cast water into the thames(xián shā tián hǎi)

a symbol of dogged determination

The synonym Jingwei reclamation generally refers to Jingwei reclamation, which is one of the ancient Chinese myths and legends. According to legend, Jingwei was the youngest daughter of Shennong family of Yan Emperor. She was named Nvwa. One day, she went to the East China Sea to play and drowned in the water. After his death, his unjust spirit turned into a kind of divine bird with flowery head, white beaked shell and red claws. Every day, he took stones and plants from the mountain and threw them into the East China Sea. Then he uttered the lament of "Jingwei, Jingwei", as if calling himself.

Based on different research perspectives, the myth of "Jingwei reclamation" is classified into different types. Obviously, the myth of "Jingwei reclamation" belongs to the typical metamorphosis myth, and belongs to the myth of "supporting life after death" in the metamorphosis myth, that is, the soul is entrusted to the reality. Not only that, but "Jingwei reclamation" also belongs to the myth of revenge. When she was alive, she had no revenge against the sea, but she accidentally drowned. In this way, she formed a hatred with the sea and incarnated as a bird to carry out the Revenge of reclamation all her life.

Some researchers believe that "there are many typical unnatural deaths recorded in ancient Chinese myths, among which the accidents show us the weakness and powerlessness of our ancestors in the face of nature, and also reveal the fragility of life." Nvwa's death is a kind of death due to accident, which shows the fragility of human life and the strength of the sea. Mao Dun, a famous writer, thinks that "Jingwei and Xingtian belong to the same type of myth, both of which describe the indomitable perseverance and will, which belong to the myth of birds and animals with moral consciousness."

Myth analysis

The myth of "Jingwei reclamation" has a long history. For example, Yuan Ke thinks that Jingwei reclamation "shows the desire of primitive human beings who suffered from natural disasters to conquer nature". This kind of explanation is related to Marx's explanation of myth, which has long influenced the study of Chinese mythology. Marx pointed out in the introduction to critique of political economy that "any myth conquers, dominates and visualizes natural forces by imagination and with the help of imagination." People often emphasize their spiritual value. They think that the ancients' level of understanding is limited, and they can't correctly understand and reflect nature. They use imagination, fiction and exaggeration to describe historical events and create myths. They also use the key words of "persistence" and "perseverance" to explain the ancestors' belief and ideal of conquering nature, and praise the heroism of "Jingwei" in fighting heaven and earth Emotional ambition, or interpreted as the tragic and strong myth expression of Jingwei. In addition, from the perspective of narratology, Ni niangshui interpreted it as an allegory and symbol of "the cultural struggle between the north and the South" and "considered it as a metaphorical mythical narrative of the historical, cultural and political confrontation between the north and the south at that time". Through the analysis of "East" and "mountain" elements, Tian Zhaoyuan believes that "the failure of Emperor Yan's Shennong's eastward March is due to the defeat of Chiyou's, which is equivalent to drowning. It turns into a Jingwei bird to express that Emperor Yan's tribe still maintains its spiritual ideal after the failure, and fills the sea to express a kind of revenge and confrontation.". Duan Yuming thinks that "Jingwei reclamation" or a myth about the sun tells a story about the sinking of the sun. Nvwa is not only the symbol of the sun, but also the symbol of business. Its sinking is a metaphor for the collapse of business. What Jingwei tried to do was to restore an old order of the sun, and what it contained was a merchant's desire to restore his country. According to the historical information implied in the myth of "Jingwei reclamation", fan Zhengsheng believes that "Jingwei reclamation" is the product of the historical facts of tribal marriage and the true reflection of the marriage of the prince in the age of Dijun in Yandi tribal group and SHAOHAO tribal group. It actually describes the sad feelings of the princess of Yandi after she married the prince in Dijun tribal group. It is an image portrayal of the tragedy of women's marriage and fate, It is also a reflection of the earliest historical event of "reconciliation" in Chinese history. Wang Hongqi believes that in 7400, the sea level rise reached the highest point, "the coastline moved westward to the Beijing Guangzhou railway line at the foot of Taihang mountain today, and then the sea level gradually fell, and the coastline also retreated eastward. The story of Jingwei reclaiming the sea and Yugong moving mountains is just the ancient memory of the changes mentioned above. " so far, the more clear interpretation of the myth motif of "Jingwei reclamation" should be attributed to the Taiwan mythological scholar Du rather than. Using the theory of Pan moon myth, Du believes that "Jingwei reclamation" is a myth about the motif of the moon. Du's interpretation is mostly attached to the society. Although his views are new, they are hard to convince people. Another school, Gao Peng, Li Jing and sun Weiqing, used anthropology, folklore and other theoretical methods to analyze the cultural connotation of the myth of "Jingwei reclamation". The myth of "Jingwei reclamation" shows the bird totem belief in the ancient matriarchal society, explains the status of women under the current clan system, and reflects a certain national spirit of the Chinese nation. The myth of "Jingwei reclamation" shows the tragic spirit and tragic consciousness of feminism, which is a subversion of the previous myth of "happy ending". through the study of myth texts, we need to explore its rich cultural connotation from multiple perspectives. The myth of "Jingwei reclamation" is a historical record left by ancient human beings. Because it is too far away, different people have different opinions on its interpretation.

