The Peach Blossom Land
The Basics:
The Story:
The Play:
- A Chronicle of the Peach Blossom Spring, by Tao Yuanming (365–427 CE), is one of the most famous pieces of classical Chinese literature.
- Tao Yuanming is one of the best-known poets in Chinese literature.
- He was also a government official and scholar, who retired early from the government under the pressure of the literati because of wars and internecine feuds.
- It's only about 300 words.
- "Peach Blossom Land" is identical to saying: “utopia,” “lost horizon” or “Shangri-La--” if you find it and leave, you can never return to it again.
- This poem is so important that all students in Taiwan and China are required to memorize it.
The Story:
- A fisherman gets lost while fishing.
- He stumbles into a beautiful peach grove.
- The villagers of Peach Blossom Land live in perfect harmony and have no idea what year it is.
- The fisherman is treated like an honored guest.
- After several days, the fisherman leaves. The villagers of Peach Blossom Land ask him not to tell anyone.
- The fisherman leaves, marks the entrance and immediately starts telling people about what he found.
- The people the fisherman told, as well as the fisherman himself, go to look for Peach Blossom Land.
- No one finds Peach Blossom Land. A learned and virtuous gentleman (the gentleman the Mysterious Lady looks for in the play) goes to look for it, but falls and dies.
The Play:
- Stan Lai said he did not see the nuances of the poem when he memorized it in junior high school; he didn't understand them until he was grown up, “the only difference between them [people in The Peach Blossom Spring] and the outside world is that they have no knowledge of history. To me that is a pretty scathing representation of Chinese history, which was brutal a thousand years ago and is more brutal today.”
- Lai’s use of Peach Blossom Spring in the play has multiple implications:
- For the fisherman Tao, it is the literal Peach Blossom Land that he accidentally entered.
- In the Secret Love play, the young woman Yun Zhifan in 1949 also mentions a place just like the utopia.
- For Jiang, as well as the whole generation of KMT veterans and refugees, Peach Blossom Land could be Taiwan in its beginnings.
A Record of the Peach Blossom Spring
by Tao Yuan-ming [c. 365-427]
In the Jin Dynasty, during the reign of Tai Yuan, there was a man from Wuling who fished for a living. One day, while following the stream, he lost track of how far he had traveled. Suddenly he came upon a solid grove of peach trees, that lined the river on both sides for hundreds of yards. The grass was fragrant and fresh; the falling peach blossoms filled the air with dazzling colors. The fisherman rowed on in awe, to explore the depths of the grove.
At the forest’s end, at the river’s source, was a mountain, which had a small opening that seemed to shed light. The fisherman forsook his boat, and entered the opening. At first narrow, he managed to squeeze in. After continuing several dozen paces, the passage suddenly opened wide, revealing a flat land with neat rows of houses. There were beautiful fields and ponds, with the likes of mulberry and bamboo trees. Paths crisscrossed through the fields, and the sound of chickens and dogs could be heard. The people farming the land were clothed like those outside. Their long hair was brown, and they all exuded an air of natural happiness. They were very surprised to see the fisherman, and asked where he had come from. He answered their every question. They invited him to their homes, opened wine and slaughtered chickens to host him. Other villagers heard of the fisherman, and all came to ask him of news. They told him, “Our ancestors came as refugees from the wars of the era of Qin, bringing their wives and families to this faraway place, after which we did not leave, and slowly were isolated from the outside world.” When they asked him “What dynasty be it?” They had no idea there had been a Han Dynasty, much less the Wei or Jin. The villagers were astonished by all of what the fisherman described, and sighed in amazement. They all took turns in inviting him to their houses, and hosted him with wine and food. After a few days, he bid farewell. The people inside warned him “We’re not worth telling the outside world.”
After exiting, the fisherman found his boat, and made the return trip, marking the route on his way back. On arrival, he sought out the magistrate, and told him of his discovery. The magistrate immediately dispatched a party to go back with him. They went by his markers, but got lost, and could not find the place.
There was a noble gentleman from Nanyang named Liu Ziji, who, on hearing the news, joyfully set out to find this place, but to no avail, and he died of illness en route.
Afterwards, there were no more people interested in seeking this place.
-- in a poor translation by Stan Lai
In the Jin Dynasty, during the reign of Tai Yuan, there was a man from Wuling who fished for a living. One day, while following the stream, he lost track of how far he had traveled. Suddenly he came upon a solid grove of peach trees, that lined the river on both sides for hundreds of yards. The grass was fragrant and fresh; the falling peach blossoms filled the air with dazzling colors. The fisherman rowed on in awe, to explore the depths of the grove.
At the forest’s end, at the river’s source, was a mountain, which had a small opening that seemed to shed light. The fisherman forsook his boat, and entered the opening. At first narrow, he managed to squeeze in. After continuing several dozen paces, the passage suddenly opened wide, revealing a flat land with neat rows of houses. There were beautiful fields and ponds, with the likes of mulberry and bamboo trees. Paths crisscrossed through the fields, and the sound of chickens and dogs could be heard. The people farming the land were clothed like those outside. Their long hair was brown, and they all exuded an air of natural happiness. They were very surprised to see the fisherman, and asked where he had come from. He answered their every question. They invited him to their homes, opened wine and slaughtered chickens to host him. Other villagers heard of the fisherman, and all came to ask him of news. They told him, “Our ancestors came as refugees from the wars of the era of Qin, bringing their wives and families to this faraway place, after which we did not leave, and slowly were isolated from the outside world.” When they asked him “What dynasty be it?” They had no idea there had been a Han Dynasty, much less the Wei or Jin. The villagers were astonished by all of what the fisherman described, and sighed in amazement. They all took turns in inviting him to their houses, and hosted him with wine and food. After a few days, he bid farewell. The people inside warned him “We’re not worth telling the outside world.”
After exiting, the fisherman found his boat, and made the return trip, marking the route on his way back. On arrival, he sought out the magistrate, and told him of his discovery. The magistrate immediately dispatched a party to go back with him. They went by his markers, but got lost, and could not find the place.
There was a noble gentleman from Nanyang named Liu Ziji, who, on hearing the news, joyfully set out to find this place, but to no avail, and he died of illness en route.
Afterwards, there were no more people interested in seeking this place.
-- in a poor translation by Stan Lai