The Yellow River Dragon Gate is the outlet of the Jinshan Gorge and the throat of the Yellow River.
The Yellow River flows through this place, breaks out of the mountains, flows for thousands of miles and flows east, and the water waves rise and fall like mountains. Both sides of the river are cliffs and broken walls, only the dragon can cross, so it is called "Dragon Gate". Legend has it that Dayu split the mountain here to drain the water of the Yellow River, so it is also called Yumen.
We came here along the Yellow Highway, and the magnificence and shock of the vision needless to say, I only have a little doubt in my mind -
Can carp really jump the dragon gate?
After the river flows out of the dragon gate, the water surface suddenly widens and flows slowly south, which is very different from the rapid flow of the longmen water and the emptying of the turbid waves, thus creating an insurmountable obstacle to the upward movement of the swimming fish, and it is said that those who can swim through the dragon gate can turn into dragons, so there is a saying that "carp jumps the dragon gate" is spread all over the world.
The "Book of the Three Qins" records the myth of the great fish collecting thousands of dragon gates: "Every spring of the year, there are yellow carp from the sea and the rivers to come to it, and among the one-year-olds, only seventy-two people climb the dragon gate." When it first ascended the Dragon Gate, there was a cloud and rain that followed, and the heavenly fire burned its tail from behind, and it turned into a dragon. ”
Therefore, "carp climbing the dragon gate" has become an auspicious term.
Chinese how much I like carp
In the Central Plains, Chinese far from the ocean have long regarded carp as a superior ingredient.
As early as the time of the Book of Verses, carp was an expensive and delicious fish. For example, in "Chen Feng Hengmen", it is said that "if it eats fish, it will be the carp of the river?" "This refers to the Yellow River carp.
Confucius was pleased with his son, and the king of the State of Lu was also happy for Confucius. So, a large carp was rewarded. Confucius was so happy that he named his son Kong Carp.
The jumping dragon gate protagonist is here
However, according to research, the ancient people who jumped the dragon gate were not carp. Although carp can occasionally jump out of the water by one meter, they do not have the habit of migrating upstream of the river. The real protagonist may be another big fish in the Yellow River, called the eel [zhān].
That is, chinese sturgeon.
Sturgeon is a river and sea swim back to the fish, the body length is about two meters, the maximum length can be more than 5 meters. Before the Song Dynasty, they flourished in the great rivers of northern China. When they cluster up against the current, spectacular migration can be seen on the shore.
Needless to say, compared to carp, it really looks like a dragon.
Unfortunately, the Yellow River was often diverted, and after the Ming Dynasty, the channels of the Loess Plateau became silted, and the sturgeon also lost their spawning grounds and slowly disappeared into the Yellow River.
Coincidentally, in ancient times, the big carp was also called "eel", so the ancients were confused and rumored to be "carp leaping dragon gate".
In the Li Tang Dynasty, "Li" and "carp" are homophonous, you know ~ the royal family naturally favors this fish. Tang Yuanbi also wrote a poem "Fish Leaping Dragon Gate Fu".
In this way, the yin and yang are wrong, and the little carp carries the heavy responsibility of jumping the dragon gate, and it has also become a symbol of auspiciousness in people's hearts.
The Fish Leaping Dragon Gate is fake, and HanCheng treasure is born gold
Adjacent to the Dragon Gate, Hancheng is probably the most ancient city in Guanzhong and one of the six best-preserved ancient cities in China. Since ancient times, people who read the "Carp Leaping Dragon Gate" have taken "Carp Leaping Dragon Gate" as their lifelong wishes, and Hancheng has become a sacred place in people's hearts. There are many images of carp in the city, and you can often see the exquisite brick carving of the "Fish Leaping Dragon Gate", as well as paper cuts, stickers, and carp elements everywhere.
I don't know if it was the blessing of the Dragon Gate, the Hancheng Dynasty was prosperous in literature and fortune, and celebrities emerged: Sima Qian, the Han Dynasty, made a good start, and then various officials and poets... In the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, there were 115 jinshi and 2 yuan in Hancheng, and countless people in the middle.
There are many scenic spots and monuments in Hancheng, in addition to Sima Qian Ancestral Hall, Dangjia Village, Liangdai Village Ruins, Dayu Temple, Puzhao Temple and other scenic spots are also worth seeing. Youyou Ancient City, Sima Hometown, the strong cultural heritage has attracted a batch of 1 tourists, along the Yellow Highway, Hancheng can be said to be a bright pearl.
Whether the carp really brought good luck to the people of Hancheng is unknown.
But in the warm and cold early spring, what is more pleasing than a fragrant braised carp?
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