Search for sacred mountains in early human history
Yu Mingcai
The "holy mountain" in the early history of mankind is an object that deserves special attention, and it is a unique phenomenon in the ancient Civilization of China. The Classic of Mountains and Seas is a strange book that focuses on the famous mountains and rivers of ancient times, and the origin of Chinese civilization is closely related to the ancient mountains and rivers. The so-called ancient Sumerian, ancient Egyptian, ancient Indian or ancient Greek civilizations in the West were originally related to city-states or pyramids. It seems that Western civilization from the very beginning had the so-called three elements of bronze, city, and writing.
The earliest city in China is Chengtou Mountain in Hunan, dating back 6200 years. Before this, the Chinese civilization also experienced a long historical evolution, the Flintstone clan invented the use of fire, there was the Nest Clan to make human beings move from the cave dwelling to the Nest Dwelling, the Fu Xi Clan began to fish and hunt, the Shennong Clan opened farming, the Yellow Emperor shi hundreds of work complete, so the Chinese civilization has a deep foundation. Only Chinese history books and archaeology show the whole process of human evolution. The debut of Western civilization is almost a city-state civilization, which is obviously an immigrant civilization, and it is impossible for human beings to cross the cave dwelling and nest dwelling directly to the city to live. The origin of Western civilization is in China.
The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau is like the hand of God dividing Eurasia completely. The great man said, "Ande draws his sword from heaven and cuts Ru into three sections?" One section of Europe, one cut of the United States, one cut of return to the East. "A cut of beauty" is an imagination of great men, but the Kunlun Mountains do divide Eurasia into China and the West outside of China. In the southeast of the Kunlun Mountains, the mountains are longitudinal and horizontal, the climate is warm, not only the mountains and rivers are magnificent, the scenery is beautiful, but also suitable for plant growth and human survival, a "Jiangnan smoke and rain" scenery.
Judging from this intuitive geographical and climatic environment, southern China or, as Professor Du Gangjian said, "Great Xiangxi" is the birthplace of mankind and the source of human civilization. Early humans lived in the mountains, one is that there are natural caves in the mountains that are warm in winter and cool in summer, and the other is that there are human fishing, hunting and gathering food in the mountains. As a result, the ancient Chinese ancestors formed a unique "sacred mountain worship".
1. Kunlun Mountain
Kunlun Mountain is undoubtedly the most noble of the ancient sacred mountains.
As if the ancestors of ten thousand years ago gave us divine enlightenment, Kunlun, the Queen Mother of the West, Fuxi, etc., as some "mythical" terms, were beaten into the cold palace in the past hundred years of anti-tradition, and in the cultural trend of recently looking for the source of civilization, they were resurrected again and returned to our real world.
Where is the mysterious Kunlun? In the past, Kunlun was thought to be in the Pamir Plateau in the great northwest of China. However, the height of the peaks there is mostly 6,000-7,000 meters, which is an inaccessible place, and it is difficult for ancient and even modern people to climb it. Therefore, that is mostly the imagination of posterity.
In November 2015, Hunan scholar Zhou Xingyi, based on various historical materials such as the Classic of Mountains and Seas and archaeology, believed that the ancient Kunlun Mountain was the Xuefeng Mountain in Hunan today, which made people's minds open and suddenly enlightened. The media and social circles were shocked by this, believing that this was "Hunan centrism". Kunlun is actually a mountain with many names, and its source is in Hunan.
The Hai Nei Dong Jing says: "Cangwu is in the southwest of the White Jade Mountain, both in the west of quicksand and the southeast of Kunlun. "Cangwu is today's Jiuling Mountain, and Kunlun Mountain is not far from Cangwu Mountain, all within the scope of Hunan.
Qu Yuan also said in "Leaving the Troubles": "Kunlun Xi, the road repair is far away from the zhouliu." Yang Yunni's chirping, Ming Yuluan's chirping. Qu Yuan was exiled in the Yuanxiang area, and it could be seen that Kunlun was also in the west of Daxiang, and he could not have run to the Pamir Plateau.
