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introduction
There is no joy in life, and there is no bitterness in death.
This is written by Zhuangzi, and there seems to be nothing to be happy about in life, and there is nothing to fear in the face of death.
When we look through ancient history, we can find that the ancients attached great importance to life and death, but also valued their own integrity.
Many people will prove themselves by suicide, or there are many reasons behind it. And before the ancients threw themselves into the river, they had a default behavior, that is, to leave their shoes on the shore.
(Qu Yuan Toujiang)
Why such a move, and is there any point in leaving shoes on the shore? It may not be understandable to modern people, but when we go back in history, you understand.
First, why did the ancients choose to commit suicide by throwing themselves into the river? And for what?
Even in ancient times, the ancients could choose to commit suicide in many ways, but why did they choose to commit suicide by throwing themselves into the river?
It is not so much the reason for suicide by throwing themselves into the river, but in essence, it is the reason why the ancients chose to commit suicide. The ancients had a high spirit, and they would not easily end their lives if they had no choice.
We can take Qu Yuan as an example, as a typical representative of suicide by throwing himself into the river, he left many legends and stories for future generations. Today's Dragon Boat Festival, a legal holiday on the mainland, is to commemorate Qu Yuan. Some people may ask why Qu Yuan was commemorated, and this is also related to his suicide by throwing himself into the river.
(Qu Yuan Toujiang)
Qu Yuan chose to join the river for two reasons, the first is because he is depressed.
As an aristocrat of the State of Chu, Qu Yuan was originally trusted by the King of Chu, and the State of Chu at that time was strong, even in the face of the powerful State of Qin. However, after he was ostracized by others, the king of Chu also became dissatisfied with Qu Yuan under the provocation of others.
Subsequently, he ordered Qu Yuan to be exiled to the capital of Xingdu, and after the death of King Huai of Chu, the new king of Chu still could not listen to Qu Yuan's bitter heart. At that time, the State of Qin had already taken tough measures against the State of Chu, but the words of loyalty were against the ears after all. Under such circumstances, Qu Yuan was exiled again.
Under such circumstances, Qu Yuan was sad and indignant but could not resist the king's order, and then he wandered around the Jiangnan area. And the second and most important reason for his throwing himself into the river was his loyalty and patriotism. When Bai Qi led the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Qin State to attack the capital of the Chu king, Qu Yuan could no longer bear the pain in his heart and went with his country.
(Qu Yuan)
After committing suicide in the Miluo River, only his shoes were left on the shore. "The road is long, and I will seek it up and down." Qu Yuan confirmed this sentence with his life. And the above is the reason why he threw himself into the river, his ambitions could not be realized, he could not be trusted by the monarch, and the country broke through mountains and rivers, all of which drove his death.
And now we commemorate precisely because of Qu Yuan's patriotism.
Therefore, the ancients chose to commit suicide by throwing themselves into the river, one is related to their own choice and persistence, as well as their own integrity and reputation, and the other is to live and die with the country. For example, in the Han Dynasty work "Peacock Southeast Flight", Liu Lanzhi insisted on fighting against feudal rites because he did not want to be forced to marry, and finally chose to commit suicide by throwing himself into the river, leaving only a pair of shoes of his own.
(Liu Lanzhi Touhe)
For example, at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, when the army of the Yuan Dynasty chased Yashan and fought the last battle with the Song Dynasty, with the defeat of the army, the then prime minister Lu Xiufu vowed not to be a slave of the country, and he took the eight-year-old young emperor and then jumped from the cliff mountain, and then jumped into the sea to commit suicide. After them, many soldiers, concubines, and ordinary people of the Southern Song Dynasty jumped into the sea and died.
There are hundreds of thousands of corpses floating on the seashore, and they also show the last bit of integrity of the Southern Song Dynasty, being with the country and never bowing their heads to be the subjects of others.
(Lu Xiufu jumped into the sea with the young emperor)
So why throw yourself into the river, you have to do it, hate iron but not steel, your ambitions cannot be realized, and see this crippled country. It is to fight against the so-called doctrinal faith, and this life is a naked struggle. The ancients said that death is the way to be, and I think that's it.
Second, why did you leave your shoes before committing suicide?
Then whether it is Qu Yuan or Liu Lanzhi mentioned above, they will choose to leave their shoes behind before throwing themselves into the river, and then commit suicide. Such a move can't help but cause many people to wonder, why keep a pair of shoes in vain, and what role can this shoe play?
But in fact, the ancients naturally did this for their reasons, and the first reason to leave shoes in the first place is that you can express your will through shoes. Putting your shoes on the shore can indicate that you are committing suicide, not being framed or killed, and also indirectly indicating your ambition.
(Shoes left on shore)
For the ancient times under the feudal dynasty, it was particularly important to see life and death, and the ancients often paid attention to entering the family ancestral grave after death, or recognizing the ancestors and returning to the ancestors. In ancient Chinese concepts, if you encounter accidental death or are killed by others, such death is regarded as horizontal death and cannot enter the ancestral tomb.
