What kind of tree is planted in the apricot altar where Confucius gave lectures?

It may have been just a place name, but later the people who attached to it planted apricot trees in today's apricot altar.

"Xingtan" is the legendary place where Confucius gathered his disciples to give lectures, and it also refers to the place where people gathered to give lectures. Later, people built altars, pavilions, monuments and apricots in front of Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong Province. In the Northern Song Dynasty, descendants of Confucius built altars and planted apricot trees in Qufu ancestral hall, hence the name "Apricot Altar". Xingtan is a glorious symbol of Confucius' education. Zhu Lan around Xingtan is surrounded by mountains, crossed with ridges, two layers of yellow tile cornices and double half arches. There are well-carved algae wells and painted golden panlong in the pavilion, among which Qingganlong's "Xingtanzan" imperial tablet. Stone incense burner in front of the pavilion, about 1 m high, is a relic of the Jin Dynasty. The altar was built in the Song Dynasty and surrounded by apricot trees, hence its name. The Jin Dynasty also built pavilions on the altar. Reconstruction in the late Ming Dynasty, which is today's apricot altar.

Xingtan is in front of Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple in the bottom city of Shandong Province. According to legend, this is the place where Confucius gave lectures. "Zhuangzi Fisherman's Chapter" said: "Confucius swam in the curtain forest (that is, only black, under the guise of place names) and stopped at the apricot altar. Disciples read books and bore bullets and drums. " Before the Song Dynasty, it was Dacheng Hall. In the second year of Tiansheng (1024), when Daofu Kong, the grandson of Confucius of the 45th generation, supervised the renovation of the Confucius Temple, he planted apricot altars around the former site of the main hall. Therefore, "Xingtan" has become synonymous with the holy land of education. In the Jin Dynasty, the pavilion was built on the apricot altar, rebuilt in the fourth year of Yuan Dynasty (1267) and in the third year of Ming Dynasty (1569), and it was inscribed by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty. This apricot altar square pavilion has double eaves, yellow tiles and Zhu columns, and a cross ridge. The algae wells in the pavilion are decorated with small arches and painted with golden dragons, which are colorful. Under the pavilion are the inscription "Xingtan" of Dang Huaiying's seal script and the inscription "Xingtan Zanbei" of Gan Long. There are stone fences around the pavilion and tunnels in all directions. The stone furnace in front of the pavilion is beautifully carved and is a cultural relic of the Jin Dynasty. Apricot trees are planted around the pavilion. Every spring, apricot blossoms are in full bloom and bright as fire. The 60th generation descendant of Confucius, the Duke of Feast, wrote a poem: "The ruins of Lucheng became empty, and the musical instruments returned to the imagination of the piano. The unique apricot altar is in early spring, and it is old and red every year. "

"Zhuangzi Zapian Fisherman Thirty-one" said: "Confucius swam in the forest, so he didn't sit in the apricot altar. Disciples read books and bore bullets and drums. " It turns out that according to Sima Biao's annotation, Xingtan only refers to "high leaves in Zezhong". In Qing Dynasty, Gu also thought that all the books about Confucius in Zhuangzi were written in allegorical ways, so the apricot altar didn't have to be true.

However, a popular postscript holds that Xingtan is in front of Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong Province. In the Song Dynasty, Daofu Kong, the 45th grandson of Confucius, built an ancestral hall, which was named after the old stone of the lecture hall and surrounded by apricot trees. So there is an apricot altar in the Confucius Temple in Qufu. It can be seen that "Xingtan" actually refers to "the place where Confucius gives lectures", and now it is also a place where there are many teachers.

Geng Jie, a famous scholar in Zhongzhou in Qing Dynasty, presided over the promotion of Songyang Academy, following the old theory that Confucius gave lectures in Xingtan and the land was replaced by the land. During the lecture, an ancient apricot tree was planted in the altar, which was handed down by Geng Jie. Now it is a stone protection altar, and the platform railing has been restored to its original appearance.

