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Sima xiangru and Peng'an County
Deng Yuzhang
Sima Qian's "Records of History" says that Sima Xiangru was "also a native of Chengdu, Shu County", but did not mention his relationship with Peng'an, so what was Sima Xiangru's relationship with Peng'an County? But there is. Peng'an County was called Xiangru County in ancient times, followed by Pengzhou, and was renamed Peng'an County in the second year of the Republic of China (1913); there are similar old villas in Peng'an County... These are known to almost all ages in Phong An.
Statue of Sima Xiangru in Peng'an County Xiangru Cultural Park (Photo by Pengzhou Xianshi, courtesy of Sichuan Provincial Local History Office)
The old records of Peng'an County clearly record that Sima Xiangru, the "Cizong of the Han Dynasty", once "operated here" and lived in Peng'an. Therefore, behind the former Pengzhou Prefecture in Jinping Town, Peng'an County, there is a qintai. Qintai lotus pond, by the Yuhuan Creek, every moon night, the moon shines on the Qintai, the platform reflects the water, the scenery is beautiful, one of the eight scenic spots in Pengzhou, called "Qintai Night Moon", it is a good place for Pengzhou and Pengzhou's rioters to enjoy the moon and poetry. There have been many poems written on the theme of Qintai in successive dynasties, the most famous of which is a five-word poem written by Ming Ren, which says: "The name of the county is still in ruin, and the qintai is not deserted." Linqiao liquor sales office, a thousand years of common blue light. In addition to the piano platform, there is also a large stone stele about 2 meters high outside the east gate of Pengzhou City, on which are engraved four prominent characters of "Like the Old Villa". The stele survived intact in the 1950s.
Peng'an County is similar to the Ancient City Yuhuan Academy (Photo by Pengzhou Xianshi, courtesy of Sichuan Provincial Local History Office)
However, Sima Xiangru's hometown in Peng'an County was not originally in the present-day Jinping Town of Peng'an County, but in lianghetang in present-day Lixi Town, Peng'an County. According to legend, Sima Xiangru lived in Lianghetang after he returned to the capital on an envoy to "Southwest Yi" and was falsely accused of losing his official position. Sima Xiangru was favored by Emperor Wu of Han for writing the "Zi Fei Fu", and his fame was heavy for a while, but he could not bear the blow and was discouraged, so he took his wife to the Two Rivers Pond under the jurisdiction of Gu'an Han County. The two rivers here, west of the Jialing River, is also the confluence of Blue Creek (now known as Qingxi) and Qingxi (now known as Heshu River). Although it is a remote area, the dam is flat and the scenery is beautiful. The couple built huts and piano platforms here, resumed their old business, Wenjun carried out pots and sold wine, Sima washed cups and plates, and when they were idle, one played the piano, one sang harmony, and the day was quite comfortable. They love the long-flowing waters, green trees, and the industriousness of the people here; they spread the seeds of advanced culture here, help develop the economy, and form a deep friendship with the people. It was not until Emperor Wu of Han recalled Sima Xiangru as "Lang" that Sima and Wen Junfang left. After they left, the people of Lianghetang in Anhan County missed them very much and kept their homes and qintai for a long time. When the Southern and Northern Dynasties Liang Tianjian set up a new county in the sixth year (507) of Anhan County, in order to permanently commemorate Sima Xiangru, he specially used his name as the county name, called Xiangru County, and the county seat was also located in the place where he lived, Lianghetang. In the second year of Wuzhou (697), the county seat was moved to the present-day Jinping Town. Xiangru County existed in history for more than 900 years, and by the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Fang Province entered Pengzhou.
Portrait of Sima Xiangru (Collection of Fangzhi of Sichuan Province, by Mei Kai, courtesy of Sichuan Provincial Local Chronicles)
Regarding the location of Sima Xiangru's former villa and qintai, there are many records in relevant texts. The Old Book of Tang and Geographical Records points out: Twenty miles south of the city, there are similar houses and two houses, and there are piano platforms like ping. The Taiping Huanyu Chronicle also points out that the former residence is twenty miles south of Xiangru County. Other books such as the Zhou Map Record, the Fang Yu Sheng Lan, and the Yuan Tong Zhi are recorded, and most of the books state that Sima Xiangru's former residence, Qintai, and the county seat when Xiangru County was founded were twenty miles south of the county. Tang Wuzhou was like the "twenty miles south of the county" after the county was relocated, that is, twenty miles south of the present-day Jinping Town, and twenty miles south of the present-day Jinping Town, which should be the location of the two rivers and ponds in the present-day Lixi Town (except for the difference between Guli and Jinli, which is also roughly the same). Here in ancient times known as Ruixing Town, surrounded by mountains and water, green fields and flat domains, quite the charm of the old city; and its land is under the soil, the cornerstones and tiles of ancient buildings are everywhere. Within ten miles of the site, there is neither such a geographical environment nor such an ancient city ruins. Therefore, the "Peng'an County Chronicle" concludes that the two rivers pond, that is, Sima Xiang is like the old villa, like the qintai, that is, the county seat where the county was founded, is completely correct. As for the xiangru qintai of the former Pengzhou Prefecture Office (Xiangru County Office after Tang Wuzhou) in jinping town today, and the "Xiangru Old Villa" monument outside the east gate of Zhoucheng City, it is a commemorative cultural relic built after the relocation of Xiangru County.
