The Mystery of Zhang Fei’s Last Head

On the bank of the river in Panshi Town, Yunyang County, Chongqing, stands a fortress-like temple – Zhang Fei Temple. According to legend, this temple commemorating Zhang Fei, a general of Shu Han, was built by local people during the period of Shu Han, and was later repaired on behalf of the people. Now, in the Yunyang Three Gorges New City across the river from Zhang Fei Temple, a Three Kingdoms Cultural Tourism City has also sprung up, which seems to lead visitors to that legendary era…

In the 19th year of Jian’an (214 AD), Zhang Fei defeated Yan Yan, the prefect of Berkshire, and after breaking through Jiangzhou, he made great progress all the way, pacified Deyang and other places, and made peace with Liu Bei in Chengdu. After several years of fighting in Shu, Liu Bei’s group finally occupied Yizhou and began to divide officials and govern the area. Zhang Fei was appointed Prefect of Brazil and went to Brazil County to be stationed at the northern front line in Yizhou at that time. In the 23rd year of Jian’an (AD 218), Liu Bei attacked Hanzhong, defeated the Cao Wei group in the following summer, won Hanzhong, and established himself as the king of Hanzhong in the autumn. At this time, the future Shu Han has begun to take shape, and the future seems to be very bright, no one expected, but within a year, Sun Quan attacked Jingzhou and Guan Yu was defeated. The missing part of the “Iron Triangle” of Shu-Han has become an unbearable pain in the hearts of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei.

When the summer breeze blew across the land of Shuzhong, Liu Bei finally proclaimed himself emperor in the 26th year of Jian’an (221 AD), and the year was changed to the first year of Zhangwu. So far, the familiar Shuhan Dynasty officially entered the historical stage. At the time when the morale of Shu was in full swing, a plan to avenge Soochow Wu for his brother Guan Yu was slowly launched. However, it was this revenge action that indirectly paved the way for Zhang Fei’s death, and also led to a legendary story about Zhang Fei Temple in Yunyang.

Zhang Fei’s death

Dead in Langzhong, head buried in Yunyang

After Liu Bei proclaimed emperor, Zhang Fei was promoted to general of chariots and cavalry, led the commander of Sili, and was entrusted with the title of Marquis of Xixiang (also said Marquis of Xixian). Fei led his army from Langzhong to Jiangzhou to reconcile with Liu Bei’s army and marched eastward together.

At that time, thinking that he would finally have the opportunity to avenge his brother who had been born and died for many years, Zhang Fei was very excited, and immediately ordered his subordinates to prepare the white flags and white armor of the soldiers of the three armies within three days, and set out on the expedition with filial piety. After receiving the order, the sergeants under his command did not dare to delay at all, and hurriedly made preparations. However, due to the hurry and the lack of preparation, the generals Fan Qiang (written as Fan Jiang in Romance) and Zhang Da tremblingly conveyed to Zhang Fei that the flag armor would be difficult to raise in a short time, and hoped that it would be more graceful. Zhang Fei, who was eager to take revenge, was furious when he heard it, tied the two to a tree and whipped them on the grounds of disobeying the general, and asked them to complete the task as scheduled, otherwise they would be shot. Fan Qiang and Zhang Da, who knew that they would not be able to return to life as scheduled, were afraid of Zhang Fei’s mighty power, so they planned to take advantage of Zhang Fei’s drunkenness at night to sneak into the account and kill him. They took off Zhang Fei’s head and fled overnight. to defect to Soochow.

The news of Zhang Fei’s death spread to Liu Bei, Liu Bei was hit hard and lost two generals who were like brothers and sisters in succession, which made his anger for revenge even stronger. Regardless of the opposition of Zhao Yun and others, he was about to attack Wu. After learning about it, Soochow Wu was afraid that the underdogs would win, and that the Wei soldiers from the north would take advantage of the weakness, so he decided to send someone to ask Liu Bei for peace. Fan and Zhang, who were fleeing along the river, were horrified when they heard the news of Soochow’s request for peace. If they defected to Soochow at this time, they would certainly not be promoted and rich. In the panic, the two simply threw Zhang Fei’s head into the billowing Yangtze River beside him and went elsewhere. 

