Impression of Yongcheng

When mentioning "Southern Country", most people will think of cities with the word "南", such as Nanjing and Nantong in Jiangsu, Nanchang in Jiangsu, Nanchong in Sichuan, Nanyang in Henan, etc.

"Red beans grow in the South", from Wang Wei: Red beans grow in the South, and they sprout a few branches in spring. I hope you will pick more of them, this is the most loved thing.

The first time I saw this poem was in the textbook for the second grade of primary school published by the People's Education Press. The title of the poem is "Lovesickness", also known as "Gift to Li Guinian on the River".

Wang Wei, courtesy name Mojie, was a poet of the Tang Dynasty, known as the "Buddha of Poetry". Su Shi commented on it: "When you taste Mojie's poems, there are paintings in the poems; when you look at Mojie's paintings, there are poems in the paintings." Another poem "Mountain Dwelling in the Dark Autumn": "After the new rain in the empty mountains, the weather comes late in autumn" is also popular. wide.

Red beans are a plant that grows in the Lingnan region. The seeds they produce are like peas, slightly flat, bright red, and crystal clear like coral. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a woman who cried under a tree because her husband died in the border area. She died crying and turned into red beans, so people called her "Acacia Child".

Another saying refers to Jiangyin red bean tree, also known as Gushan red bean tree. Located in Gushan Town, Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province, it was planted by Xiao Tong, Prince Liang of the Southern Dynasty, more than 1,400 years ago.

It is often used in Tang poetry to express lovesickness. And "lovesickness" is not limited to love between men and women. Lovesickness also occurs among friends. Some people say that Wang Wei was passing through the South and after hearing the origin of the red bean tree, that is, the story of Xiao Tong and Hui Ru, he was inspired and wrote a poem in one fell swoop, expressing his beautiful love.

Many people don’t know that this poem was written to Wang Wei’s good friend Li Guinian.

Li Guinian was a first-class singer in the early Kaiyuan years, a famous musician, and good at composing music. Brothers Li Pengnian and Li Henian sang and danced together. The three of them formed a band and often sang in wealthy families. Their composition "Weizhou Song" was particularly appreciated by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

Wang Wei was visiting celebrities in Luoyang at the time, and the two left each other's contact information at a cocktail party organized by Qi Wang Li Fan. One is known as "Jay Chou of the Tang Dynasty", and the other is a crazy music enthusiast. It doesn’t matter if we don’t meet, meeting means knowing each other.

There is a story: Once, a person got a music picture, but he didn’t know why he titled it. After seeing it, Wang Wei replied: "This is the first beat of the third stack of "The Song of Colorful Feather Clothes"." He invited musicians to play, and it turned out to be exactly the same. Wang Wei's talent in music inevitably made him and Li Guinian become close friends.

Southern Kingdom, "Southern Kingdom" in the poem actually refers to the Lingnan area. (That is, the area south of the Five Ridges in southern China is equivalent to the entire territory of Guangdong and Guangxi, as well as parts of Hunan, Jiangxi and other provinces.)

Red beans belong to the Fabaceae family and there are many kinds. Lingnan is famous for its butterfly-shaped flowers. Soft-pod red beans of the genus Mimosa and sea red beans of the genus Mimosa are common, both of which are deciduous trees. It has pinnate compound leaves, small and round seeds, and beautiful red luster. It is also called "Acacia seed". The tree is called acacia tree or acacia wood.

Lingnan was the land of Baiyue in ancient times and was the place where the Baiyue people lived. At the end of Qin Dynasty and the beginning of Han Dynasty, it was the jurisdiction of Nanyue Kingdom. The so-called Lingnan refers to the south of the Five Ridges, which consists of five mountains: Yuecheng Ridge, Dupang Ridge (some say Jieyang Ridge), Mengzhu Ridge, Qitian Ridge, and Dayu Ridge. It is generally distributed from eastern Guangxi to eastern Guangdong and the junction of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces. It is the largest lateral structural belt in the south of the Yangtze River in China and the watershed between the Yangtze River and the Pearl River basins. For a long time, as a natural barrier, the Nanling Mountains have hindered the transportation and economic connections between the Lingnan region and the Central Plains. The economy and culture of the Lingnan region have been far inferior to those of the Central Plains, and it has been called a "barbarian land" by northerners. Since Zhang Jiuling, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, excavated the Meiguan Ancient Road in Dayuling, the Lingnan area has been gradually developed.

The "Book of Jin·Geographical Chronicles" refers to Nanhai, Guilin, and Xiangjun established in the Qin Dynasty as the "Three Lingnan Counties", which clarifies the regional scope of Lingnan. Lingnan borders Wuling to the north, the South China Sea to the south, Yunnan and Guizhou to the west, and Fujian to the east. It covers most of today's Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi and northern Vietnam. After the Song Dynasty, northern Vietnam was separated.

Wuling not only refers to the names of the five ridges, but also includes the five passages through the Nanling. Lingnan is also known as Lingwai and Lingbiao. Now we look at Lingnan from different geographical locations: from the Central Plains region, it is called Lingwai; from the Pearl River Delta, it can also be called Lingbiao.

Lingnan is a specific environmental region in China. These regions not only have similar geographical environments, but also have many similarities in people's living habits.

Red bean is a poisonous plant of the genus Acacia in the Fabaceae family. It is widely distributed in tropical areas. It is produced in Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan, China, and grows in mountainous forests. The seeds contain a protein called abrin, which is highly toxic and can cause poisoning if ingested, and even death in severe cases. The seeds can be made into beaded ornaments and percussion instruments; Taiwanese folk also spread the practice of adding the stems to tea to add aroma.

To sum up, Nanguo should refer to Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region today. Nanning's "South China Morning Post" can also prove this.

ps (I suddenly thought of this topic in my spare time. I hope you can criticize and correct me. It’s best if you add anything, thank you~)