Peng'an County is like the ancient city (Photo by Pengzhou Xianshi, courtesy of Sichuan Provincial Local History Office)
Sima Xiangru lived for a time in the territory of present-day Peng'an County, and the name of the county was named in honor of Sima Xiangru, which is clearly recorded in many ancient texts, and there is no doubt about it; but Sima Xiangru was a Chengdu native, and Sima Qian had already written about it, and there was a man named Wang Peixun in the Qing Dynasty who raised objections in his "Essay on Listening to yulou" (Bashu Book Club). He said: "Everyone thinks that they are like Chengdu people, and they are actually from Pengzhou today, and then they moved to Chengdu and lived in Linqiao, and there are piano platforms in all three places." Pengzhou Sui is similar to a county, named after the place where xiang xiang lives. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the province was incorporated into Pengzhou. His former residence is in the south of the state, the Qintai is on the right side of the house, and the Jialing River is nearby. Wang's argument seems insufficient, but it is not without reason at all, and there is still an old place name "Sijiaba" near Lianghetang to prove it, and his statement reminds me of two questions: First, Sima Xiangru originally had a lot of family wealth to worship as a lang, why did he elope with Zhuo Wenjun to Chengdu, and even "the family disciples stood on all four walls"? Second, after Sima Xiangru sent an envoy to "Southwest Yi" to be falsely accused of losing his official position, why didn't he go to other places, but he went to Lianghetang in Anhan County, which was far away from Chengdu and unfamiliar with the land?
Chengdu Qintai Road calligraphy work "Phoenix Seeking Phoenix" He Yinghui Book (Pengzhou Xianshi photo, Sichuan Provincial Local History Office courtesy photo)
Why Wang Peixun, the old Confucian, came to the above conclusion is still unknown. However, from the above two questions, I have the following assumption: Sima Xiangru may have been a merchant who entered Bashu from Qin after Qin destroyed Bashu. After the Sima family entered Bashu, they descended the Jialing River and finally chose the dam land of Lianghetang to settle down. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the economic development of Anhan County was very fast, Chen Gu pressed the warehouse, and the Sima family became rich. Not long after Sima Xiangru was born, the Sima family left the property here in order to develop business, and then moved the family west to Chengdu, and the young Sima Xiangru also went to Chengdu. Chengdu's economy and culture were far more developed than those of Anhan County, and Sima Xiangru was able to receive a better education; because he arrived in Chengdu, he was able to meet friends like Wang Ji. Later, because of the failure of the business, the Sima family left their house in Chengdu and returned to their hometown in Anhan County. Therefore, when Sima Xiangru was a "guest tour of Liang" and Liang Xiaowang died, he would have a destitute situation in Chengdu; therefore, Sima Xiangru returned to his birthplace, Lianghetang, after being frustrated in the capital Chang'an.
A similar cultural reader compiled by Peng'an County (Photo by Lei Tingxi, courtesy of Sichuan Provincial Local History Office)
The assumption can only be imagined, and there is still a lack of direct evidence to overturn the case for Sima Xiangru's place of origin, and it is not very important to know where he was. Because he lived in the territory of present-day Peng'an, he had a lot of influence on Peng'an County, which is a fact. Otherwise, why use his name to name the county, why there are so many cultural relics commemorating him. In addition to the old villa, the Qintai, and the stone stele in Peng'an, there is also the Sima Changqing Ancestral Hall. And the old county chronicle records that in the first year of Tang Zhenguan, just like the county order Chen Ziliang personally wrote the sacrifice text, sent the master book Yue Yue "Gui Gui Lan Cuisine" to the ancestral temple to pay tribute, and its text still said: "The traces of The relics still exist, Yu Fang is not lost, and the Yu Yi Zai Si Yi is like a relic." Until the Ming Dynasty, the ancestral temple was still there, and Lu Yong, a scholar in Sichuan, went to Pengzhou to compose a poem entitled "Gurudwara Changqing Ancestral Temple", and his poem yun: "The characters in Shu are called Haojie, and the Han room articles are good at everyone." This place is still in the past, and the famous county at that time was exaggerated. The qintai is raining and mossy, and the ancestral house is slanted by the grass and trees along the river. Don't ask the teenager to kiss the polyester, high wind thousand load heavy words Hua. ”
Years of famine and vicissitudes have changed, and now, Peng'an has repaired and restored the same old city at the original site of Jinping Town. This is the best memorial of the peng'an people to Sima Xiang's exploits and the glory he left on this land.
Peng'an County is like the ancient city (Photo by Pengzhou Xianshi, Courtesy of Sichuan Provincial Local History Office)
Source: Sichuan Provincial Local History Work Office
Author: Deng Yuzhang (Honorary President of Sima Xiangru Research Association of Sichuan Province, Editor-in-Chief of Peng'an County Chronicle (1911-1985))
Pictured: Fang Zhi Sichuan
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