Of course, “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” is a novel after all, and many of the plots in it come from the author’s fabrications, but there is no record in the official history as to where Zhang Fei’s head went. However, among the people, there has always been a saying that Zhang Fei “was buried in Langzhong, and his head was buried in Yunyang”, and there is also a legend about Zhang Fei Temple in Yunyang.

The Ming Dynasty Jiajing “Yunyang County Chronicle” records: “Zhaolie Zhangwu first year (Zhang Fei) moved to Langzhong, the army will meet Jiangzhou. It is Zhang Da’s convenience, and its head is downstream. The natives say: Fishermen get it, put it away. Go, it will appear in a nightmare, and I will go to the temple.” The general idea of ​​this passage is that after Zhang Fei’s death, an old fisherman in Yunyang accidentally salvaged Zhang Fei’s head while casting a net on Tongluodu. His head was buried in Shu. So the fisherman buried Zhang Fei’s head at the foot of Feifeng Mountain on the opposite bank of Yunyang Old City, and invited local people to build the earliest Xianzhong Temple (the predecessor of Zhang Fei Temple). The legend is mixed. There is no conclusive evidence about when and why Yunyang Zhangfei Temple was built in Yunyang. There is still a piece of “Xuanhe” in the Song Xuanhe period in the Zhifeng Pavilion of Zhangfei Temple. “Chen Yu Stele” is an early physical example of Zhang Fei Temple. But in any case, Yunyang Zhangfei Temple has been incense for thousands of years, and has won the praise of “a scenic spot in Bashu and a scenic spot for culture and algae” in later generations, and has become a famous cultural relic on the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. 

A scenic spot in Bashu

A resort of Wenzao

Looking from the bank of the river in Yunyang New City, you can see the whole picture of Zhang Fei Temple. I saw a solemn and simple temple complex on the cliff on the other side. The tall and mighty bronze statue of Zhang Fei on the square indicates the identity of the owner of the temple, and the “Breath on the River” is engraved on the white wall of the mountain wall. The four big characters and elegant brushwork add a lot of elegance to the whole temple. The sculptures in the temple are exquisite and simple, the gardens are dotted in it, and the arrangement is orderly.

In fact, the Zhang Fei Temple here is not the original site, but was relocated from another place. Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Project, the original site of Zhang Feimiao will be submerged by rising river water. In order to protect this important historical relic, relevant departments and experts have worked hard for 6 years. The opposite bank of the county seat was relocated to the opposite bank of the current Yunyang new county seat. The relocation of Zhang Fei Temple strictly implemented the principle of “not changing the original state of cultural relics”. Every brick and tile in the temple was dismantled from the old site and reassembled one by one. The amount of work can be described as huge.

The stripes of stone steps that have been smoothed out, the tall and wide halls, the thick wooden pillars, the mighty bronze statue of Zhang Fei… In the temples, I saw people from generation to generation for thousands of years in a trance, with a feeling of admiration. Pray for good weather so far. However, what is little known is that there are some “slanted doors and crooked roads” in this temple.

This “slanted door crooked road” is not the other “slanted door crooked road”, it simply refers to the temple building itself. Since Zhang Fei Temple is built on a steep rock, “crooked roads” are of course not uncommon, but the “inclined door” is a bit special, which is also the peculiarity of Zhang Fei Temple – the gate of the temple is not opened directly in front of the building, but It’s on the side wall, and it’s diagonally staggered. Some people say that this is because the rock in front of the temple is steep, making it difficult to build a gate, but people are more willing to believe another legend: Zhang Fei always has a heart for Shu Han, so the temple gate should also face the direction of Chengdu.

