Zhuozhou, Hebei Province: Tracking down the millennium commitment of oath of the Peach Garden

World Guangong Culture news: On April 13th (Lunar calendar: March 23th), it was said that it was the memorial day for “sworn brothers of Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei”. On this day, the friends from home and abroad gathered in Zhuozhou City of Hebei Province to recall and feel the uninhibited millennium commitment of oath of the Peach Garden.

● Qianglong: the best place of the world

Zhuozhou is the “south gate” of Beijing, only 62 kilometers away from Tiananmen Square, it was honored as "the best place of the world” by Qianlong emperor. This ancient cultural city with 2300 years of history, which has outstanding people and rich land with large number of celebrities. Liu Bei Emperor, Zhao Kuangyin Emperor, Zhang Fei, Lu Zhi, the famous minister in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Li Daoyuan, the geographer in the Northern Wei Dynasty were born here, the ancestral home of Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Master was also in this treasure place. With the long history of thousands of years, the hometown of emperors and celebrities as well as humanistic sceneries had formed rich historic culture.

Qianlong Emperor’s inscription--"the best place of the world”

● Zhuozhou: The source of the culture of the Three Kingdoms 
6 years ago, Zhuozhou was named " the village of China's Three Kingdoms Culture " by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, " and approved Zhuozhou to establish” research center of China’s three kingdoms culture ". In recent years, the Three Kingdoms culture was concentrated rapidly from Zhuozhou and went to the country and the world.

On March 23rd in Chinese lunar calendar, it is said that it was the day for swearing of Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. The old Sanyi temple fair called " Lou sang Day". Since from year of 2000, Sanyi Temple has restored the traditional temple fair and vigorously carried forward the " loyalty and integrity " culture. Each temple fair attracts many tourists from the county and even many foreign friends, such as the American Red Cross, Japan Asia-Pacific Culture Promotion Association, the Korean Tae kwon have been visited and exchanged in here, the Establishment Ceremony of Japan " Academy of the History of Three Kingdoms " also chose Sanyi temple.

The painted sculptures of Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were consecrated in Sanyi temple of Zhuozhou

Visitors were taking photos before the stele of " Taoyuan three sworn brothers ".

Temple fair ceremony of Sanyi temple

Sanyi Square of Zhuozhou

Studio City of Zhuozhou

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The peach blossoms were brilliant inside the Studio City of Zhuozhou

In the territory of Zhuozhou, there are Sanyi square and LGZ large-scale sculptures, Lu Zhi tomb, Zhang Fei tomb and many historic sites of the Three Kingdoms in Songlin. The Studio City which was built during shooting the TV play of " Romance of the Three Kingdoms " has become the new scenic spot of the culture of the three kingdoms. Zhuozhou people advocate LGZ’s loyalty and honesty, there is Taoyuan road, Sanyi road, Saiyimiao street, Saiyi primary school, Saiyi building inside and outside of the city, the social life of Zhuozhou is nourished by the culture of the three kingdoms everywhere.

● The pilgrims: Whether Emperor Liu would " complain " or not?

Dashulousang village, Linjiatun Township, Zhuozhou City is the hometown of Liu Bei Emperor in Shu-Han Kingdom. According to the record from county annals and the inscriptions of successive dynasties, Lousang village built temple of Liu Bei, the temple was very magnificent; the statues in the front hall were carved by wood with a cubit high; the rear hall had Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Pang Tong and Ms. Gan and Mei statues, whenever the Mid-Autumn, the idolatrous procession was very bustling. We were attracted to here, but only saw one hearstone in the corn field of early Spring, the rest all gone.

 
The stone monument in the hometown of Liu Bei in Zhuozhou

In Liu Bei's bleaker hometown, an expert who made pilgrimage in Zhuozhou and said: recalled the tomb of Liu Bei in Sichuan Province, only kept one side at the end of axle wire in the Wuhou temple of Chengduo, the tomb was poor like that! The tomb of hometown also poor like that! Under these circumstances, our Emperor Liu would complain or tear down?

We got the heartening news: the relevant departments of Zhuozhou were working to repair the temple in Emperor Liu’s hometown.

● Liu Jinzhu: Zhang Fei would be happy and laugh
Liu Jinzhu, party branch secretary of Zhongyi Village in Zhuozhou was our new friend. 22 years ago, municipal government approved to move the " ancient well” which located in Zhongyi Village to the Sanyi temple a few kilometers away from original site. The villagers were not willing to, Secretary Liu " angered " and said : Zhang Fei was the person of Zhongyi Village, why moved the historic site outside the village? Secretary Liu insisted, the government could find no way out, and signed a agreement of " make investment and get benefit"  with Secretary Liu to reconstruct the Temple of Zhang Fei.

Because of this promise, let Secretary Liu rushed about for decades! Over the past 20 years, Secretary Liu worked hard to collect the historical data in the hometown of Zhang Fei and restored the temple of Zhang Fei, Zhang Huanhou well, etc which covers an area of 56 mu with accumulated funds, he also built three sworn brothers sculptures. His action for protecting the culture of the Three Kingdoms moved many friends from home and abroad.

Liu Jinzhu, party branch secretary of Zhongyi Village, Zhuozhou City who restored the temple of Zhang Fei

Three sworn brothers (Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei) sculptures in the hometown of Zhang Fei

Liu Jinzhu, party branch secretary of Zhongyi Village was showing his collected historical data of Three Kingdoms to the guests

● Wu Shanhai: Don't forget Chairman Mao for independent, don’t forget LiuBei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for becoming rich
Wu Shanhai, the general manager of Zhuozhou Sanyi Temple Tourism Development Co., Ltd, 10 years ago, Peach garden sworn brothers being as the representative the “Integrity” culture was queried by some people. The heroic northern man was ill-affected and said seriously: " Oath of the peach garden is an oral agreement, but the three brothers have fulfilled this agreement without any legal binding in the rest of their lives, is it the integrity or not?

Wu Shanhai (the second person from right), the general manager of Sanyi Temple of Zhuozhou was telling the story of Peach garden sworn brothers to the guests

Wu Shanhai was going to erect placards in the surrounding famous tourist attractions of Baiyangdian, QingXiling and Beidaihe in Zhuozhou, which will be written with " Peach garden sworn brothers is in Zhuozhou " on the placard. Wu Shanhai said, " Zhuozhou develops three kingdom culture, I will propose a resounding slogan: Don't forget Chairman Mao for independent, don’t forget LiuBei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for becoming rich! " 
(Writer and photography: Zhu Zhengming )