Visiting Bao-chan Mountain
Wang, An-shi 1 (1021-1086 CE)
Bao-chan Mountain is also called Hua Mountain 2. Monk Hui-bao of
the Tang dynasty lived here and was buried here, so the mountain was named after
him. The current location of Hui-kong Zen Temple was the former site of
Hui-bao’s home and then his tomb. Three miles east of the temple is Hua-yang
Cave 3. The cave gains its name because it is located on the southern
side of Hua Mountain. A little more than one hundred feet away from the cave
there is a tablet that has fallen over, lying on the path. Wind and rain have
weathered the characters; all that remains legible is "Hua Shan
4".
Today we call it Hua Mountain because in Chinese "colorful" and "flower" are
pronounced almost the same 5 and misinterpretation gradually changed
the name of the mountain. Inside the cave, the floor is flat and expansive.
There is a spring coming from the side wall. On this wall many people have
recorded their travels. This cave is called the Front Cave. Three miles further
uphill, there is another cave which is deep and far-reaching. It was chilly as
we entered it. When we asked people how far the cave extends, we found that even
the most experienced visitor had not reached its end. We call this cave the
Recessed Cave.
My two friends 6, two brothers
7 and I entered the
cave, carrying a torch. As we went further into the cave, it became more
difficult to proceed and the sights became more beautiful and remarkable. One
individual who lacked an adventurous spirit wanted to leave, so he said, "If we
do not leave now, the fire will die out." Therefore, we all left with him.
We had only reached one tenth of the furthest known distance traveled into
the cave. Even so, we noticed that there were fewer visitors' etchings to the
left and right. The further depths were even less frequently traveled. At that
moment we still had the strength to continue and our fire was sufficient for a
while. After we exited, some of the others blamed the cowardly one for cutting
our expedition short. I also regretted that we followed his request to exit, and
thereby failed to make the most of our adventure.
Consequently, I sighed: When our forefathers observed the heavens, earth,
mountains, rivers, grass, trees, insects, fish, birds and beasts, they often
gained insight by expanding the breadth and depth of their thoughts. If a place
is near and flat, there are many visitors. If a destination is remote and risky,
few people arrive. The most beautiful and marvelous sight is often found in a
remote and dangerous location that people rarely attempt to reach. Thus, one
cannot reach one's destination unless one has the will. Even if one has the will
to continue despite others giving up, he will still not reach his destination if
he lacks strength. Even if one has the will and the strength, and does not give
up when others do, one still cannot reach one's destination unless one has the
tools to overcome the dark and uncharted path. However, if I have the ability to
reach my destination but I fail to do so, for others it is laughable, for myself
it is regrettable. If I have done my best, but I cannot reach my destination, at
least I will not suffer regret and others will not have reason to criticize my
failure. This is what I have learned from my experience visiting Bao-chan
Mountain.
As for the tablet lying on the ground, I lamented that the old writing could
not be properly understood because of misinterpretation. Actually, there are
many objects and locations whose names and true meanings later generations fail
to preserve. This is why a scholar must contemplate and approach truth
prudently.
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1
Jie-fu and Ban-shan were An-shi Wang's alternate first names. He was a
native of Lin-chuan City of Fu-zhou County during the Northern Song dynasty.
Lin-chuan City is now called Lin-chuan-xian City which is located in Jiangxi
Province. In 1042 CE, An-Shi Wang passed the Advanced Exam at the young age of
twenty-two. Xiu Ou-yang wrote a poem to congratulate him. It said, “As I grow
older, I pity myself for my unfulfilled ambitions./ Talented as you are, who can
compete with you from now on?” This shows that Ou-yang valued Wang highly.
Later, Wang followed Ou-yang's teaching and dedicated himself to writing Chinese
classics. He became one of the Eight Greatest Essayists during the Tang and Song
Dynasties.
During Emperor Shen-zong's reign, Wang was appointed prime minister twice. He
served his first term between the ages of forty-nine and fifty-four and his
second term between the ages of fifty-five and fifty-six. While he was the prime
minister, he attempted to make political reforms by establishing new law codes
for agriculture, irrigation, transportation, the tithing system, and enlisting
laborers. However, his reforms failed. Many historians attribute the failure to
his practice of appointing the wrong people to execute his plans. In 1076 CE,
Wang resigned his position as prime minister.
Before Wang, China's Civil Services Exams were based on the ability to write
poetry. Wang made a drastic change by using the analysis of the Six Classics for
the exam topics. He wrote the essay, "In a Neighborhood, Virtue Is Beautiful" as
a model. Thus, he took the lead in writing the stereotyped form of Chinese
literary essays. This change greatly influenced later Chinese scholars' approach
to studying.
As revealed in the essay "Visiting Bao-chan Mountain", Wang had a strong
character that allowed him to persevere. He also had an amazing ability to think
and to organize. He claimed that the purpose of literature is to serve society,
that its content must be true and virtuous, and that ostentatious expressions
are not as important as virtuous themes.
2 "Hua" means "colorful".
3 "Yang" means the southern side of a mountain.
4 "Hua Shan" means "Flower Mountain".
5
There are four basic tones in Mandarin (the Beijing dialect). The first
tone (-) starts near the top of a speaker's voice
range and continues on that level until the end. The second tone (/) starts at the mid-range and rises rapidly to the top of the range. The third
tone (Ú) starts below mid-range, dips to the lowest
pitch, and rises above mid-range. The fourth tone (\) starts near the top of the
range and falls very rapidly toward the bottom. Flower (huā)
and colorful (huá ) [the tone mark is placed
over the main vowel letter] are two examples.
6 "My two friends" refers to Jun-gui Xiao and Hui Wang. Jun-gui Xiao, a.k.a.
Jun-yu Xiao, was a native of Lu-ling City, present day Ji-an-xian City of Fu-jian
Province. Hui Wang, a.k.a. Shen-fu Wang, was a native of Chang-le City, present
day Chang-le-xian City of Fujian Province.
7 "Two brothers" refers to An-guo Wang. a.k.a. Ping-fu Wang, and An-shang
Wang, a.k.a. Chun-fu Wang.