After the baptism of time, the current Zhang Fei Temple has integrated the essence of the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties. Paintings, inscriptions and other treasures. According to statistics, the temple has collected more than 600 pieces of calligraphy and painting inscriptions since the Han and Tang dynasties, a number of various cultural relics, various schools and styles coexisting, most of which are treasures with historical and artistic value. It is second to none in the Bashu territory, and has the reputation of the “Three Wonders” of peerless writing, peerless calligraphy and painting, and peerless carving. 

Due to the vicissitudes of life and the long history, many works of Zhang Fei Temple have been seriously damaged. There are more than 300 stone tablets and cliff stone carvings in the temple, and more than 200 woodcut paintings and calligraphy works. The paintings and calligraphy works are from Han and Tang Dynasties to Ming and Qing Dynasties. Lin Stele, the woodcut Yan Zhenqing’s book “Seat Contest”, Su Shi’s book “Chibi Fu” before and after Su Shi’s book, Huang Tingjian’s “Tang Han Boyong Youlan Fu”, and Zheng Banqiao’s poems, bamboo and orchid paintings, etc. Among them, Yue Fei’s book before and after Zhuge Liang “Apprenticeship Table” is one of the only five sets of genuine Yue Fei inscriptions left in China. On weekdays, in addition to temple repairs and other work, the staff of Zhang Fei Temple will also use three-dimensional imaging, rubbing engraving and other methods to archive these treasures, and strive to pass on the context of Zhang Fei Temple. Coincidentally, on the river beach directly opposite Zhang Fei Temple, a building complex full of the cultural charm of the Three Kingdoms is also continuing the history and culture in its own way.

Sanguoyin Lane

On the banks of the Yangtze River, the fresh air of Yunyang

This building complex named Yunyang Zhangfei Temple Folk Custom Street, also known as Sanguoyin Lane. Looking along the magnificent Yunyang Yangtze River Bridge, the Sanguoyin Lane on the river beach is like a magnificent city: the atmospheric city walls, city gates and towers stretch the river bank, the streets in the city are wide, the roads are crisscrossed in an orderly manner, and there are peculiar mountain climbing corridors. There are also pavilions and courtyards, as well as sunken squares.

If you are familiar with ancient landmarks such as Yunyang Zhangfei Temple, Panshi City, and Peng’s Ancestral Hall, you can also find these ancient buildings in many buildings in Sanguoyin Lane. For example, the tower at the head of the Yangtze River Bridge draws on the essential elements of the watchtower of Peng’s ancestral hall in its architectural shape. There is a three-entry courtyard behind the main city tower in Sanguoyin Lane, whose layout is inspired by the courtyard layout of Zhang Fei Temple. The main entrance of Yinxiang is borrowed from the way that Panshicheng first passes through the opening of the city wall and then enters the main building. Therefore, when visiting Sanguoyin Lane, it is like traveling through the ancient buildings of Yunyang. The interweaving of ancient and modern cultures makes people feel the unique charm of Yunyang in one step at a time.

In terms of positioning, Sanguoyin Lane is a cultural and tourism supplement to Zhangfei Temple. It is a comprehensive cultural and commercial street integrating leisure, entertainment, shopping, cultural activities and other functions. It has formed a characteristic commercial street, characteristic inn, characteristic courtyard, City gate towers, landscape trails, watchtowers, ancient city walls and other integrated landscapes with strong folk culture flavor. In terms of business formats, Sanguoyin Lane is dominated by night markets, and is divided into several characteristic blocks such as Chinese food, native products, handicrafts, folk costumes, entertainment and leisure, and antiques.

After nightfall, the lights of Sanguoyin Lane are dazzling, not only lighting up the banks of the Yangtze River, but also the temples row upon row, under the blessing of gorgeous lights, exudes the beauty of prosperity. Looking at Yunyang New City, this rapidly developing city is carrying a rich cultural history, shining brightly, and the history will never stop like the Yangtze River rolling eastward.

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