Reporter Ren Yifang/Henan Luyi reports
The hometown of Lao Tzu, the precedent of the Chinese Taoist school, is located in Luyi County, Henan Province, and the "Lao Jun Tai" located in the northeast corner of the city is the place where Lao Tzu attained enlightenment and ascension to heaven, and there is a real legendary event. In 1938, the Japanese army invaded China and stormed Laojuntai with artillery fire, and all 13 shells in a row turned into duds. The reporter of "ETtoday" visited Laojuntai and witnessed the unexploded shells and gun bullet marks of that year.
▲ Lao Tzu's hometown of Luyi, Henan. (Photo/Photo by reporter Ren Yifang)
Lao Tzu, surnamed Li Ming'er, is one of the great philosophers and thinkers in ancient China and the founder of Taoism. History records that he was born in the late Spring and Autumn Period in Qurenli, Lixiang Township, Ku County, Chu State (present-day Luyi County, Henan Province), and served as the "official of the Tibetan Guard" (the official in charge of the collection) of the Zhou Dynasty.
Lao Tzu is revered as the ancestor of Taoism, a world cultural celebrity, and his surviving works include the Tao Te Ching (also known as Lao Tzu), which is one of the most widely published and circulated works in the world.
▲Mingdao Palace is a place to commemorate Lao Tzu. (Photo/Photo by reporter Ren Yifang)
When it comes to the birthplace of Lao Tzu, the Taiqing Palace and the Ming Dao Palace in Luyi, Henan Province, are different in history and status, and both ancient buildings bear witness to the important position of Lao Tzu culture and Taoist thought in history.
Mingdao Palace is a place to commemorate Lao Tzu, which was first built in the Tang Dynasty as a royal palace and is the place where the emperor worships Lao Tzu and lives. There is a ruins of Laojuntai in the Mingdao Palace, formerly known as Shengxiantai or Baixiantai, also located in the hometown of Lao Tzu, built to commemorate Lao Tzu, according to legend, here is Lao Tzu's cultivation of immortals and ascended here, and it was also the place where Lao Tzu set up an altar to preach and preach.
▲Laojuntai is a place to commemorate Lao Tzu's ascension to immortals. (Photo/Photo by reporter Ren Yifang)
"Laojuntai" was built in the Han Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, after successive wars, repaired many times, has a history of more than 2,000 years. The reporter of "Dongsen New Media ETtoday" actually visited Laojuntai, and had to step up 33 steps, the main gate is to worship Laozi Hall, and the east wall and cypress trees left gun and shell marks, as well as the shells used by the Japanese army.
The narrator of Mingdao Palace said, "Laojuntai has a legendary story. In 1938, the Japanese army invaded China and attacked Luyi County, targeting two tall buildings, the "Kuixing Tower" in the southeast corner of the county city wall, and the "Laojuntai" on the right side of the city wall, where Lao Tzu taught and attained Taoism.
▲ On the wall are the remains of bullet holes from that year. (Photo/Photo by reporter Ren Yifang)
At that time, the leading Japanese army was Umegawa Taro was ordered to fire artillery, the first shot hit the left side of the "Kuixing Tower" was blown up on the spot, the Japanese army cheered happily, and then bombed the "Laojun Terrace", strangely, there was no sound at all, the Japanese fired 13 shells in a row, all of which became dumb bullets.
The shells that did not explode were stuck in the east gable of the main hall, the cypress branch in the east of the hall, and the back wall of the east side hall, with a total of 13 shells and countless machine gun shells, so that the Japanese army was frightened, because Luyi County was completely destroyed at that time, but "Laojuntai" was unharmed, and none of the 13 shells exploded, and the probability was extremely low.
▼ Restore that the cannonball stuck in the branch at that time. (Photo/Photo by reporter Ren Yifang)
▲The Japanese army aimed at "Laojuntai" and fired 13 shells in a row, all of which became duds. (Photo/Photo by reporter Ren Yifang)
Umegawa Taro learned through a translator that "Lao Juntai" was the place where Lao Tzu ascended to heaven, and immediately changed his attitude. The narrator pointed out, "Taro Umegawa led the army to pay tribute to Laojuntai, a story that cannot be explained scientifically and is praised as a miracle by the local people. 」
It is understood that during the establishment of the Japanese puppet county government, the Japanese army sent troops to garrison the "Laojuntai", allowing the people of Luyi to visit and worship the "Laojuntai". The legend of the true history has been passed down to the present day, and "Laojuntai" has also left evidence of the Japanese invasion of China, and 13 shells have been preserved intact, reminding the world to cherish the existing peace.
▲Taiqing Palace is the birthplace of Lao Tzu, and there have been more than 20 emperors in history to worship Lao Tzu. (Photo/Photo by reporter Ren Yifang)
When you come to Luyi, Henan, Taiqing Palace is also a must-visit place, which is the birthplace of Lao Tzu, the birthplace of Taoist culture, and the ancestral court of Taoism and the root of the Li family. During the Tang Dynasty, it was listed as a Taimiao and was a holy place for pilgrimage.
According to the narrator of Taiqing Palace, "History records that more than a dozen or twenty emperors have come here, including Emperor Liu Zhi of Han Huan, Emperor Cao Cao of Wei, Li Yuan of Tang Gaozu, Li Shimin of Tang Taizong, Li Zhi of Gaozong, Empress Wu Zetian, Tang Xuanzong Li Longji, Song Zhenzong Zhao Heng, Song Huizong Zhao Ji and Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. 」
As the ancestral court of the Quanzhen Dragon Sect of Taoism, Taiqing Palace has close religious and cultural ties with Taiwan. The narrator of Taiqing Palace said, "Since the beginning of the 90s, after deducting the three years of the epidemic, the Taoist leaders of Taiqing Palace have frequently traveled to various parts of Taiwan, such as Yilan County, Keelung, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan and Taoyuan, to carry out joint activities with local Taoist associations. 」