Kunlun, due to the high standing and eastward slope of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau on earth, has become an eternal mountain for human beings to look westward, known as "China's first sacred mountain" and "mountain of ten thousand ancestors", and has been given the meaning of a sacred belief. The meaning expressed by Kunlun is the nostalgia for the birthplace of human beings, and it is an attachment to human beings coming out of the forest mountains and from caves.
However, when the ancient Chinese flourished in the temperate climate of Huxiang, people actually did not see the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, but saw the extension of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau - Xuefeng Mountain and Wuling Mountain.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas records: "Three hundred and fifty miles west of the Jade Mountain, it is the residence of the Queen Mother of the West." The Queen Mother of the West is human-like, leopard-tailed tiger teeth and good at howling, unkempt hair and wearing victory, is the strength of Si Tianzhi and the five remnants. "The early Queen Mother of the West lived in the Kunlun Mountains, but was not a beauty, but a woman with tiger and leopard (fangs) characteristics living in caves or mountains. Professor Du Gangjian believes that the early Queen Mother of the West was the leader of the Xiang Dog Rong Clan in the ancient lake and lived in the Kunlun Mountains in the west of The Great Xiang. Kunlun Mountain is the sacred mountain where the Queen Mother of the West lives.
In the process of continuous evolution and migration to the west, the Queen Mother of the West slowly turned ugliness into beauty, becoming more and more mysterious, beautiful and graceful, and became the object of the Chinese emperor's affection. Not only that, after the West Queen Mother migrated to the west, she was transformed into the image of various queens or beauties of the West, such as the Queen of the West, the Queen of Egypt, the Venus of Greek mythology, and even the current Queen of England is also the embodiment of the Queen Mother of the West. This phenomenon stems from the queen system of xiangxi in ancient times.
The 7,800-year-old high temple in the Yuanshui River Basin under Xuefeng Mountain has excavated the earliest religious sacrifice sites in China and even the world. In the Gaomiao culture, there have been eight-pointed star patterns and phoenix bird patterns, as well as fangs animal face patterns, which have spread to the Land of China and even the West. The white pottery of the Gaomiao culture represents the first wave of art in prehistory in China. It is said that Xuefeng Mountain is the ancient Kunlun Mountain, which has archaeological basis.
Kunlun, a sacred symbol, preserves the ancient faith code of mankind. From the Xuefeng Mountains and Wuling Mountains in western Hunan to the Min Mountains in Sichuan and the Pamir Plateau in the great northwest of China, the vast deserts of Central Asia and West Asia have been transnational to ancient Egypt and ancient Rome, all with the name kunlun mountains.
This is in line with the human migration map of "modern humans out of East Asia" formulated by molecular anthropologist and Professor Huang Shi of Central South University, which originated in the great southwest of China centered on Hunan.
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2. Yunyang Mountain
There is Kunlun Mountain in the west of Daxiang and Yunyang Mountain in the east of Daxiang.
If Kunlun Mountain also represents that human civilization is in a period of chaos, Yunyang Mountain has the meaning of human civilization opening up to see the sun. Kunlun originally has the meaning of "chaos", and the literal meaning of "yunyang" has the meaning of sunlight shining on clouds or pulling out clouds to see the sun.
