Chapter 21 Section VII Illusion

The Tang Dynasty inherited the traditional illusions of the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, the illusions of the Western Regions and foreign countries, as well as the mysterious illusions of Buddhism and Taoism, which made the content of the illusions of the Tang Dynasty more colorful. Traditional illusions include swallowing knives and spitting fire, etc. In "Xinxi Gule Tu", there are pictures of spitting fire, drinking knives and dancing.At this time, North Korea introduced "Silla Music" and "Ruhu Dance". "Into the Pot Dance" is a kind of escapism. The method is to use two low square tables with four feet, and place an oblate jar with a big belly and a narrow mouth on each table. With one foot facing the sky, the upper body and half of the lower body of the whole body are hidden in the mouth of the jar, and a person suddenly emerges from the jar on the left, with his sleeves raised, as if to stand out from the mouth of the empty jar. "Vat Dun" is very similar, and the great transformation of living beings in modern illusions is also derived from this ancient illusion.Another example is the "horse belly dance" in the Tang Dynasty, which is also a kind of escape technique.A human enters the horse's belly from behind the horse, and then emerges from the horse's mouth.As for the acrobatics such as "climbing the ladder", "stepping on the knife with bare feet", "cutting the body with a steel knife", and "dancing with a lying sword", they are not only illusions similar to torture, but also contain real and profound hard qigong and light work. A project that integrates illusion, acrobatics and qigong.According to the records in "New Tang Book·Li Le Zhi" and "Le Shu" Volume 173 "Le Tu Lun", during the years of Tang Ruizong Li Dan Jingyun and Yanhe (710-712 A.D.), a Brahman from Tianzhu offered a A "music and dancer" can "dance upside down".He can walk backwards, dance with his feet, touch sharp knives with his eyes and face, lie on several rows of "extreme blades" that are "planted upside down" on the ground, and let someone stand on his stomach and blow the 筚篥 (bi li Bi Li], the end of the song is "unscathed".He can also stretch out his hands, making "the two of them twirl their bodies around their hands, making endless turns."This kind of performance was also performed by entertainers at the Beijing Baita Temple Fair in the 1950s, and similar programs have been broadcast on TV during the Spring Festival in recent years.From the analysis of historical books and literature records, this is a difficult movement interspersed with hard qigong and acrobatics in jujitsu. It is quite thrilling, and it may be yoga that was introduced to my country from ancient India.

Some alchemists, Taoists, and monks in the Tang Dynasty sometimes used illusions to confuse people and win the trust of kings, feudal towns, and the world, so as to improve their social status and expand the influence of themselves or their sect.According to Du Guangting's "Shenxian Yuzhuan", "Xianzhuan Supplements", "Yishi" and other books in the Tang Dynasty, the alchemist Luo Gongyuan (one "Luo Siyuan") performed the illusion of hiding the shape and cleverly taking cassocks in the palace of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.It is recorded in "Jiyiji", "Xianzhuan Supplements", "Shenxian Ganyuzhuan" and other books that Taoist Ye Fashan is good at illusion.He once competed with the monk Vajra Sanzang in illusion, put it into a copper vase and came back, took the cassock and made a copy, and even took the jade flute by skill, all of which made Xuanzong heartbroken.According to Zheng Chuhui's "Minghuang Miscellaneous Records", "Xuan Shi Zhi", "Continued Immortal Biography" and other books, the alchemist Zhang Guo's illusion is even more amazing. Once Tang Xuanzong asked him, since Mr. is a master of Taoism, Why do teeth and hair look old?After Zhang Guo heard the words:

After a long time passed, Zhang Guo performed this illusion again. After drinking the wine and fruit bestowed by Xuanzong, he looked in the mirror and found that his teeth were "spotted and scorched black": From the above two records, it can be known that Zhang Guo's magic trick is to remove the old teeth and replace them with new ones. When performing the removal of the old teeth, he is in front of the crowd, and the replacement of the new teeth must be done after he is alone in the room. Wearing "dentures".In "Youyang Zazu" by Duan Chengshi of the Tang Dynasty, it is recorded that the alchemist Han Xiang performed the small illusion of "planting lotus in a water tank" and "brewing wine in an instant". According to the story, Han Xiang and Zhang Guo were later listed among the immortals in Shangbadong, commonly known as the "Eight Immortals".Duan Chengshi also recorded the story of a "hugong entering the pot", which is similar to the "jumping dance" in Silla.In the Song Dynasty, Li Fang and others edited "Taiping Guangji" ninety-six "Different Monk Ten" recorded the Sangha master who was regarded as the national teacher during Tang Zhongzong's time, and he was also good at illusion:

In fact, this is just a small illusion of mystification, but in ancient times when science was underdeveloped, it surprised the world. In short, Sanle Baixi in the Tang Dynasty was extremely developed. It not only inherited and developed many ancient traditional acrobatic arts, but also introduced many new contents. It became an important historical period in the history of acrobatics in my country.This is directly related to the strong national power, economic prosperity, cultural development of the Tang Dynasty and the vigorous promotion of the Tang Dynasty.