The Story of Meng Jiangnu
This year, a pair of Qiao Yan lived in the Meng family hall. At that time, it was said that whose home the swallows lived in would be blessed with good fortune and good luck. Therefore, the Meng family loves Qiaoyan very much. In the third year of Qiaoyan's stay, it was already March in Yangchun. All the swallows living in other people's homes had flown back, but the swallows living in their own home were not seen coming back. The whole family was very worried.
Just when the Meng family was anxious, a clever swallow suddenly flew straight towards the main room, landed on the square table in the middle of the room and chirped non-stop. Master Meng couldn't be more happy. When he came closer, he saw a red cloth wrapped around Yanzi's right leg. He was shocked and thought, oh, was someone's child catching him and injuring his leg?
He hurried forward to catch the little swallow and carefully untied the red cloth. At first glance, there was a small paper package wrapped in red cloth with the word "plant" written on it. Master Meng was very surprised. He slowly opened the paper bag and saw that there was a plump gourd seed inside.
Without saying a word, he planted the seeds at the root of Chaoyang's wall and looked at them every day. After a few days, a green and strong gourd seedling grew. The whole family named Meng was very happy. Happy. Fertilize, water, and maintain carefully.
The gourd seedlings grew more and more prosperously, and soon they climbed up the wall and were dragged to the Jiang family courtyard. The Jiang family also takes good care of them. Coincidentally, there was a gourd on the top of the wall among the seedlings, and both the Meng and Jiang families liked it. They discussed cutting the gourd in half when it matured and making half a gourd for the family.
After autumn, the gourds become ripe. When the two families were about to take it off and saw it, they heard a "bang" sound, the gourd burst open, and a little girl jumped out of the gourd. The girl was very beautiful and lovable. Meng and Jiang were overjoyed and discussed giving the little girl a name.
It seems that both families contributed to the girl, and she grew up between the two families. They had a daughter, so they named her Meng Jiangnu according to the surnames of both families. Meng Jiangnu grew up slowly, and she became clever and clever. She respected her elders and made her younger ones more sensible. The girl has undergone a major transformation, becoming more and more beautiful, and her appearance is even more like a flower.
When I reached the age of twenty-nine-eight, I crossed the threshold to propose marriage. Some were princes and young masters, and some were children of wealthy families. The Meng and Jiang families discussed and discussed, but no one was satisfied. The elders of both families were also very anxious about Meng Jiangnu's marriage. One day, a scholar who was selling poems to beg for food came to the door of Meng's house. Master Meng saw that the words he wrote looked like flowers from a distance, but they looked like words up close. Look at that man again, although his clothes are in tatters, but he still has a dashing demeanor.
I can’t help but feel admiration. Ask his family to call him into the house, give him good tea and rice, and slowly start to cook at home. It turns out that the scholar is Fan Xiliang, the son of Fan Shi'an, a good friend of Meng and Jiang. Because Qin Shihuang listened to the slander of a traitor and killed his father, his mother died of anger, leaving Fan Xiliang helpless and ended up in this situation.
The two adults, Meng and Jiang, deeply sympathized with Fan Xiliang's misfortune, took him in immediately, and betrothed Meng Jiangnu to Fan Xiliang, which settled their worries. Something unexpected happened. On the third day after Fan Xiliang and Meng Jiangnu got married, Qin Shihuang ordered that young laborers from across the country be sent to the north to build the Great Wall. Fan Xiliang was arrested while working in the fields. When Meng Jiangnu heard about it, she burst into tears.
Winter is here in a blink of an eye, and this winter is extremely cold. People kept sending messages from the north, saying that the emperor was only interested in repairing the Great Wall as soon as possible and did not care about the lives of migrant workers. Countless people died of cold and hunger. Meng Jiangnu became even more restless when she heard about these letters. I hurriedly made a few cotton-padded clothes overnight to say goodbye to my parents and hit the road.
On the way, Meng Jiangnu ate the steamed buns she brought with her when she was hungry, and drank cold water when she was thirsty. They traveled day and night. On this day, I finally came to the Great Wall and inquired about my husband's whereabouts. After asking around, the Shandong migrant workers said that Fan Xiliang died of cold and starvation and was buried inside the Great Wall. When Meng Jiangnu heard this, she felt very sad and burst into tears. I cried for seventy-seven forty-nine days in a row, which moved God.
On this day, Meng Jiangnu was crying uncontrollably when she heard a "boom" and the Great Wall collapsed, revealing a corpse. Meng Jiangnu stepped forward and saw that it was her husband Fan Xiliang. She stepped forward and hugged her husband, crying even more.
Extended information
A place to commemorate Meng Jiangnu
1. Meng Jiangnu Temple
The story of Meng Jiangnu crying down the Great Wall is widely circulated in our country and can be said to be a household name. In order to commemorate her, later generations built the Zhennu Temple, commonly known as Meng Jiangnu Temple. This virgin temple is located on the top of Fenghuang Mountain in the north of Wangfushi Village, 6.5 kilometers east of Shanhaiguan District, Qinhuangdao City. In 1956, it was announced as the first batch of key cultural relics protection units in Hebei Province.
The entire scenic spot is composed of long steps, mountain gate, divine pavilion, front hall, back hall, Wang Fu Stone, dressing table, Zhenyi Pavilion, sea eye, Meng Jiangnu Garden and other scenic spots. The layout is reasonable and well-proportioned. The temple is surrounded by lush trees and covered with green bricks and red tiles, making it look particularly simple and quiet.
2. Meng Jiangnu Temple
Tongchuan Jiangnu Temple is located at the foothills of Jinshan Mountain in the suburbs, about 1.5 kilometers away from the ancient city of Tongchuan. The transportation here is convenient, the environment is elegant, and the magical and tragic legend of Jiang Nu makes it a bit mysterious. The Tongchuan Jiangnu Temple was built more than 1,000 years ago. It has been repaired and expanded during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. By the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, it had become a large-scale scenic spot with numerous temples and long-lasting influence.
In the late years of the Republic of China, due to the destruction by the Kuomintang’s reactionary troops, Jiang Nu Temple became increasingly deserted. In 1990, the suburban people's government invested a lot of money to renovate and expand the Jiangnu Temple. After four years of hard work, it is now open to tourists with a brand new look. The mountain gate, sacrificial pavilion, statue of Meng Jiangnu and the steps of the newly built Jiangnu Temple are scattered layer by layer and integrated into one.
The mountain gate is three rooms wide, imitating the Xieshan-style building of the Qing Dynasty, with half-arched cornices, and a plaque of "Meng Jiangnu" hanging on the middle door. In the courtyard of the mountain gate, there is a 4.5-meter-high statue of Meng Jiangnu, and a 1.5-meter-high base. The seat is engraved with "Sacrifice of Meng Jiang Nu Temple during the Festival" written by Qin Yang, governor of Shaanxi Province in the Ming Dynasty. On both sides are erected steles of poetry and prose by ancient people praising Jiang Nu Temple.
Baidu Encyclopedia—Meng Jiangnu (Chinese folklore figure)