Immortal Zhangjiajie
The Lure of Solitude
The lives of some of China’s most brilliant minds led them, whether they were driven there from outside forces or drawn by its beauty and solitude, to Zhangjiajie. Among them is Zhang Liang (250-186 BC), a strategist who masterminded several military victories for the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC- AD 24). After the regime was established, the surly emperor staged a purge to consolidate his power. Alarmed by the death of fellow general Han Xin, Zhang Liang resigned from his position and retreated to a peak in Zhangjiajie to practice Taoism. He remained there until his death. The region was later made a feoff of his family, and has since taken on the name Zhangjiajie, or Zhang Family’s Turf.
Tales of Zhangjiajie stretch much further back than this and into the antediluvian era. Here one can find the burial ground of Huan Dou, an ethnic minority leader who was exiled to the region after defeat at the hands of prehistoric hero Shun. He was believed to be the forefather of the Miao, an ethnic group who currently live in southern China, mainly in the province of Hunan.
Wang Wei (701-761) of the Tang Dynasty wrote a lament about the grave of King Nanwang (?-256 BC) standing in the wilderness for thousands of years with naught but the passing birds and the tomb of Huan Dou for company. It was the lush mountains of Zhangjiajie that was the final resting place of King Nanwang, who was the last ruler of the dying Eastern Zhou (770-256 BC). Though on throne for 59 years, he failed to reverse the decline of his debt-ridden dynasty and China was plunged into a period of division and war.
A later figure associated with the region was Guiguzi, a legendary military strategist, educator and thinker whose life straddled the Spring and Autumn (770-476 BC) and Warring States (475-221 BC) periods. He was said to have retreated to a waterfall-laced cave in Tianmen Peak to study the Book of Changes in secret. Centuries later a discovery made by a retired army officer added another layer of mystery to Guiguzi and his stay in Zhangjiajie. In the 1980s and 1990s the officer made six journeys into the cave. On one visit he spotted on a rock wall a head profile of Guiguzi that had an uncanny resemblance to pictures of him, as if the ancient scholar had gradually turned to stone as he read.
Though not as well known as Confucius, Guiguzi is highly revered in China for his teaching excellence. Confucius is said to have had 3,000 disciples, but few went on to make a name for themselves. In contrast, many among the smaller group of Guiguzi's followers went on to shape the course of Chinese history.
Among them were Su Qin (?-317 BC), a rhetoric statesman who convinced six kingdoms to form a coalition to confront the powerful State of Qin, Zhang Yi (?-309 BC), a talented diplomat who served as Qin's prime minister for 11 years, and Sun Bin (?-316 BC) and Pang Juan (?-342 BC), who were best friends turned foes. The story goes that, envious of Sun’s military flair and afraid his lord would replace him with Sun, Pang framed and persecuted his friend and former classmate, who was then maimed in prison. After his release Sun became military chief of another kingdom and took his revenge by ambushing and killing Pang.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties many scholars came to Zhangjiajie to live a reclusive life following the example of Zhang Liang and Guiguzi, bringing the best of the time’s learning to this desolate location.
In modern times Zhangjiajie continues to be associated with China’s greats. Here He Long, one of the 10 founding generals of the People's Republic, was born, and a statue of him has been erected in Wulingyuan, a district known for its innumerable bluffs and rivers.
Stone and Water
I took an elevator, built up the side of a vertical cliff face, to the highest point of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie City. Stepping out onto solid ground I found myself in a wonderland dotted with grotesque peaks penetrating the blue sky. White clouds were gliding past them like wisps of smoke or silk ribbons, and green pines and verdant cypresses decorated their tops.
I bought a ticket valid for three days. At the very beginning of my time there, I doubted if I really needed that long to traverse the area but as night fell on the third day I realized that even three days are not enough to fully appreciate such a magnificent landscape. With its unique natural formations and wildlife, Zhangjiajie truly deserves its fame as an international tourist destination completely and utterly.
