The name has not been changed once in 3000 years. What is so special about Xixian County in Henan Province?

Xixian County in Henan Province is now affiliated with Xinyang City. It was named Xifang Kingdom as early as the Shang Dynasty. It was named Xihou Kingdom when the Western Zhou Dynasty was founded. In 682 BC, it was destroyed by King Wen of Chu and became Xixian County. It has never changed its name for more than 3,000 years, setting a record in China. The demise of the Xi Kingdom is inseparable from the stunning Queen Xi Lady at that time.

In 2005, the legend of Lady Xi, who held the hatred of the King of Chu throughout her life, but remained alive for thousands of years, was listed as a municipal intangible cultural heritage by Xinyang City in Henan Province and Huangpi City in Hubei Province. Protection list,

The legend of Mrs. Xi in history books

The story of Mrs. Xi was first recorded in the official history "Zuo Zhuan", and then scattered in "Lu Shi Chun Qiu", "Historical Records" and "Liu Shi" "Nv Biography" and other classics. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a noble daughter from Wanqiu of Chen State (now Huaiyang, Henan Province) married the king of Xi State and was called Xi Gui or Lady Xi. She was born with a peach-shaped face and stunning beauty, so she was also praised as "Mrs. Peach Blossom". .

In 684 BC, when Xi Gui was getting married or visiting relatives, she passed by her sister's husband's family, Cai Guo, and was rudely stopped and teased by Marquis Cai, who coveted her sister-in-law's beauty. After Xihou learned that his wife had been humiliated, he was extremely angry. He sent envoys to conspire with the Chu State, which was more powerful than Xi and Cai. King Chu Wen pretended to send troops to attack Xi State. Hou. The plans of Xi and Chu were very successful. The state of Cai was defeated in Xindi, and Marquis Cai himself was captured and taken to the capital of Chu State, Ying.

In 680 BC, the Marquis of Cai, who was unwilling to be defeated and captured, tried his best to praise Xi Gui's beauty to King Chu Wen, persuaded him to send troops to destroy Xi Gui, and brought Xi Gui into the harem as his wife and gave birth to a child Had two sons. But the beauty was very taciturn and almost didn't say a word. When King Chu Wen asked why, she said that she had to marry a daughter twice and could only live in this world. What else could she say? In order to make Xi Zhanyan look better, King Wen of Chu raised troops to destroy Cai State.

After King Chu Wen died in battle, Mrs. Xi’s second son Xiong Yun finally won the throne and became the dominant King Chu Cheng, and his rise to power was indispensable without the support of his mother. When King Cheng came to the throne, his uncle Zi Yuan was the regent. He also coveted the beautiful Xi Gui and built a pavilion next to the Chu Palace to dance "Wan Wu" to show his love. However, he regarded himself as the widow of King Wen, and satirized Ziyuan for using the dance originally used to train the army to do evil instead of avenging the late king. Two years later, Ziyuan rebelled and was killed by Shen Gong Douban. Behind this fight, there was a lot of tricks to calm Gui.

The origin of the image of Mrs. Xi in folklore

In the history books, the image of Mrs. Xi, a female politician with an alluring appearance and extraordinary inner strategy, was found in Liu Xiang's "The List" of the Western Han Dynasty. There was a subversion in "The Biography of Women, Volume 4, The Biography of Zhenshun". Xihou, who had disappeared early in official history, finally found her whereabouts. The theory that the couple died in love one after another gradually spread, and she became a symbol of loyalty and morality.

Mr. It is said that it is true, and it has led to the controversy over whether Mrs. Xi is a disaster or a catastrophe. Countless classic chapters have been born from the exchange of pen and ink. Generally speaking, the view of sympathizing with Mrs. Xi's experience and using it to express her own difficult situation prevailed.

In the word-of-mouth communication among the people, people neither care about the objective and impartial writing of historical facts by historians, nor do they care about the disputes between the literati who express their own opinions about family, country and integrity, the beautiful lady Xi Gui and the princes and nobles. The story happened to be the best thing to talk about in secular life, so many details were added and polished, and countless versions were adapted.

