Legends of Shanxi

Being a cradle for the ancient Chinese civilization, Shanxi, just west of Beijing, is a gold mine of legends and folk tales.[Photo by Li Mengyuan/China Daily]

In ancient times, these mountains were dubbed the Turtle or Ostrich mountains because of their peculiar shape. To make his subjects more submissive to his power, Wang Mang spread the rumor that in the Turtle and Ostrich mountains held a carved image of a throne — an omen of his reign.

When Liu Xiu, with his formidable army joined battle with Wang Mang, they fought in the mountains. To protect the dragon’s vein, Wang Mang ordered his army to surround and destroy the enemy. In desperate straits, Liu Xiu jumped from a cliff, but his heavy armor saved him from injury, and he safely landed on another cliff. Wang Mang’s army did not have the courage to follow were subsequently defeated and Liu Xiu became the new emperor.

Since then, to immortalize the great historical events, the Turtle and Ostrich mountains were renamed took the name Wangmang.

Alongside the legends, historical events, Shanxi gave birth to one of the China’s holidays — Qixi, the counterpart of Valentine’s Day in the West. It is the story of a weaving girl and a cowherd, told will lively detail on our tour bus by our excellent guide.

The life of the cowherd was difficult: His parents had passed on, and had only an old cow. One beautiful day, his cow, seeing the misery of the cowherd, suggested he find a wife among the weaver girls of the gods. When next time he saw the weaver girls — goddesses — bathing in the river, he stole the clothing of one. When all the weavers grabbed their dresses, the one came up empty-handed. That’s when the cowherd emerged and proposed that she become his wife. For unknown reasons, she agreed.

They lived long and happily in a secret place until the her parents discovered the couple’s disguised home and sent a goddess to bring their daughter home.

And so it was done. The cowherd was astonished at not finding his love at home. He cloaked himself in a skin that was left after his cow had died, and turned into two children, who chased the former weaver. Seeing that her charge was being pursued, the guardian goddess took out a hairpin and created a silver river, now known as the Milky Way, to separate the two lovers.

Since then, the weaver girl and the cowherd could meet only once a year, every July 7 on the Lunar Calendar. Ever afterward, on this holiday in modern China, couples enjoy romantic time together.

Legends and folk tales are the essential part of every culture. Knowing a few of them, one can get a better understanding of a people’s language and culture. Penetrating the centuries, legends remain to tell us that the history is not only found in books. It is in the mouths of everyday people, in the smiles of children, in the rocks of the mountains and even in the air, fused with ancient dust.