Ancient city in text books-3
Series three: At the foot of Bagong Mountain lies an ancient city known for Chinese idioms and allusions
A moat quietly flows around this ancient Shouzhou city, taking away the smoke and flames of ancient wars here. Standing on the wall of the ancient city and overlooking Bagong Mountain far away, you will find the ancient battlefield of Feishui Battle which seems to recreate the scene of the battle between the Eastern Jin Kingdom and the Former Qin Kingdom. Famous for its minor troops defeating major ones, the battle along Feishui River In 383 AD, creates a great victory in the history of our country. The idiom, A fleeing army’s suspicion of danger at the slightest sound, derives from this historical allusion. In July 2022, the Ministry of Education issued compulsory education textbook Chinese history published on the seventh edition , on which (page 93-94 of Volume 1, Grade 7) it demonstrates the classic Feishui Battle, during which the less wins the more and the weaker wins the stronger. When you search on the internet for four battles where less wins more, the Feishui Battle Battle lists among them. It goes beyond a battle, adding cultural elements into it. There are at least six idioms concerning about Shouzhou ancient city such as A fleeing army’s suspicion of danger at the slightest sound, Stage a comeback, Throw whips into the stream to stop its flowing, Every bush and tree looks like an enemy, Play Go betting on his own villa, Clog belt breaks to show one’s pleasant feeling.
A line-up version of Huainanzi classics is on display at Anhui Chu Culture Museum in Shouxian County.
Opening the Chinese test paper for 2023 National College Entrance Examination (new NCEE National Part II) and looking over the excerpts from classical Chinese readings, named Baizhan Qilve,or Hundred Military Strategies and Questions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li Weigong, you will find these parts are about the famous Feishui battle. Hao peizhong, chief director of Shouxian Cultural and Tourism Bureau, told reporters that from a historical perspective, the battle helped to sustain and develop the Han culture of Central Plain in the south, and directly influenced the spiritual essence of the following Sui and Tang dynasties. In other words, the Feishui battle protected the core of Chinese culture to a certain extent. When you walk into Shouxian County, you can often hear the legend of When a man gets to the top, all his friends and relations get there with him.” Here we will have to introduce a person, a book, a dish and a mountain. More than 2,000 years ago, Liu An, the King of Huainan in the Western Han dynasty, recruited over 3,000 scholars from all over China. They wrote Huainanzi, an significant ancient work of ideology, which has first put forward the 24 Solar Terms and developed Tofu, a world-famous delicacy. Among this group of talents, Liu An appreciated eight wise men most, and because of it, Bagong Mountain has its name. (Bagong means eight wise men)
Zhang Shihong, an intangible cultural heritor at county level, who is deft at Huainan Tofu Banquet, an intangible cultural heritage project at city level, introduces to the children tofu manufacturing and carving techniques.
Browsing an article, Dedicated Discussion on Chinese Traditional Culture from Chinese optional textbook on national curriculum for general high school, readers will notice two excerpts from Huainanzi, that is Yuandao Doctrine and Xiuwu Doctrine. Meanwhile, numerous idioms from Huainanzi appear in Chinese textbooks of primary and junior high school, such as When a man gets to the top, all his friends and relations get there with him and The whispering of the wind and the cries of cranes are enough to make every plant appear as enemy troops lying in ambush about to attack. Welcome visitors to Shouzhou ancient city, where history and reality meet here. Walking into this historical city, you can read masterpiece Huainanzi, taste delicious tofu, climb beautiful Bagong Mountain and feel the unique charm of this millennial city.