Bed of the Xian ren

Time：2024-10-08 10:15:20

Dear tourists, ahead of us stands a hexagonal pavilion called the "Gathering of Immortals Pavilion," allegedly a place where celestial immortals convene. Please take a look at this massive rock; its surface is smooth and even, resembling a bed crafted by nature for the immortals. Sleeping on this immortal's bed during summer would be exceptionally refreshing.

Su Dongpo, the great literary figure of the Northern Song Dynasty, served as the prefect of Xuzhou for two years. He often visited Huangcangyu and loved to savor tea on this immortal's bed. Su Dongpo was proficient in the art of tea and was honored as the "Tea Immortal." He believed tea to be the celestial herb of the universe, growing in the embrace of green mountains and accompanied by white clouds, nourished by sweet springs and absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, embodying the virtues of a gentleman. It is said that after indulging in rich, hearty meals, Su Dongpo drank a local wild tea, which he found incredibly fragrant and sweetly refreshing, instantly dispelling the greasiness. Hence, he named this tea "Meat-Dissolving Immortal Tea."

Hundreds of years later, during the Qing Dynasty, there was a monk named Du Yu at Ruiyun Temple. He would come here daily to meditate and sleep, absorbing the essence of heaven, earth, sun, and moon from the immortal's bed, living to 141 years old. Legend has it that Du Yu was born in 1644, the year the Ming Dynasty fell, and reached 141 years old in 1785, the fifty-year reign anniversary of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. When Emperor Qianlong held a grand banquet for elders in the palace and saw theDu Yu, he composed an upper couplet: "Double cycle of sixty years, plus another twenty-one years." Sixty years is a "cycle of sixty years" (huajia), so double that is 120 years; plus another twenty-one years equals 141 years. Emperor Qianlong posed the upper couplet, "Double cycle of sixty years, plus another twenty-one years;" can any tourist here come up with the matching lower couplet? The most talented among the court officials was Ji Xiaolan. Ji Xiaolan responded with the lower couplet: "Double celebration of seventy years, with one more spring and autumn." Seventy years is a "rare age" (guxi), so double that is 140 years; with one more spring and autumn, it also totals 141 years. The monk Du Yu said, "Monks have renounced all worldly possessions, letting everything follow its natural course. I shall add a horizontal scroll inscription: 'Emptiness follows its natural course.'" "Double cycle of sixty years, plus another twenty-one years; double celebration of seventy years, with one more spring and autumn" is a (remarkable numeric couplet that has stood the test of time).

Dear tourists, there's a local saying: "Walk by the immortal's bed, and you'll live to 99; sleep on the immortal's bed, and you'll surely reach 100." Feel free to give it a try...