Chapter 20 Zhang Guolaoya

At the north end of Zhaojin Town, there is a tall and steep cliff.This vein rises from the cliff and stands majestically, standing like a screen on the north bank of Tianyu River Xungu, with an altitude of more than 1,600 meters.Stretching for several kilometers, this is the famous Zhanglei Laoya. Although Zhang Guolao Cliff is a rocky mountain range composed of quartz sandstone and conglomerate, the cliff face is abrupt, but dense pines and cypresses and various deciduous trees grow miraculously on the top of the cliff.Some depressions in the cliff face.There are also individual or rows of pines and cypresses growing sporadically sporadically, combined with the mottled imprints formed by the wind and rain erosion over the years, forming a series of natural and imaginative pictures.At the slightly lower part of the cliff eyebrow, there is a slightly concave and straight horizontal dividing line.With the change of the mountain, there are also several vertical and basically vertical dividing lines distributed on the cliff face.These dividing lines criss-cross, dividing the cliff face into several main parts.Under a clump of pines and cypresses in the middle and west of the cliff, there is a square image of a human face.Observe carefully, the image is clear and the facial features are distinct.On the right side of the rock, there is an image of Zhang Leilao riding a white donkey upside down, hence the name Zhang Guolaoya.The portrait of Zhang Guolao on the pattern is at the top, and his horse, a white donkey, is at the bottom.It is faintly visible when the sun is shining.But when Yu Ji was clear, the picture was very clear.I saw Zhang Guolao shaking a silk fan, and the white donkey raised its hooves.The whole picture is like a living shed, which is wonderfully crafted.

Zhang Guolao is the oldest immortal among the Eight Immortals, named "Zhang Guo". Because he is the oldest among the Eight Immortals, people respectfully call him "Zhang Guolao".There was indeed Zhang Guolao in history, and the new and old "Tang Shu" listed his biography.He is a charlatan of the people.Because of the popular rumors among the people, he became a swaying fairy.He said that he was born in Yaoshi in the "Abdication Era" and had the law of immortality, and he has been living in seclusion in Zhongtiao Mountain.According to folklore: Wu Zetian once sent envoys to meet him, but Zhang Guolao pretended to die and refused to go.But soon, someone saw him in the mountains of Mount Heng.Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty summoned him several times to seek the method of immortality.After Zhang Guolao shirked it a few times, he couldn't resist the emissary's soft and hard way, so he had to pay a visit to Tang Xuanzong.Tang Xuanzong saw that Zhang Jinglao was staggering and old-fashioned, and Tang Xuanzong was quite disappointed.Tang Xuanzong asked: "Mr. is a person who has learned the Tao. Why do you lose your teeth and grow old?" It’s embarrassing to be ashamed. But today, if you pull out these broken hairs and broken teeth, wouldn’t they be able to grow new ones!” So ​​they pulled out the hairs and knocked out the teeth in front of the temple.Tang Xuanzong was a little scared, so he asked someone to help him to rest.After a while, Zhang Guolao returned to the palace, and his face was completely new, with green temples and white teeth, and a high spirit.As a result, the emperor and the dignitaries rushed to pay homage, seeking the art of rejuvenation.But no matter who the supplicants were, they were all rejected by him.The 21st year of Emperor Xuanzong's founding of the Yuan Dynasty.Hearing his anecdote, Tang Xuanzong summoned him again.This time, Zhang Guolao pretended to be dead again, and it took him a long time to wake up, so the envoy didn't dare to press forward.After that, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang invited him again and again.Zhang Guolao had no choice but to go to Beijing again.Tang Xuanzong always had doubts about these rumors, or ordered famous fortune tellers and Taoist priests to calculate his Jiazi, or tried his best to check the calculations, but there has been no conclusion. According to "Taiping Guangji", Zhang Guolao claimed to be from the time of Emperor Yao.Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty once asked Zhang Guolao, a very famous sorcerer at that time, about his origins.Afterwards, he said, "Zhang Guolao is a white bat spirit at the beginning of chaos in the Great Thousand World." Finished speaking.The warlock fell into the pool and died.After Tang Xuanzong interceded, Zhang Guolao saved him.Once, Tang Xuanzong captured a giant deer while hunting.Just as the chef was about to start the slaughter, Zhang Guolao stepped forward to stop it.And said: "This is a fairy deer, which is already a thousand years old. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once captured it when he was hunting, and I followed him. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty saw its strangeness, so he released this deer." It is so big, and there are so many deer. Time has passed, how do you know it is the deer you mentioned?" Zhang Guolao said: "When Emperor Wu released it, he marked it with a bronze medal under the left corner." So, Xuanzong ordered people to check it.Sure enough, there was a two-inch bronze medal under the antlers of this giant deer, but the handwriting was blurred.Xuanzong asked: "How many years has Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty been hunting?" Zhang Guolao said, "Eight hundred and fifty-two years."

According to historical records, Zhang Guolao was nothing more than an old warlock with a guilty conscience.He pretended to be dead many times to avoid being recruited, because he was afraid that his skills would reveal his secrets.As for the above-mentioned legends, they are nothing but illusions that can be forged.The legend about his immortality is just an exaggerated story fabricated by Taoism for its spread.According to legend, Zhang Guolao passed away shortly after returning to Zhongtiao Mountain, and Tang Xuanzong built a Taoist temple for him.It is the "Qixia Temple" in the fifteen miles west of Changzhi, Shanxi today.According to legend, Zhang Guolao had a strange habit. He usually rode a white donkey upside down and could travel thousands of miles a day.This donkey is a divine donkey. It is said that when not riding, it can be folded and put in his skin bag.People just imagine the various images on the cliff as Zhang Guolao and his mounts, which on the one hand are related to the Taoism of Laojun'an Temple, and on the other hand, are people's good expectations.Kind-hearted people always hope to find the art of immortality and the protection of gods from all walks of life, so as to achieve good weather, a prosperous country and a peaceful people. The legend of Zhang Guolao just caters to this kind of psychological needs of people.In addition, Zhang Guolao's practice of not disobeying the powerful has also won the support of the people.At Pingsui on the west side of Zhang Guolao Cliff, there is a raised mound like a tomb, which is said to be the tomb of Zhang Guolao.Behind the tomb is a lush dense forest, connected with the winding Laojun'an ditch, which is lush and magnificent.

The scenery of Zhangguo Laoya is much inferior now.due to overexploitation of coal mines.The groundwater level dropped sharply, and the Qingxi River gushing from the west of the cliff was almost dry.The dense forest on the top of the cliff also has dead branches from time to time.The gravel behind the cliff has collapsed in a large area, and the gravel layer on the cliff face also falls off from time to time.How to properly handle the relationship between economic development and environmental protection is a matter that worries every person of insight.I hope that Zhangguo Laoya, which has been eroded by the years, can stand forever in people's hearts!I hope that the green mountains will always be there, and the clear streams will always flow.