Mount Li, with outstanding people, has not only left extremely rich and precious relics of Qin and Tang Wenhua for the Chinese nation, but also cultivated colorful flowers of pomegranate culture in China. The emergence, development and maturity of pomegranate culture in China embodies the meaning of "taking famous flowers from abroad and making great achievements at home", which shows the love and yearning of Shaanxi people for beautiful and auspicious things in past dynasties and inspires Lintong people's desire and pursuit for modern cultural life. China pomegranate is authentic in Lintong, which is the birthplace of pomegranate culture in China.
Documentary records
Pomegranate planting Sanqin originated in Han Dynasty. The historical fact that Zhang Qian brought pomegranate seeds back from the Western Regions in the Western Han Dynasty is recorded in relevant documents.
Zhang Hua's "Natural History" in the Western Jin Dynasty says: "Han Zhang Qian made a trip to the Western Regions, and he got the pomegranate species from Tulin Anshi." (Tulin is a transliteration of Sanskrit pomegranate)
In the Western Jin Dynasty, Lu Ji's "With Brother yunshu" said: "Zhang Qian made a foreign country for eighteen years and got a pomegranate in Tulin' an."
Ming Wang Xiangjin's "Qunfang Spectrum" says: "Pomegranate originated from the Anshi Kingdom in Tulin, and Han Zhang Qian made the Western Regions, and it was returned to its species."
Qing Chen's "Flower Mirror" says: "Pomegranate is really from Anshi country, and it was brought back to China by Han and Zhang Qian, so it was named An Pomegranate."
Pomegranate seeds from Zhang Qian were introduced to the mainland from the Silk Road, and were first planted in Shanglinyuan and Lishan Hot Spring Palace in Chang 'an, the imperial capital at that time. According to Yu Yuan, the commander of Shanglin in Han Dynasty, there were 3,000 exotic flowers and plants planted in Shanglin Garden at that time, including "ten pomegranate plants". Being loved by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he later ordered pomegranate to be planted in Lishan Hot Spring Palace.
Zhang Qian, a native of Chenggu, Western Han Dynasty, was an official with a big order. In the third year of Jianyuan (BC 138), he was ordered by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to send an envoy to Dayue's family, meeting with * * * to attack the Xiongnu. In the third year of Yuan Shuo (before 126), he returned to Han, and was detained by Xiongnu on the way, and he was abroad for *** 13 years. In the fourth year of Yuanshou (before 1 19), he was ordered to send envoys to Wusun (now Yili River valley in Xinjiang) and sent envoys to Dawan, Kangju, Daxia and Rest in Peace. History says that Zhang Qian's second mission to the Western Regions refers to this.
The western region is the general name for the area west of Yumenguan after the Han Dynasty. In a narrow sense, it refers to the east of Congling Mountain, while in a broad sense, it refers to the area that can be reached west of Yumenguan Gate, including central and western Asia, Indian Peninsula, eastern Europe and northern Africa. Anshi country is now Iran and Afghanistan in Central Asia, which is the origin of pomegranate. The first pomegranate seed in China was brought back by Zhang Qian when he went to the Western Regions for the second time and returned in March 1 15 BC (that is, the second year of Emperor Yuan Ding of the Han Dynasty). Since then, Chang 'an has reached the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and the 7000-kilometer "Silk Road" has been opened, bringing back grapes, walnuts, watermelons, gourds and other fruits. Zhang Qian died shortly after his return to Han Dynasty. In memory of this hardworking diplomat and the pioneer of the Silk Road, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty named him Bo Wanghou.
folklore
There is also a magical legend about the origin of Lintong pomegranate. According to legend, when Nu Wa tried to mend the sky, she lost a red gem at the foot of Mount Li. One year, when Prince Anshiguo was hunting, he saw a golden-winged bird that was about to freeze to death in the forest, and hurriedly took it back to the palace for feeding and treating diseases. After the golden-winged bird was saved, in order to repay the prince for saving his life, not far from Wan Li, the ruby at the foot of Lishan Mountain was taken to the imperial garden of Anshi Kingdom, and soon a wonderful tree with red flowers and lush leaves grew, and Anshi King gave it the name "An Pomegranate".
In BC 1 19, Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions and came to Anshi Kingdom (Anguo refers to today's Buhela, and Shiguo refers to Tashkent). At that time, Anshiguo was in a drought, with thousands of miles of bare land, yellow crops and even pomegranate trees in the imperial garden dying. So, Zhang Qian told them the experience of building water conservancy projects in the Han Dynasty, which saved a crop and the pomegranate tree. This year, the pomegranate in bloom was particularly red and the fruit was particularly big. When Zhang Qian returned home, King Anshi gave him a lot of gold, silver and jewels, but he didn't want them. He only accepted some pomegranate seeds and brought them back as souvenirs. Since then, pomegranate, which changed from the "ruby" of Lishan Mountain, began to settle and multiply at the foot of Shanglinyuan and Lishan Mountain in Chang 'an, becoming the pomegranate of Lintong today.
natural causes
People can't help asking, why can pomegranate planted in Shanglinyuan and Lishan Hot Spring Palace survive in Lintong for a long time? This is not surprising. The area around the northern foot of Lishan Mountain is a "red silt" mixed with gravel and loess, with good permeability and rich light resources, and the four seasons are warm and cold, wet and dry; There is less dust in the air and good visibility in light. All these are adapted to the characteristics of pomegranate, such as liking temperature, liking light, resisting drought and bearing thin ridge. "Natural selection, survival of the fittest", so the pomegranate in Lishan Mountain has become one of the top ten famous flowers in China for two thousand years. The fruit grows bigger and bigger, and some single fruits can reach more than 1 kg; Breeding is becoming more and more widespread and has spread to many parts of the country. Pomegranate from other places, regardless of sweetness, size and appearance, is incomparable with pomegranate from Lishan Mountain.
Overview of development
From folklore to literature, from natural factors to reproduction, it goes without saying that Lintong pomegranate is the fruit of Chinese pomegranate and an important witness of the ancient "Silk Road". For more than 2,100 years, with the development of China's economy and culture and the southeast shift of China's economic center of gravity, pomegranate has gradually moved eastward and southward, and has been planted in Anhui, Henan, Shanxi, Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangsu and Zhejiang-Shao areas. All kinds of cultures around pomegranate are gradually forming.
In the Western Jin Dynasty, pomegranate was endowed with great prosperity. Pan Yue's "An Pomegranate Fu" says: "The pomegranate is a wonderful tree under the tree, and it is the fruit of Kyushu. It's flashy and beautiful, and it tastes different. In Shang and Qiu dynasties, people were enraged and collected, and thousands of rooms were the same, and thousands of children were like two. Colorful and upright, shining and shining, the taste is soaked, and the fragrance is overflowing. " The poet described the pomegranate's flower and fruit state, color, taste and fragrance vividly and beautifully with the wonderful pen of a wizard.