Horizontal death will think that the deceased has suffered misfortune, but after entering the ancestral tomb, it will affect the luck of future generations. Then if he committed suicide and did not reach the level of horizontal death, he could enter the ancestral tomb. Therefore, putting shoes on the shore also means that suicide by throwing himself into the river is voluntary.
The second reason is that the shoes can represent the position when they are thrown into the river, so that relatives can easily salvage them. Despite the turbulent current, the ancients still hoped that they could be buried with all their tails, so some families would send people to salvage the body, and the position of the shoe on the shore can also provide a clue.
(Riverside)
Another reason is because the ancients paid attention to life and death.
Think that their bodies, skin, and hair are all given by their parents, so they will also try to make themselves clean and innocent. But they can't take off their clothes when throwing themselves into the river, so they choose to take off their shoes and socks.
For the ancients, the foot was a very important part, which was covered on weekdays, and the foot could not be shown to others casually, unless it was a very close person. For example, in ancient times, women were like this, they could not let others see their feet, otherwise she would have to marry each other, so the script body was a private place.
But when throwing himself into the river, he went barefoot and barefoot to death, which also said that he had no worries anymore, saying that he "died without taking it".
(Barefoot)
In addition, there is another very important reason. Shoes left on the shore can indicate the identity of the deceased, and through the shoes, it is used to determine who the deceased is and where the family lives. The incident can be quickly investigated, and this behavior is also convenient for the government to investigate the case. In this way, through the shoes, you can determine whether the deceased committed suicide or not.
If it is a suicide, the case is over, if there are no shoes or the shoes are deliberately taken off, then it is very likely to be framed, and the government can investigate the case. Ancient criminal investigation methods were not advanced, and if a person threw himself into the river and could not find his body, then the case would become an unsolved case.
But once you see that the shoes are neatly placed and there are no other clues, it can basically be judged that the deceased committed suicide and the truth is revealed. So it is still necessary to put the shoes away.
(Riverside shoes)
There is also a reason to leave shoes, that is, shoes can also be used for divination, and the story of using embroidered shoes to divinate ghosts is mentioned in "Liaozhai Zhi Yi". For those who commit suicide by throwing themselves into the river, leaving their shoes on the shore, if the family has the heart, they will use those shoes to divination, so that they can know the direction in which he threw himself into the river, or where he went after throwing himself into the river.
In short, it is to use these strange theologies to pursue more clues behind them, in fact, this practice is not unfamiliar. The ancients took tortoiseshell copper coins for divination, or draw lots for divination, these are the same, so it seems normal to take shoes for divination.
From the above directions and reasons, we can also be regarded as knowing why the ancients committed suicide by throwing themselves into the river to leave their shoes on the shore. Whatever the reason, we can see the very different ideas and concepts of the ancients and the modern times. Despite life and death, they are still more out of the picture, and the shoes left behind represent themselves.
Third, the ancients used death to clear their intentions, what other methods did they commit suicide?
Since ancient times, how many celebrities have committed suicide, and some people will say that it is not good to live? But you have to see how to live, humiliated to live without hope, will there really be hope?
Unlike those who lie down and try their luck, they insist because they can still see hope, but those who choose to commit suicide are often helpless.
For example, Liu Ruyi, one of the eight Yan of the Qinhuai River at the end of the Ming Dynasty, is a poet, although she has fallen into the dust but is not disturbed by the world, when the Ming Dynasty perished, Liu Ru could not bear to see this time and discussed with her husband to martyr this river and mountain, but her husband was unwilling.
So Liu Ru resolutely jumped into the lotus pond, and although she was rescued, not long after, Liu Ru hanged herself in the room.
(Liu Ruyi)
For Liu Ruyi, a person who really committed suicide is difficult to dissuade. She was martyred by this dynasty, and the demise of the Ming Dynasty has become an established fact, and she can no longer survive. Such a temperament is something that many people have never had, and it is really sad and lamentable.
In addition to jumping into the river and hanging themselves, the ancients also chose to commit suicide by taking poison, and some people would choose to commit suicide by hunger strike. In addition, there are ways to swallow gold, hit the wall, kill yourself and so on. But from the background of the times behind these suicide methods, we can find that many people's behavior is helpless.
But why choose? Going back to the original statement, the reason for choosing suicide. Because they have anger in their hearts, anger and resentment, and a pride and integrity unique to the ancients. Especially the ancient literati, if they can use death to clear their minds, for these pedantic people, they can also go.
(Gathering of Ancient Literati)
In fact, this is essentially the difference between the concerns of the ancients and modern people, and for modern people, there is no longer the pedantic stubbornness of the ancients, so we seem to be unable to understand. But when you dig deeper into history and understand the story behind each one, I guess that's no longer a problem.