I admire Xu Xiake.

I told my good friend Xiang that there are many people I admire from ancient times to the present, but there is no one I admire. After so many years, it was not until I read Xu Xiake that I felt that Xu Xiake was the one I admired the most, no matter from the pursuit of personality, temperament and perseverance.

? In the 14th year of Ming Shenzong Wanli (1586), Xu Xiake was originally named Xu Hongzu. He was born in a wealthy family in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province. His ancestors were all scholars, and his parents didn't like being an official. They liked to visit and enjoy the scenery everywhere. Influenced by his family, Xu Xiake was eager to learn and read widely since childhood, and when he was a teenager, he made the travel ambition of "a gentleman is facing the blue sea and the sky is dark". Relatives and friends advised Xu Xiake's father that you should take good care of your son. Xu Xiake's father said, "I don't care about the teaching of fame, and I don't care about the words of saints." It means that I won't let my son be bound by fame and pursue your so-called successful life. I think it's good that he does what he likes. Once, Xu Xiake was trapped in an adventure and didn't come back for three days. His family was anxious. When Xu Xiake came back, the family begged, don't do this. But Xu Xiake's father laughed and said, "Son, you are too much like Lao Tzu. There is a haze in your brow. I see, you are a guest of haze, and you should travel around in the future. " From then on, Xu Hongzu was called Xu Xiake.

? When Xu Xiake was 19 years old, his father left, and he stayed at home and kept his filial piety for three years. After the expiration of the period of mourning, he couldn't sit still. How much he wanted to travel around the world. But "parents are here, don't travel far." He can only keep the idea to himself. Mother saw his mind. "A man should aim at all directions. How can he stay at home and do nothing because his mother is here, like a chicken in a fence and a pony in a car shaft?" Go out to travel and stretch your mind! " Xu Xiake is still not at ease: "You are 6 years old." Mother said, "I am in good health!" " The next day, she took Xu Xiake for an outing. On the way out, she trotted to the front. "Look, son, I walk faster than you. What's there to worry about?" At this point, Xu Xiake was finally relieved: "Mom, then I will travel around the world!"

Xu Xiake's great achievements were due to his enlightened father and mother. Other parents put their lives on their children, hoping to "arrange" a better life for their children. But Xu's father and mother don't. They know two things.

first, true fatherly love is not a permanent possession of children, but a proper exit. "I won't arrange a life for my child."

? Second: it is more important to live happily than to live successfully. "As long as the child feels happy, this is enough."

In 169, Xu Xiake started his journey.

? Xu Xiake's travel is different from our travel. His travel is to explore the wonders of rivers and mountains. When we travel, we pick up the main road and find the sidewalk to climb up the stairs. Xu Xiake no, he only takes the road that no one else has ever taken. He went up the mountain to find a way, and he must find another way down the mountain. "In this way, you can see the scenery that no one has ever seen." He is to explore the mysteries of nature and find the laws of nature. His investigation and research on mountains, waterways, geology and landforms have made achievements beyond his predecessors.

Xu Xiake has traveled to 16 provinces including Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan without any government funding. It reaches Putuo Mountain in Zhejiang in the east, Tengchong in Yunnan in the west, Nanning in Guangxi in the south and Panshan in Jixian County in Hebei Province in the north, covering more than half of China. What's more, during more than 3 years' travel and inspection, he mainly trekked on foot, rarely rode horses and took boats continuously, and often carried his luggage on his own. Most of the places he visited were desolate and poor villages, or frontier areas that were inaccessible to people. Don't avoid wind and rain, don't be afraid of robbers, tigers and wolves, keep company with Changfeng, keep company with clouds, satisfy hunger with wild fruits, and quench thirst with clear springs. His life was in danger several times, and he risked his life and tasted the hardships of the journey.

? After a day's trekking, no matter how tired he was, no matter where he stayed, Xu Xiake insisted on writing down what he saw and heard during the day. At first, he wrote to his mother and read it to her. Later, he gradually became a habit, and wrote more than 2.4 million words of travel notes. Unfortunately, most of them were separated. What remains is the famous Travels of Xu Xiake, which has more than 4, words and is a "fantastic book" combining science and literature. This travel book is not only a masterpiece of geography, ecology and science, but also a masterpiece of literature, philosophy and mind, so it is called "the first travel book in ancient and modern China and abroad". To commemorate Xu Xiake's great achievements, the State Council designated May 19th as "China Tourism Day". Because on this day 41 years ago, Xu Xiake wrote the first travel note about traveling around the world.

? Through personal investigation and irrefutable facts, Xu Xiake proved that Jinsha River is the source of the Yangtze River, and denied the statement that "Min Mountain guides the river" in Yugong, which is regarded as a classic. At the same time, he also identified the origins of many waterways such as Zuojiang River, Youjiang River, Daying River and Lancangjiang River, and corrected the confusion and mistakes recorded about these waterways in the unified annals of Daming. He carefully observed the areas where rivers flowed. He saw the erosion effect of water flow on the passing area, and realized that the erosion effect was particularly severe in the valley of the river bank. He also noticed the relationship between plants and the environment, observed the different conditions of plant ecology and species under different topography, temperature and wind speed, and realized the influence of ground height and latitude on climate and ecology. Xu Xiake also had a certain scientific understanding of hot springs and groundwater.

