Huaiyang:
Hometown of China's Legendary Emperor
By
LI QIANG
Ancient cypress in the Taihao Mausoleum.
|
THE Taihao Mausoleum, known as the "first
mausoleum under heaven," is located in Huaiyang County,
Zhoukou City, southeastern Henan Province. It is the tomb of
Fuxi, legendary emperor (2852-2738 B.C.), who is believed to
have taught people farming, fishing and animal husbandry, and
also to have invented writing from mystic diagrams supposed
to have been on the back of a tortoise.
According to the Chinese version of "Genesis,"
after the devastating flood, the only two people left in the
country were Fuxi and Nuwa. The two married. Later generations
referred to them as the ancestors of the Chinese nation, and
built temples in their honor. Emperors of succeeding dynasties
held sacrificial ceremonies to Fuxi and Nuwa, and, at various
times, renovated and expanded the Fuxi Mausoleum, the most recent
building work having been carried out during the Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911). It is said that Confucius, after extensive research,
was convinced that the tomb contained Fuxi's skull. In 1996,
the Taihao Mausoleum was designated a key historical monument
under national protection.
The mausoleum is in two main sections. At
the front is a temple, and at its rear the tomb itself. The
Dragon Lake is to its south, and a 70-meter walk north along
the lakeshore leads to the 25-meter-wide Caihe River, the mausoleum's
southern boundary. An 11-meter-wide stone bridge spans the Caihe
River, and thirty meters on is Wuchao Gate -- first of the mausoleum's
five gates.
On its central axis are Wuchao Gate, Daoyi
Gate, Xiantian Gate, Taiji Gate, and Tongtian Hall, which constitute
the core of the Taihao Mausoleum. Tongtian Hall, its roof covered
with yellow-glazed tiles, is the tallest temple building, and
houses a painted sculpture that portrays Fuxi's benign countenance.
From his head grow two horns, and he is clothed in a tiger's
hide. Leaves cover his shoulders, and his hands bear the design
of the Eight Trigrams. He is barefoot, and his abdomen exposed.
The wall of the hall is inlaid with a stone relief carving 1.2
meters high and 36 meters long that depicts the life of Fuxi.
Cloth tigers from Huaiyang. |
Behind Tongtian Hall is Xianren Hall, housing
a standing sculpture of Nuwa, popularly called "Goddess
of Matchmaking," as she was regarded as the deity responsible
for marriage and childbirth. There is a gap in the stone platform
in the northeastern corner of Xianren Hall known as the "offspring
orifice" by locals, as it represents the birth passage
from which an infant emerges. According to legend, any pilgrim,
especially women, can be assured of fertility and of healthy
young by touching this hole.
Behind Xianren Hall is Taishi Gate, and behind
this is Fuxi's tomb. The tomb consists of a mound on a square
base, symbolizing round heaven and square earth. Before it stands
a stone tablet over three meters high, carved with the Chinese
characters that name it the "tomb of Taihao Fuxi."
In front of the tablet are a stone table and an incense burner.
Pilgrims from all over China come here to pay homage.
Since ancient times Fuxi and Nuwa have been
regarded as the ancestors of the Chinese nation, and the deities
associated with matchmaking. On the second day of the second
lunar month (March) each year a temple fair is held. People
come here to worship Fuxi and Nuwa, and to pray for happy marriage
and early offspring. This ancient custom has continued right
up to the present, although nowadays there are more activities
going on in the temple, mainly of a marketing nature.
The temple fair lasts a month, during which
time the streets are lined with vendors' stalls, forming a big
market. Most prominent are the vendors selling toys. Among the
metal and plastic toys are tigers made from fabric. Their scope
is wide, and includes single- and double- headed tigers, crouching
tigers, reclining tigers, and tiger-shaped pillows. They are
generally made in the countryside, plainly stitched and stuffed
with chaff or husks, and so are permeated with local flavor.
Also on sale are clay figurines. Those depicting animals the
locals call "ninigou." They include models of a monkey
holding a peach, a tiger wearing a straw hat, a turtledove with
a crooked beak, a double-headed dog, a monkey riding a pig,
small frogs, tortoises, unicorns, hydras, and the David's deer.
They all have a hole somewhere on their bodies, so also function
as whistles.
The Huaiyang farmers that live in the 12 villages
east of the county town are skilled at making clay figurines,
as this craft has been handed down through generations. During
the temple fair, they set up stalls near the Taihao Mausoleum,
and when hawking their goods, vendors boast that their figurines
are exactly like the offspring of Fuxi and Nuwa. On taking a
close look at a monkey made of clay, this image of a half-man,
half-monkey very much resembles likeness of the ancestors of
humankind. Some people like them because they are regarded as
protective talismans that exorcise evil spirits and suppress
demons, while others think they are auspicious for farming and
weaving. This is why many people buy them at the temple fair,
and either put them in a special place at home or make presents
of them to friends.
Other tourist destinations:
Remains of Wanqiu City
Dating back 4,600 years, this is the earliest
city ever excavated in China, and is now under national protection.
Luyi County
This is the home of Laozi, renowned philosopher
of the Spring and Autumn Period and founder of Taoism. Historical
sites relating to Laozi include Taiqing Palace, Laojun Terrace,
and Nine-Step Well.
To get there:
Take train K179 or T15 from Beijing to Zhengzhou,
and then change to a Zhengzhou-Zhoukou bus. The highway journey
takes about 90 minutes.
Hotels:
Zhoukou City Pingyuan Hotel -- three-star
(0394-8224911)
Zhoukou Guesthouse -- three-star (0394-8223838)
Lianhua Hotel -- three-star (0394-4319988)
Travel Agencies:
Yuejin Travel Service (0394-8200485);
Jinhui Travel Service (0394-8276175)
