Where did Xu Fu go when he crossed east?

Whether Xu Fu reached Japan during his eastward journey is the most hotly debated among the mysteries. Some scholars believe that the three sacred mountains generally refer to Japan. Japan also preserves many relics related to Xu Fu, such as Xu Fu's landing site, Xu Fu Temple, Xu Fu Tomb, Xu Fu Well, etc. Saga City, Shingu City and other places are said to be the places where Xu Fu landed in Japan. But some scholars believe that Xu Fu's final destination was South Korea. Because Korea also has legends and relics about Samshen Mountain and Xu Fu’s eastward journey. In addition, some people talked about going to Southeast Asia, some people talked about Hainan Island, and even some people talked about America. This theory holds that Xu Fu first arrived in Japan when he traveled east, and then to America, where he established himself as king without returning. A square rock with Chinese seal script inscriptions was left in Honolulu, and ancient arrows with Chinese seal script inscriptions and other cultural relics were unearthed near San Francisco. These ancient cultural relics were left behind when Xu Fu and his group of Qin people passed by. There are a group of yellow people living in mountainous areas in the Gulf of Mexico, who are said to be descendants of Qin herb collectors.

In modern times, as early as 1918, on the eve of the May 4th Movement, Mr. Tao Yamin first published the article "A Study of Xu Fu". Mr. Wang Jiwu combined the study of Xu Fu with the study of the history of Sino-Japanese maritime transportation. Combined, some new viewpoints were put forward. Some famous historians at that time, such as Wang Xiangrong and Wei Tingsheng, also participated in this research. In 1981, Mr. Wang Xiangrong discussed "Xu Fu's eastward journey" again, which rekindled the craze of Xu Fu research. He also changed his belief when he was young that Sima Qian only recorded the "untrue propaganda of the alchemists" in "Historical Records". He believes that "Xu Fu is a real character. He entered the sea to escape the tyranny of the First Emperor and was a planned overseas emigration." He also pointed out: If the history of Sino-Japanese relations and the development process of ancient Japanese history are carefully observed and discussed, This legend cannot be easily dismissed. In the past two decades, this research has achieved many remarkable results. Some influential Chinese historians and young and middle-aged historians are also very interested in this topic. For example, Professor Wu Jie of Fudan University, Professor Meng Xianren of Liaoning University, Professor Wang Jinlin of Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, and Professor Wang Yong of the Institute of Japanese Culture of Zhejiang University have all written on it. In addition, Professor Peng Shuangsong from Taiwan, Professor Umehara Takeshi, Professor Ikiichiro, and Professor Mizuno Akira from Japan have also conducted relatively in-depth research on this topic.

However, because the "Historical Records" record of Xu Fu's quest for immortality is "unclear", this historical event has become an eternal mystery. Many people in the field of history regard it as a hot potato. In recent years, although some people have tried to support this historical event from multiple angles such as archaeology, anthropology, and navigation history, it is difficult to make breakthrough progress. To agree, there are only two points. One is that Xu Fu did exist in history, and the other is that he did go to the sea. As for where he was born, where he went to sea, how many times he went to sea, what was the purpose of his eastward journey, and where exactly the "Plain Guangze" was that he finally arrived, all these are still the focus of debate. Therefore, some historians have suggested that studying the relationship between Xu Fu and Japan from a historical perspective alone can easily lead to empty theories and conjectures.

It’s very complicated. I think it’s highly likely that we’ll go to Japan.