On Kunlun Mountain lived the West Queen Mother, who was still half human and half beast. Yunyang Mountain is related to the ancient emperor Yunyang clan, and it is also related to the eighth generation of Shennongyan Emperor Juzhao Chaling and the Yellow Emperor Feng Shaohao Yu Yunyang. In the long ancient history of China, Yunyang Mountain has always been the "changdu of the emperor", and the Hunan Tongzhi Feudal Chronicle records: "As far back as the previous world, the kings are also always the capital." ”
Chaling has many mountains, but Chaling also has many hills and small flat land, and Yunyang Mountain rises on a plain, which is spectacular. With plenty of sunshine, abundant rain and fertile soil, this natural climate is suitable for farming. It was also under the Yunyang Mountain that the Chinese civilization completed the critical stage of transformation from fishing, hunting and gathering to farming. The lineage of the Shennong Yan Emperor in Chaling is relatively clear, and the eight generations of Shennong Emperor Kui, Di Cheng, Di Ming, Di Zhi, Di Li, Di Lai, Di Ke, and Di Yu Yi have specific names for each generation. This period can be called a dynasty with a clear lineage of emperors.
Among the Three Emperors, the Furen clan, the Fuxi clan, the Nüwa, the Western Queen Mother, etc. do not have specific names, only abstract imperial surnames, or a tribal name.
It is said that there are 70 generations of Yandi, which shows how long the agricultural era of Chinese civilization is, and Chinese civilization is also rooted in farming, which is different from nomadic civilization and marine civilization. In the Shennong era, surname culture, rice culture, traditional Chinese medicine culture, tea culture, bird culture, dragon culture, constitutional law culture, and commercial transaction culture can be found in the Chaling area, all with distinct characteristics of agricultural civilization.
The Yellow Emperor and Yunyang Mountain also have deeper sources. Mr. Yunyang was a teacher of the Yellow Emperor in Yunyang Mountain. Yunyang Mountain culture directly influenced the yellow emperor culture, the yellow emperor's official name "all take the cloud life, for the cloud master", the yellow emperor uses the cloud as a totem. And there is a saying that the Yellow Emperor raised dragons in Yunyang Mountain. After the Yellow Emperor defeated Emperor Yan, he sealed Shao Hao in the Yunyang region. Shao Hao was also the most important of the Yellow Emperor's twenty-five sons.
After the Yellow Emperor defeated the Yan Emperor, the center of gravity of Chinese civilization began to shift north. However, the Yunyang Mountain area (including Luling and Chashan) is undoubtedly the base camp for the birth of Chinese civilization. We are all descendants of Yan Huang and have found roots in the Chaling area. Yunyang Mountain, which plays a milestone role in the development of Chinese civilization, is indeed a sacred mountain that needs to be looked up to and worshiped by the descendants of China.
The last Yandi Yu was buried in the area of present-day Yanling County, leaving behind the Yandi Mausoleum, where Chinese descendants from all over the world regularly came to worship. However, in today's Dayunyang Mountain area, including Luling and Chashan, it is very likely that the burial place of Emperor Shennongyan can still be found. The 70th generation of the Yandi period should be around 10,000 years ago. As an extremely important sacred mountain in human history, Yunyang Mountain, like Kunlun Mountain, its name has also spread throughout the land of China.
3. Chongshan Mountain, Hengshan Mountain, Jiuling Mountain, And Mufu Mountain
Chongshan in Zhangjiajie is a sacred mountain with a long history in the northern Hunan region.
The Chongshan region of western Hunan has been the political and cultural center of the south since ancient times. Fuxi was first established in the Chongshan area of the Wuling Mountains of Zhangjiajie. The "Emperor Fu Clan Lianshan Yi Yao Gua Elephant" discusses the eight famous mountains, the first of which is Chongshan: "Chongshan Jun, Junchen Xiang, Junmin Guan, Junwulong, JunyinHou, Junyang Division, Junbing General, Junxiang Shou." ”
Chongshan was also the base of the Xia Dynasty and the first capital of the Xia Dynasty. "Chinese • Zhou Yushang" said: "The xingye of the former summer, melting down the lofty mountain." The "History of Sun Tzu Wu Qi Biography" records: "Xia Zhixingye, melted down in the lofty mountains. The Bamboo Book Chronicle says: "Yu Zhishui is bi, Tianxi Xuangui, to achieve success." The summer road will flourish, the grass and trees will flourish, the green dragon will stop at the outskirts, and the god of blessing will descend on the mountain, which is subject to Shun Zen, that is, the position of the Son of Heaven. Luo came out of the Turtle Book for Hong Fan, who died three years later, all in Yangcheng. "Chongshan is the auspicious land of Xia Zhixing.