? Among Xu Xiake's series of contributions to geography, the most prominent one is his investigation of limestone landforms. He is the first geographer in China and the world to systematically investigate limestone landforms. Among Europeans, the first one to extensively investigate and describe limestone landforms was Esper in 1774. Roman was the first to systematically classify limestone landforms in 1858, which was more than one hundred years later than Xu Xiake.

? Xu Xiake has not only made great contributions to geography, but also made great achievements in the field of literature. His travel notes are not only precious documents in geography, but also exquisite travel notes literature. His travel notes are as simple and beautiful as the nature he describes, and some people praise them as "the real words in the world, Daimonji, and strange words", which is not too much. Reading his travel notes makes people feel that they are enjoying truth and beauty. Nature is raining. The variety of mountains, water, trees and rocks reappears in Xu Xiake's pen, which seems to make us follow Xu Xiake's footsteps, trudge through the steep peaks, rapids and rapids, and be immersed in the beautiful mountains and rivers of the motherland, intoxicated and proud of them, and feel infinite affection for the motherland in our hearts. Exploring the wonders of rivers and mountains, we have discovered many scenes that our predecessors have never seen, and we have also written down the theory of strangeness that our predecessors have not written:

? Every time he goes home, Xu Xiake will pick exotic flowers and give them to his mother as gifts, and tell his mother and friends about the adventures of Zhuangyou. The mother listened with a knowing smile and praised her son. Friends said, "What's the use of heaven and earth? You can't sit on a quilt; What's the use of romance? You can't eat or drink. What's the point of traveling all over the world? Why don't you stay with your parents, wife and children? " Xu Xiake sprang to his feet and waved: "That year, heavy snow sealed Huangshan Mountain. When I climbed from the cliff, I almost fell off the cliff several times. But after I climbed to the top of Huangshan Mountain, I looked around and the scenery was magnificent. That year, I tracked the source of the Yangtze River, ran out of food for three times, and almost died in the riverside rock beach. But after I found out that the source of the Yangtze River was Jinsha River, my joy in my heart was not to change the number one scholar. You ask me why I want to travel around the world, and I just want to say three words: I like it. " I like it. I'm happy. That's enough. So no matter what danger I encounter, no matter how tired I am, I am willing to do what I like.

? In 1636, 51-year-old Xu Xiake started a strong tour after his life, accompanied by a monk. He stabbed his own blood and copied a copy of Hokkekyo. He wanted to send Bi Hokkekyo to Xitan Temple in Jizu Mountain, Yunnan Province. When I reached Huguang, I met a robber. I heard that I was stabbed to protect Hokkekyo, but I died when I arrived in Guangxi. He said to Xu Xiake before his death, Please send Bi Hokkekyo to Jizu Mountain. Xu Xiake and Jingwen were strangers, but in order to comfort Jingwen, he agreed. Xu Xiake said, "A man can't break his word if he keeps his promise." Divert and go straight to Jizu Mountain. Not long after walking, Xu Xiake was also infected with foot disease, and every step was painful, but in order to fulfill his promise, he gritted his teeth and advanced to Jizu Mountain. It was not until 1639 that Sitan Temple was reached. The boulder in my heart was put down safely. On New Year's Eve, Xu Xiake heard the sound of chanting floating in the monk's room, and thousands of experiences flooded his mind in the sound of chanting. Inadvertently, tears rolled down: "This life is better than thousands of lives on earth!" "

? Leaving Jizu Mountain, Xu Xiake moved on again. After crossing Kunlun, he finally fell down. The foot disease went deep into the bone marrow, and his feet were exhausted. A group of friends carried him back to his hometown with a sliding pole. I heard that he was seriously ill and some senior officials came to visit him. During the visit, they said to Xu Xiake, "Your talent is enough to honor your ancestors. But don't you regret that you haven't sealed your wife and sheltered your son? " Xu Xiake replied, "Zhang Qian in the Han Dynasty, Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty and Yelu Chucai in the Yuan Dynasty all traveled around the world, but they all accepted the imperial orders and went to all directions. I, on the other hand, am just a common people. Without the imperial mandate and government funding, wearing cloth, crutches and sandals, I did what the three of them did. What do I have to regret in my life? " Before he died, he clung to two rock specimens and said, "I have no regrets in this life," thinking about his grand and carefree life.

? The so-called fame for a hundred years, hegemony for a thousand years, and immortality are nothing compared with one thing. This thing is-spend your life the way you like. "People only live this life, life only once, so"? Self "is the most important. But most of us have become others, pursuing the same standard life as others, and pursuing the same standard life as others. But Xu Xiake doesn't. He just wants to follow his true feelings and spend his life in the way he likes: "I don't want fame, wealth or power. I just want to travel around the world and visit mountains and rivers. Whether you are cynical or sarcastic, I don't care at all. I like it and I am happy. That's enough."

? In the dead of winter that year, heavy snow sealed Huangshan Mountain. Xu Xiake used an iron bar to cut out ice pits on the cliff and climbed the top of Huangshan Mountain step by step. So there was a sentence in Xu Xiake's Travels: "On the fourth day of the fourth day, I sat and listened to the snow."

? On that day, at the foot of the mountain, we were busy chasing wealth and fame. But Xu Xiake sat on the top of Huangshan Mountain and listened to the melting sound of heavy snow all day. At the foot of the mountain, the lights are brilliant and the noise becomes the sea. Xu Xiake sat on the top of the mountain and said nothing. He looked up at the starry sky, his body and mind clear.

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