The influence of Confucianism on the tourism of ancient Chinese literati

It is one of the ancient literati’s travel traditions to use travel to cultivate one’s character and clarify one’s aspirations. Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms era should be regarded as an early and thoughtful person who used travel to cultivate his character and clarify his aspirations. At that time, due to the continuous political disputes and wars, Cao Cao could not leisurely wander around the scenic spots. However, from some of the information handed down, we can still discover his inner trajectory as he was keen on traveling and sightseeing. For example, Cao Cao's famous four-character ancient poem "Viewing the Sea" was written by Cao Cao after he visited Jieshi Mountain during his campaign. The original poem is: "To the east, we face the Jieshi to view the vast sea. Where is the water? The mountains and islands stand tall. The trees are thick and the grass is luxuriant. The autumn wind is bleak and the waves are rising. The journey of the sun and the moon is as if it were out of it. The stars are brilliant as if they are out of it. "It's so lucky, and the song is about ambition." Through this poem, we can see how deeply the author is passionate about the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers and what kind of ambition he expresses: the sea, the waves, the sun, the moon, and the stars are all in. In his eyes, there is an aura that encompasses the universe. Through this personal experience of the dazzling and spectacular Jieshi Mountain and seascape, Cao Cao gained an extremely magnificent artistic conception and ambition: "The journey of the sun and the moon is as if it were outside of it. The stars are brilliant as if they were outside of it." Touring and viewing the scenery is actually a real experience. Cao Cao wanted to gain the support of the world.