao Rongsheng,Jacklyn Wu,Kristy Yang,Wang Gang and Li Li-chun.
Qin Shi Huang is a Chinese historical drama television series based on the life of Qin Shi Huang,the first emperor who unified China under the Qin dynasty,in 221 BC. The series was filmed between 1999 and 2000 and first released in 2001 in Hong Kong and Thailand,and in 2002 in Singapore. In China,the series was edited and altered by historians and experts before it was approved for broadcast on CCTV-1,in 2001.
The Myth is a 2010 Chinese television series based on the 2005 Hong Kong film of the same title. Jackie Chan,who starred in the original film,was credited as the producer for the series,while Stanley Tong,who directed the film,was the creative director for the series. The series was first aired on CCTV-8 in China in January 2010.
Journey to the West is a Chinese television series adapted from the 16th-century novel of the same title. Production for the 66 episodes long series started on 12 September 2009,and it was first broadcast in mainland China on 28 July 2011 on TVS. The series was produced by Zhang Jizhong and was released a year later than another television series of the same title,but with a different cast and crew.
Chu Han Zhengxiong is a Chinese television series directed by Chen Jialin. The plot,based on the historical novel of the same Chinese title by Xiong Cheng (熊誠),retells the events in the Chu–Han Contention,an interregnum between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the founding of the Han dynasty. Shooting for the series started in October 2011 at the Jiaozuo Film and Television City. It was released in China on 27 November 2012.
The White Dragon Horse,known as Bai Long Ma,and Yu Long,in Chinese,is one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. He is Tang Sanzang's steed who later became one of the Babu Tianlong Guangli Bodhisattva at the end of novel.
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