Confucius gave lectures at the Xingtan in 522 BC. At the age of 30, Confucius began to establish public education and accept lectures from disciples to help the crumbling temples and change the reality of "ritual collapse and bad music". Confucius' educational thought is people-oriented, and "education has no class": regardless of wealth, dignity, age, nationality and eclecticism. On this day, Confucius' small courtyard was very lively. Confucius led a group of teenagers to build an altar and moved a small ginkgo tree to plant next to it. Confucius stroked the ginkgo tree and said, "Ginkgo is full of fruits, which symbolizes disciples all over the world. The trunk stands upright and never escapes sideways, symbolizing the integrity of the disciples. Nuts can be eaten and used as medicine to treat diseases, symbolizing that disciples can benefit the country and the people after their studies. Let's name this forum Xingtan! " From then on, Confucius gave lectures at Xingtan every day, and disciples from all directions gathered. "Book of Rites University" says: "After physical training, there will be harmony at home, harmony at home, the country and the world." Scholars in feudal times generally pursued morality and knowledge. Even if you are in trouble and your career is not up to standard, you can remain clean. Mencius with all his heart said, "If you are poor, you will be immune to it, and if you are up to it, you will help the world."

According to legend, Confucius set up a teaching in Xingtan, accepting 3,000 disciples and teaching six arts. Since ancient times, people have thought that speaking is beautiful and praised by scholars. Furthermore, as a symbol of Confucius' enlightenment, Xingtan was incorporated into the architectural system of Confucius Temple, and even influenced Southeast Asian countries covered by Confucianism.

Although there are many admirers in later generations, they can't be found in the works not far from Confucius, such as The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi, Zuo Zhuan, Dai Xiao and Li Ji, and even the name "Xingtan" has never appeared, which is quite puzzling. So, where did the teaching of Xingtan come from? The oldest person who remembers this is Miscellaneous Notes of the Owner, written by Sun Kong, the 47th generation of Confucius in Shaoxing during the Southern Song Dynasty. Among them, "On the Apricot Altar" said briefly: Once upon a time, when Zhou Lingwang was alive and Lu Aigong was alive, Master drove from the East Gate of the country. Because he saw the Apricot Altar, he strolled upstairs. Disciple Shi Lie, Gu said, "The altar where Zang Wenzhong will be sworn." Seeing things and thinking about people, singing and singing. The song says: "Live in summer, live in cold, spring returns to autumn, the sun sets, and the water flows east." Where is the general's horse now? Wild grass and flowers are everywhere. "

At the end of the article, Confucius sang a seven-character quatrain. This new poetic style began in the Qi and Liang Dynasties in the Southern Dynasties, which is absolutely impossible in Confucius' life. The Spring and Autumn Period were chariots, and a book called Zuo Zhuan made it very clear. It was not until Zhao's mausoleum was riding and shooting that there were cavalry. At this time, it has entered the warring States period. Zang Wenzhong was a native of Lu in the Spring and Autumn Period. Why did Confucius sigh, "Where are the horses now?" ? The second is. Thirdly, as he said, the Xingtan was first created by Zang Wenzhong, and Confucius only took its name because of its location. According to these three points, it can be seen that this article is not credible because of the false entrustment of a busybody.

In the pre-Qin literature, only one "apricot altar" was found in Zhuangzi Fisherman.

Confucius swam in the forest, sat on the apricot altar, his disciples read books, and Confucius played string songs and drums. Before the tune was finished, the fisherman got off the boat ... (Confucius) asked for it, as for Ze 'an. ...

Sima Biao notes the cloud: "Hey, the black forest is also. Xingtan, high in Zezhong. "

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Gu believed that Confucius was an allegory in Zhuangzi, and there was no need for a fisherman to have a man and an apricot altar to have its place. Even if there is, it is on the land between reeds on the water, next to evil, and obviously not in Lu. Today's Xingtan is the ancestral temple built by Sun Daofu in the forty-fifth period of Song Ganxing, and later moved to the back of the main hall. Because the old stone of the lecture hall is an altar, apricots are planted around it, taking the name of the apricot altar.

Gu regarded The Fisherman as a fable. "The fisherman doesn't have to have a man, and the apricot altar doesn't have to have a place. It does, but it is also in the water reeds, on the land next to the pond, not in Lu." Further textual research shows that Daofu Kong in the Northern Song Dynasty was the earliest substitute for Xingtan. Today, the south of Dacheng Hall in Qufu is the former site of the lecture hall. Emperor Hanming traveled eastward to Confucius' House and once talked about classics. Daofu Kong expanded the ancestral temple, and didn't want to destroy it, that is, it used flint as an altar and planted apricot trees around it to become an apricot altar. Gu's theory can be described as extreme and unchangeable, except that it was recognized that an apricot altar could be built during the reign of Song Ganxing.