The story of reclamation

Basic legend

According to the legend of Shanhaijing beishanjing, two hundred miles to the north, there is a fajiushan mountain with dense Zheshu trees growing on it. There is a kind of bird in the mountain. It looks like a crow, but it has a flower head, a white mouth and red feet. Its name is Jingwei, and its call is the pronunciation of its name. Jingwei bird was the youngest daughter of Emperor Yan, named Nvwa. The girl went to the East China Sea. Drowned in the East China Sea, without returning, they became Jingwei birds, often carrying the branches and stones of Xishan Mountain to fill the East China Sea. From this mountain, zhangshui flows eastward into the Yellow River.

Folk version

According to legend, Emperor Yan had a daughter named Nuwa, who was clever, lively, lovely and beautiful. Emperor Yan liked her very much. One day, she went out of the village, looking for children to play, saw a big child riding a child as a horse. The children are all tired, but the older ones are not willing to give up. The girl walked over, pointed to the big child's forehead and scolded angrily: "you are too bad. Bullying a child is no skill. If you have the strength to fight tigers and bears, people will say you are a hero." when the older child saw that the girl was a little girl and was born thin and weak, he didn't pay attention to her at all. He jumped off the child's back, went to the girl and said, "I'm the son of the Dragon King. Who are you? How dare you take care of me The girl said, "what's so great about the son of the Dragon King? I'm still the daughter of Shennong. In the future, if you don't go wild on the land, I'll hang you on the tree and dry you in the sun." the son of the Dragon King said, "I'll let you know what I'm good at first, and then mind your own business." Then he began to fight. The girl followed her father up the mountain to hunt since she was a child. She was very flexible and strong. Seeing the other party's insolence, she didn't show weakness. She dodged the other party's fist and kicked the son of the Dragon King. the son of the dragon king stood up and refused to admit defeat. He punched again and again. He was punched in the chest by the girl and raised his face to the sky. When the son of the dragon king saw that he couldn't beat the girl, he had to go back to the sea. after a few days, the girl went swimming in the sea and was having a good time when the son of the Dragon King found out. He swam over and said to the girl: you picked up a bargain on the land that day. Today, you run to my house and quickly admit your mistake, or I'll make waves and drown you. The girl said stubbornly, "I'm right. I don't know what's wrong." when the son of the dragon king saw that the girl was stubborn, he didn't mean to admit defeat at all. He immediately stirred up the sea and set off fierce waves. The girl drowned and never came back before she had time to struggle. The girl was not willing to die, so her soul changed and made a bird named "Jingwei". Jingwei, with a flower head, white beak and red claws, is a little like a crow. He lives in fajiushan in the north. She was destroyed by the merciless sea waves, and thought that other people might also be taken away from her young life. So she kept taking twigs and stones from the west mountain and throwing them into the sea to fill up the sea. She flies endlessly between the west mountain and the East China Sea. But the roaring sea laughed at her and said, "forget it, little bird. Even if you work for millions of years, you can't even fill me up!" But Jingwei, who soared high in the sky, firmly replied, "even if I work for 10 million years, 10 million years, until the end of the world, I will fill you up!" Why do you hate me so much "Because you have taken away my young life, and many innocent young lives will be taken away by you in the future." "Silly bird, then do it - do it!" The sea laughed. Jingwei screamed in the sky: "I want to do it! I'll do it! I'm going to do it forever! This sea of sorrow and hatred, I will fill you to the ground one day She flew and howled, left the sea and flew back to the west mountain, carrying stones and branches from the west mountain into the sea. She flies back and forth in this way, never rest, and she is still doing this kind of work to this day.

Said after the meeting

Emperor Yan's beloved daughter and daughter drowned in the East. Emperor Yan was devastated. After the girl died, she turned into a bird with colorful head, white beak and barefoot. She went hunting with Shennong and flew around the forest, whistling "Jingwei". Emperor Yan raised his bow to shoot, and the attendant told him: "this bird is the daughter of your majesty!" Emperor Yan was surprised. He put down his bow and arrow, and his eyes filled with tears. After a long time, he could not help himself. After a long time, he said, "let's give the name of bird Jingwei!" Jingwei hovered for a long time and refused to leave. Emperor Yan wrote a song: "Jingwei is singing, heaven and earth are moving! Man made fish and insects! I'm so sad that I can't speak! sea

Chinese PinYin : xián shā tián hǎi