The Springhead in a Blooming Peach Grove 1
Tao, Yuan-ming (372-427 CE)
In the Jin dynasty, a fisherman from Wu-ling City rowed his boat along a
creek. He forgot how far he had traveled. Suddenly he encountered a grove of
blooming peach trees. As far as he could see, there was nothing but peach trees.
The grass on the banks was fresh, pretty, and fragrant. Fallen flower petals
drifted like confetti. The beautiful scene amazed the fisherman. He continued
rowing, looking for what lay beyond the grove. When the grove ended, he found
the source of the creek at a mountain. The mountain had a cave with a small
entrance. Thinking that he saw lights inside, he left his boat and entered the
cave.
The first part of the cave was so narrow that only one person could pass.
After he walked another fifty feet, an expansive paradise suddenly appeared. The
land was vast and the houses were orderly. There were fertile fields, a
beautiful pond, and plants such as bamboo and mulberry trees. The paths in the
village were well connected for easy travel. As he approached the village, he
heard dogs bark and roosters crow. People were coming and going, busy with farm
life. They were dressed in the same way as the people outside the cave. Both old
and young lived happily there. When they saw the fisherman, they were amazed.
They asked him where he had come from. The fisherman answered all their
questions. Then they invited him home for dinner. They prepared wine and killed
chickens for him. When the villagers heard of him, they all came to visit. They
claimed that they had come here a long time ago to escape the tyranny of the Qin
dynasty 2, and that after their families and neighbors settled down
here, they never left. Consequently, they had lost touch with the outside world.
They did not even know of the Han dynasty 3, not to mention the Wei
and Jin dynasties 4. When they asked the fisherman what year it was,
he responded in great detail. After listening to his description, the villagers
sighed over the problems outside. During his stay, the fisherman enjoyed
delicious food and kind hospitality. After a week, he wanted to go home. When he
was leaving, the villagers said, "Please
do not tell anyone about this place."
After he found his boat and started his return journey, he carefully placed
many trail markers along the way. As soon as he arrived at the city, he reported
to the mayor about what he had seen. The mayor sent people to search for the
village immediately. They followed the fisherman's
markers, but soon got lost. Later, a gentleman, Zi-ji Liu 5 of
Nan-yang City 6, heard the story and eagerly planned to go there. His
search also failed and soon he died from a disease. After that, no one would ask
for the directions.
Notes
1 The title of the following video is "The Peach Blossom River":
http://www.56.com/u77/v_NzY0ODExMzA.html
2
The Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE).
3
The Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE).
4
The Wei dynasty (220-265 CE); the Jin dynasty (265-420 CE).
5
Lin-zhi was Zi-ji Liu's alternate first name. He loved to travel in the
countryside.
6
Nan-yang City is now called Nan-yang-xian City and is located in Henan
Province.