"Qufu County Records" refers to the construction of Tianxi in the second year of Daoguang (10 18), and the textual research of Queli in Qing Dynasty also refers to the construction of apricot altar between Tianxi.

Xingtan is the former site of the temple before the Song Dynasty. During the Song Tianxi period, the forty-fifth generation Sun Daojian repaired the ancestral temple and moved it northward. I don't want to destroy its historic sites, because there is a saying in Zhuangzi that "Confucius swam in the forest and sat on the apricot altar", so he moved the altar and planted apricots around it, which is called "apricot altar".

According to the original epitaph of Daofu Kong recorded in Quelizhi, the year when Xingtan was first built can be set at Tianxi in the Northern Song Dynasty.

There is not a poem in Shi Xianglu's Yang Huan's "Worship the Holy Hall": "The spring breeze enters the apricot altar, and Kuiwen Pavilion is independent."

There is a sentence in Li Ming's poem "The Temple of Literature is full of pines and cypresses, and the forum is warm in spring and fragrant with apricot flowers."

Chen Ming Feng Wu's poem "Imperial Court in the Palace Queli, Offering Dishes, Respecting the Chronicle" says: "Apricot flowers scatter in front of the altar, and juniper trees reflect outside the hall."

There is a poem in Zhengyu Guo's Gong Ji in the Ming Dynasty: "Apricot flowers are red on the altar, and the water in front of the forest is black."

Yao Ming Wenying's poem "Worship the Temple" has a sentence: "Around the altar, red apricots hang down, and Ran Ran depends on the tree Bai Yunfei."

Wei's "Qiao Lin Temple" poem says: "In spring, the cypress blossoms apricots, and the pottery singer is connected with heaven and earth."

Jin's "Poems on Xingtan" says: "Pines and cypresses are luxuriant, and red apricots lean on solitary pavilions."

In Zhu Yizun's Ode to Kong Lin in Qing Dynasty, there is a saying that the apricot altar is full of flowers, and the courtyard is full of flowers. The poem Qufu overlooks Liu Zhongcheng has a sentence that "the sunset is new and the rain is over, and the old apricot altar is open in spring".

In the Textual Research of Queli Literature by Jifen Kong in the Qing Dynasty, there is a poem "The Sixties Give a Feast to the Gongxing Altar", which says: "The ruins of Lucheng have become empty, and the point is long and imaginative. The unique apricot altar is in early spring, and it is old and red every year. "

Today, there is an "apricot altar monument" in the apricot altar in the Confucius Temple, and the front is the poem "Apricot altar" written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty: "When the flowers bloom again, several trees bloom in the east wind. Is the world more beautiful than flowers, and civilization stopped in ancient times? "

Among many legendary stories about Dong Feng, the most influential one is the story of his practicing medicine in Lushan Mountain. According to Volume 10 of Legend of Immortals, "Jun lives in a deep mountain, treats people and things, and makes people seriously ill without taking money or things. For ten years, he planted five apricots, only one of which counted more than 100,000, turning him into a forest ... "Dong Feng once lived in seclusion at the southern foot of Lushan Mountain in Jiangxi Province for a long time and was enthusiastic about treating diseases for the villagers. He never asks for remuneration when he practices medicine. Whenever he cured a seriously ill patient, he asked the patient to plant five apricot trees on the hillside. If you are optimistic about minor illnesses, you only need to plant an apricot tree. As a result, patients from the four townships came to seek treatment, and Dong Feng paid for apricot planting. A few years later, there were as many apricot trees in Lushan area as100000. When the apricots are ripe, Dong Feng sells them as food to help the poor and hungry people in Lushan. In a year's time, more than 20,000 people were rescued. It is precisely because of Dong Feng's noble character of practicing medicine and saving the world that he has won the universal admiration of the people. After Dong Feng came out of the mountain, people set up an altar in Xinglin to worship this kind Taoist priest. Later, people built apricot altars, real altars and fairy altars in Dong Feng's seclusion to commemorate Dong Feng. In this way, the word Xinglin gradually became a special term for doctors. People like to praise a great doctor like Tong Feng with words like "Xinglin is warm in spring" and "Xinglin is famous".