Everything about Qiu Chuji totally explained
Qiu Chuji (
Traditional Chinese: 丘處機;
Simplified Chinese: 丘处机, alternately rendered
Kiu Chang Chun; Taoist name: Chang Chun (長春 or Perpetual Spring);
1148 –
23 July 1227) was a
Quanzhen Taoist, the most famous of
Wang Chongyang's seven disciples, or
Seven Immortals. He was also the founder of the
Dragon Gate Taoism (
Simplified Chinese:
龙门派
).
History
In 1219
Genghis Khan, founder of the
Mongol empire and the greatest of Asiatic conquerors, invited Chang Chun to visit him. Genghis' letter of invitation, dated
15 May 1219 (by present reckoning), has been preserved, one of the great curiosities of history. Here the formidable Mongol warrior appears as a meek disciple of wisdom, modest and simple, almost Socratic in his self-examination, alive to many of the deepest truths of life and government.
Chang Chun obeyed this summons; and leaving his home in
Shantung (February 1220) journeyed first to
Peking. Learning that Genghis had gone further west upon fresh conquests, the sage stayed the winter in the Mongol capital. In February 1221 Chang Chun started off again, traversing eastern
Mongolia to the camp of Genghis' brother
Ujughen, near
Lake Bbr, or Buyur, in the upper basin of the
Kerulun-Amur. From thence he travelled south-westward up the
Kerulun, crossing the
Karakorum region in north-central Mongolia, and so arrived at Chinese
Altay Mountains, probably passing near the present
Uliassutai. After traversing the Altay he visited
Bishbalig, answering to the modern
Urumtsi, and moved along the north side of the
Tian Shan range to
Lake Sairam,
Almalik (or Kuija), and the rich valley of the
Ili.
We then trace him to
Balasagun and the
Chu and across this river to
Talas and the
Tashkent region, and then over the
Jaxartes (or Syr Dana) to
Samarkand, where he halted for some months. Finally, through the
Iron Gates of Termit, over the
Oxus, and by way of
Balkh and northern
Afghanistan, Chang Chun reached Genghis' camp near the
Hindu Kush. It was in Samarkand in the year 1221 where Chang Chun met with Muslim imams who viewed Chang Chun with disdain, in which he returned their contempt; "Why do you make the pilgrimage to Mecca?" spoke Chang Chun. "Do you not know that God is everywhere?"
Returning home he largely followed his outward route, with certain deviations, such as a visit to
Kuku-khoto. He was back in Peking by the end of January 1224. From the narrative of his expedition (the
Hsi Yu Ki, written by his pupil and companion
Li Chi Chang) we derive some of the most faithful and vivid pictures ever drawn of nature and man between the
Great Wall of China and
Kabul, between the
Aral and
Yellow Sea. Of particular interest are the sketches of the Mongols, and of the people of Samarkand and its vicinity; the account of the fertility and products of the latter region, as of the Ili valley, at or near Almalig-Kulja; and the description of various great mountain ranges, peaks and
defiles, such as the Chinese Altay, the Tian Shan, Mt Bogdo-ola (?), and the Iron Gates of Termit. There is, moreover, a noteworthy reference to a land apparently identical with the uppermost valley of the
Yenisei.
After his return Chang Chun lived at Peking until his death on
23 July 1227. By order of Genghis Khan some of the former imperial garden grounds were made over to him, for the foundation of a Taoist monastery.
Authorship of
Journey to the West (
Xi You Ji) has sometimes been attributed to Chang Chun, but this is incorrect. The Xi You Ji was written by
Wu Cheng'en. Such confusion may have arisen from its similarity to the title of Chang Chun's travel description,
Qiu Chang Chun Xi You Ji.
Popular culture
Qiu Chuji is a
fictional character in the
novels of
Jin Yong. The character is a fictionalized version of the historical figure and an expert practitioner of martial arts. He isn't a very good Daoist in the strictly religious sense of the term as he doesn't abide by the laissez-faire precepts of Daoism for which he's been repeatedly berated by his senior Ma Yu. Qiu Chuji involved himself in matters of society extensively, assassinating corrupt officials, collaborators and traitors.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Qiu Chuji'.
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