Peach Blossom Shangri-La

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1 Little Nex Classics Peach Blossom Shangri-La 桃花源記 Tao Yuan Ming Translated from the Chinese by Rick Davis & David Steelman Unabridged version brought to you by the Great Library of Little Nex. Visit us at for more free e-books. Happy reading!

2 English Text D uring the Taiyuan era 1 of the Jin Dynasty 2 there was a man of Wuling 3 who made his living as a fisherman. Once while following a stream he forgot how far he had gone. He suddenly came to a grove of blossoming peach trees. It lined both banks for several hundred paces and included not a single other kind of tree. Petals of the dazzling and fragrant blossoms were falling everywhere in profusion. Thinking this place highly unusual, the fisherman advanced once again in wanting to see how far it went. The peach trees stopped at the stream's source, where the fisherman came to a mountain with a small opening through which it seemed he could see light. Leaving his boat, he entered the opening. At first it was so narrow that he could barely pass, but after advancing a short distance it suddenly opened up to reveal a broad, flat area with imposing houses, good fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, bamboo, and the like. The fisherman saw paths extending among the fields in all directions, and could hear the sounds of chickens and dogs. Men and women working in the fields all wore clothing that looked like that of foreign lands (actually two sequential dynasties, the Western and the Eastern ). 3 A place in present-day Hunan Province. 2

3 The elderly and children all seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves. The people were amazed to see the fisherman, and they asked him from where he had come. He told them in detail, then the people invited him to their home, set out wine, butchered a chicken 4, and prepared a meal. Other villagers heard about the fisherman, and they all came to ask him questions. Then the villagers told him, To avoid the chaos of war during the Qin Dynasty 5, our ancestors brought their families and villagers to this isolated place and never left it, so we've had no contact with the outside world. They asked the fisherman what the present reign was. They were not even aware of the Han Dynasty 6, let alone the Wei 7 and Jin. The fisherman told them everything he knew in great detail, and the villagers were amazed and heaved sighs. Then other villagers also invited the fisherman to their homes, where they gave him food and drink. After several days there, the fisherman bid farewell, at which time some villagers told him, It's not worth telling people on the outside about us set out wine, butchered a chicken : a stock phrase meaning to entertain a guest lavishly B.C BC to AD A.D The villagers would just as soon keep their existence secret. 3

4 The fisherman exited through the opening, found his boat, and retraced his route while leaving markers to find this place again. Upon his arrival at the prefecture town he went to the prefect and told him what had happened. The prefect immediately sent a person to follow the fisherman and look for the trail markers, but they got lost and never found the way. Liu Ziji 9 of Nanyang 10 was a person of noble character. When he heard this story he was happy and planned to visit the Shangri-la, but he died of illness before he could accomplish it. After that no one else ever looked for the place. 9 A retired scholar of the Jin Dynasty. 10 A place in present-day Henan Province. 4

5 Chinese Text 桃花源記陶淵明晉太元中武陵人捕魚為業緣溪行,忘路之遠近忽逢桃花林,夾岸數百步中無雜樹,芳華鮮美落英繽紛漁人甚異之復前行欲窮其林林盡水源便得一山山有小口仿佛若有光便捨船從口入初極狹纔通人復行數十步豁然開朗土地平礦屋舍儼然有良田美池桑竹之屬阡陌交通雞犬相聞其中往來種作男女衣著悉如外人黃髮垂髫並怡然自樂見漁人乃大驚問所從來具答之便要還家為設酒殺雞作食村中聞有此人咸來問訊自云先世避秦時亂率妻子邑人來此絕境不復出焉遂與外人間隔問今是何世乃不知有漢無論魏晉此人一一為具言所聞皆歎惋餘人各復延至其家皆出酒食停數日辭去此中人語云不足為外人道也既出得其船便扶向路處處誌之及郡下詣太守說如此太守即遣人隨其往尋向所誌遂迷不復得路南陽劉子驥高尚士也聞之欣然規往未果尋病終後遂無問津者 5

蔡氏族譜序 2

蔡氏族譜序 2 1 蔡氏族譜 Highlights with characters are Uncle Mike s corrections. Missing or corrected characters are found on pages 9, 19, 28, 34, 44. 蔡氏族譜序 2 3 福建仙遊赤湖蔡氏宗譜序蔡氏之先出自姬姓周文王第五子