In most dramas, Mrs. Xi has a deep love for Xihou and is concerned about the safety of the people of Xi country, so she has to commit herself to King Chu Wen. However, in the end, the old love is unforgettable, and she bravely sacrifices her life with her ex-husband. , martyred for the country.

For thousands of years, in order to commemorate this righteous and righteous woman, the common people, in addition to self-sacrifice and silent resistance? Three years of silence? The story has been widely circulated in Xixian County, and has also spread in surrounding areas. Many legends emerged. For example, there is "Wangguo Stone" in Neixiang, Henan, there is the legend of Lady Peach Blossom in Huangpi, Hubei, and there are anecdotes such as Peach Blossom Temple and Lady Bamboo in Hanyang, Hubei.

At the same time, the people gradually formed important spiritual beliefs with Lady Peach Blossom Temple as the carrier. The charm and influence of Mrs. Xi can be seen from this. Mrs. Peach Blossom? The traditional cultural metaphor behind the elegant title

According to the stories of Mrs. Peach Blossom collected in the "Collection of Henan Folk Literature - Stories from Xinyang Area", it is said that Xi was born with a plain appearance, neither crying nor laughing. He didn't make a sound until he grabbed a peach blossom when he was catching Zhou Zhou before he giggled. Her father was greatly disappointed and thought that the girl had no great ambitions and was just waiting for her peach blossoms to bloom and then marry someone to suit her family and family.

Xi Gui has loved peach blossoms since she was a child, and has taken good care of the peach trees to thrive. The Peach Blossom Fairy entered her dream to repay her kindness, making her beautiful and beautiful. After marrying Xihou, she won the title of Mrs. Peach Blossom. ?The name.

In traditional Chinese culture, peach blossoms are not only a symbol of beauty, but also a symbol of fertility. They actually refer to a good wife and mother who is both talented and beautiful. According to the legend of Xixian County, Mrs. Xi was a virtuous and virtuous queen who cared about her country and her people. She saw through the wolf-like heart of the Chu State early on. She can be called a "good wife".

The historical fact that Mrs. Xi helped her young son secure the throne after the death of King Chu Wen and became the overlord of the Spring and Autumn Period is worthy of being a "good mother" who helped the Chu country enter a new historical era. Therefore, even though she is known as "Water of Disaster", Mrs.

Xixian County

It can be seen from the above analysis that the historical Lady Xi was just a political victim of the feudal princes’ struggle for supremacy during the Spring and Autumn Period because of her unusual beauty. , Xihou attached himself to the Cai State and plotted against him. In fact, the destruction of the Chu State and the Cai State was an inevitable historical trend.

As Mr. Qian Zhongshu said in "Guan Zhui Bian": "Beautiful women are often coveted by the powerful, and even become the trigger for wars and wars. In the official history where the male perspective is absolutely dominant, Only a few words are left to outline the ups and downs of Mrs. Chuxi's life, but it can still be seen that she is by no means an idiot beauty, but has a tough and calculating heart that is not inferior to that of a man.

Mrs. But for the literati and people who do not care about historical facts, but have their own emotional tendencies to express their feelings through her stories, the one who has the upper hand is Mrs. He felt pity for her and believed that she was beautiful because of her kind heart. He also admired her broad maternal mind and regarded her as a god to ensure the safety of the whole country.

The people of Xixian County remember their empress with the place name that has not changed for more than 3,000 years, and support her as a local cultural icon. Countless vivid and rich folklores continue to be passed down orally. Nowadays, there is Madame Xi Avenue, with the white marble statue of Madame Xi standing in the center. There are even Madame Xi Memorial Hall, Madame Xi Hotel, etc. More and more people have begun to face up to the value of traditional women. ?These stereotyped and thin labels have more spiritual connotations worthy of further exploration.