China has a long history, and various dynasties have left behind rich and diverse folk legends, which carry people's yearning and expectation for a happy life in different periods.
Many legends that were widely circulated in ancient times have gradually evolved into some mythological characters that are still alive after the years, and even in today's modern science, these wonderful legends still add rich colors to the diversified traditional culture of the Chinese nation.
Among the many folk myths and legends in China,"Eight Immortals"Undoubtedly the most well-known, the eight immortals have their own magical powers, bringing benefits to the world, fully demonstrating the charm of Taoist culture.
Among the eight immortals, Zhang Guolao, who rides a donkey upside down, is particularly eye-catching, and there are many interesting sayings about why he rides a donkey upside down.
Zhang Guolao, one of the Eight Immortals, has a unique image. He is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people with his crane hair and childish face, and the image of riding a paper stacked donkey upside down. Although he is old, he is in good spirits, showing the traditional Taoist posture of fairy wind and bones.
Among the Eight Immortals, Zhang Guolao's paper-stacked donkey is both a mount and a magic weapon, and riding a donkey upside down is his unique symbol. When driving a vehicle, whether it is an ancient horseback ride or a modern car, the driver generally concentrates and looks ahead to ensure the safety of the trip.
Zhang Guo rode a donkey upside down, which is unique in the legend of fairies and demons, and can be called the first in ancient and modern times. Why did he behave in this unique way? There are many versions of this explanation in the land of China, one of which is related to the greed of human nature.
Everyone has seven emotions and six desires, and the traditional goal of becoming a Buddha and cultivating is to eliminate evil thoughts, leave a good heart, and finally achieve the six pure and transcendent realms. This is the true meaning of spiritual practice.
Before ranking in the immortal class, Zhang Guolao was not born a god, but just an ordinary little monk. His spiritual career began in an ancient temple in the mountains, under the door of an old monk.
Although he is young, he has to practice with ** every day, and he is also responsible for the chores in the temple. Despite the hardships of life, Zhang Guo believes that this kind of spiritual life is very fulfilling.
Although the spiritual life in the mountains is unremarkable, it seems a bit boring for a child who likes to play. So, Zhang Guolao used his leisure time to find his own fun.
One day, he found an immortal creature full of aura in the temple. There are various legends about this immortal thing, some people say that it is a thousand-year-old ginseng essence, and some people say that it is a He Shou Wu in the shape of a cultivator.
After the old monk knew about this, he told Zhang Guo to wash and cook the immortal object, and then take it to live forever and achieve the goal of cultivating and becoming an immortal. Zhang Guolao acted according to the instructions of **, and finally succeeded in ranking in the immortal class.
In the short time that the old monk left, the greedy Zhang Guolao devoured the thing without permission, not even a drop of soup left, and even gave some to his donkey.
In order to escape the responsibility of the old monk, Zhang Guolao hurriedly jumped on the back of the donkey, and while he drove the donkey forward with all his might, he rode the donkey backwards and looked back, for fear that the people in the temple would catch up.
The donkey that drank the fairy soup became magical, it could soar through the clouds when it ran, and the donkey that obtained the immortal energy and spiritual power saved Zhang Guolao's life.
Zhang Guolao and the donkey traveled all over the world together, walked the world, saved people from fire and water, punished the evil and promoted the good, and the image of riding a donkey was widely praised by the world. Folklore has it that Zhang Guo rode a donkey not only because of human greed, but also because of lust.
It is rumored that he entered the court as an official during the Tang and Song dynasties, and after accumulating wealth, he chose to retreat bravely and return to his hometown to retire. On his way home, he saw a tall, handsome woman working in the fields.
Her beautiful face became more and more moving in the labor, and her delicate body was soaked in sweat. Zhang Guolao was attracted by her beauty, so he decided to ride a donkey upside down as a sign of respect.
On a whim, Zhang Guolao had bad intentions towards the young girl and behaved frivolously. However, this girl was not easy to mess with, and in the end, Zhang Guolao's flirting ended in failure, and she laughed at her.
Then, Zhang Guolao actually learned that she was his biological daughter during the conversation, this sudden news made Zhang Guolao ashamed, and his heart to return home disappeared instantly, leaving only deep self-blame and shamelessness to face his daughter's pain.
In desperation, Zhang Guolao chose the skill of riding a donkey upside down and fled from this place in a hurry. Since he couldn't return home, Zhang Guolao decided to go to the mountains to concentrate on cultivation, hoping to get rid of the trouble of lust.
After a long period of cultivation, Zhang Guolao finally reached the state of six pure roots, and finally attained the Tao and ascended to immortality.
When Zhang Guolao and Chai Wangye were watching the Zhaozhou Bridge, they had a whim and wanted to test Lu Ban's skills by riding a donkey across the bridge upside down. If they can cross the bridge smoothly, it will prove that Luban's skills are superb and the quality of the bridge is reliable.
If the bridge collapses, it means that the quality of the bridge needs to be improved. This story has been widely circulated and has become one of the allusions to riding a donkey upside down.
Luban was confident in his craft skills, and he came out on top in this gamble. When he saw that the bridge was crumbling after Zhang Guolao and Chai Wangye cast a spell, he jumped into the river without hesitation and used his whole body to support the bridge and turn it into a safe place.
Zhang Guolao and Chai Wangye successfully crossed the bridge, and Lu Ban won the gamble. In this legend, Lu Ban's handprints and Zhang Guolao's hoof prints on the bridge deck were left upside down, which were called ghostly workmanship.
Zhang Guolao, one of the eight immortals in ancient myths and legends in China, why did he have to ride a donkey upside down? This mystery through the ages, there are many magical sayings among the folk, some say that they fled because of greed and lust, some say that they are gambling with Lu Ban, and some say that they are to achieve back-to-back, face-to-face fairness and politeness.