Jiangxia couplets

This is a news report from Xinhuanet. The original text of the report is as follows:

The "New Year's Eve Celebration" of Meng Chang (919-965 AD), Lord of Shu after the Five Dynasties "Festival Number Changchun" has always been recognized by academic circles as the earliest couplet in China. Recently, two couplets discovered in Jiangxia District broke this authoritative identification and pushed forward the more than 1,000-year history of Chinese couplets by more than 300 years.

A few days ago, Zhang Gaorong, deputy director of the Jiangxia District Tourism Bureau, edited the book "New Lingquan Chronicles", which contains two couplets written by Li Daozong in the early Tang Dynasty. One: "The deep mountains are graceful, the water flows and the flowers reveal the secrets of heaven, and no barbarians are allowed to ask for the crossing; the trees in the distance are desolate, and the clouds and cranes

fly contain wonderful principles, but they are accompanied by tourists searching for strange things." The second: "Thousands of clouds. There are many twists and turns in the ravine, but the spirit is far away; the water flows to the stream with countless wanderings, which is the most secluded thing you can see. "These two couplets describe the scenery of Longquan Mountain in Jiangxia District, and they are more than 300 years older than the earliest couplet of Meng Chang.

According to historical records, Li Daozong (AD 600-653), a minister in the early Tang Dynasty, named Chengfan, was the nephew of Tang Emperor Li Yuan and the cousin of Qin King Li Shimin. Before and after Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty came to the throne, because of his military exploits, Li Daozong was first promoted to be the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, then the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and was later named the "King of Jiangxia". After Li Daozong died, he was buried under Tianma Peak in Longquan Mountain, Jiangxia District.

According to "Wuchang Prefecture Chronicles" and "Jiangxia (Wuchang) County Chronicles", Li Daozong built the "Purple Calyx Garden" in Lingquan Mountain (now Longquan Mountain, Jiangxia District) and "lived in seclusion here for several years" . These two couplets are both inscribed on the gate of Lingquan Temple. It is reported that in the Special Collections Department of the Hubei Provincial Library, "Lingquan Zhi" (***3 volumes) numbered "Historical Records 593" is collected as an orphan copy.