The Development of Chinese Civilization to the Liyang Plain area began the history of city-building, which records the "Cangzuo City", that is, Dayu's father, Cang, was a craftsman who built the city, and built the "Chongshan City", which was built on the mountain. The earliest city in the history of the world, Changde Chengtou Mountain, is related to the history of "Cangzuo City".
The sacred mountain jiuling mountain in the Shonan region is related to Emperor Shun. Jiuling Mountain belongs to the ancient Cangwu area, which is also the birthplace of a long-established civilization. In the Jade Toad Rock of Yongzhou Dao County, the earliest rice cultivation civilization and pottery civilization in the history of the world have been found, which are about 20,000 years old. At the same time, 80,000-120,000 years ago were found in the Fuyan Cave in Daoxian County, and completely modern human forms were found, confirming that "modern humans came out of East Asia".
"The mingde of the world began with Emperor Yu", and Emperor Shun was revered as the "ancestor of morality". Countless literati sang about Emperor Shun and the Nine Ridges Mountain, Li Bai's "Far Away": "The nine doubts are similar, what is the heavy pupil lonely grave?" The emperor wept in the green clouds, and went with the wind and waves. Weeping and looking into the distance, I saw the deep mountains of Cangwu. The great man sang the Nine Ridges Mountain: "The white clouds on the Nine Ridges Mountain fly, and the emperor rides the wind under the green light." A thousand tears of bamboo, a hundred hundred heavy clothes of red xia. ”
The Nest clan first appeared in the south of the Jiuling Mountains in Hunan, that is, in the ancient Cangwu region. The Furen clan was born on the Xiangshan Mountains south of Dongting Lake, and established Suiming Village in Li County, Changde. The Mufu Mountains in northeastern Hunan are related to the fuxi burial place, and the "Imperial Century" records that fuxi "collapsed and buried nan county". Hengshan in Xiangzhong was related to the Zhurong clan and later became one of the Five Peaks. Professor Liu Junnan argued that Emperor Yao was a native of Zhuzhou You County, because You County had ancient place names such as Danling and Yaoshan, which coincided with the records of the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Among the above many sacred mountains, Kunlun Mountain in western Xiangxi, Yunyang Mountain in xiangdong, Chongshan Mountain in northern Xiangnan, Jiuling Mountain in southern Xiangnan, Hengshan Mountain in xiangzhong, and Mufu mountain in northeastern Xiangxi are the most famous. Chinese civilization originated in the Great Lake Xiang region, and the Three Emperors and Five Emperors were mostly related to Huxiang. The green mountains and rivers of Hunan and the ancient civilization of China are indeed a match made in heaven. According to this, Hunan is considered by many scholars to be the "capital of ancient civilization in the world". The many "holy mountains" in Hunan together constitute the "capital of ancient civilization".
Professor Du Gangjian's new book "The Source of Civilization and the Ancient Tea Tomb", which focuses on the ancient sacred mountain "Yunyang Mountain", is not only a pioneering work, but also in line with the characteristics of the origin of Chinese civilization. The beginning of Western civilization is related to the city-state, and the Chinese civilization has an older and longer history of origin, and which "holy mountain" has a history of hundreds of thousands of years. Each sacred mountain was an early gathering place for mankind and functioned like a city-state.
After human beings came out of the ancient sacred mountains, they built villages, cities and pyramids around the world. Even though human beings have left the mountains to build cities in the plains, they still build temples, temples, and platforms on those mountains, and the ancestors of mankind have turned into gods and immortals, living in mist-shrouded temples and temples, and being worshipped and worshipped by future generations. Those "holy mountains" have become the objects of eternal worship and worship of human beings.
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