Alias: Yang Yuhuan.

Gender: Female

Ethnic group: Han nationality

Date of birth and death: 7 19—756.

Year: Tang Dynasty

Position: imperial concubine

Mainland: Asia

Country: China

Province: Rong County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Lady Yang

Wei xiangqiu

Where exactly is Yang Guifei from? What does she look like? For more than a thousand years, historians have different opinions and have no conclusion. Here, from the inscriptions, poems, historical records, historical sites, folk songs and other aspects, one by one textual research and discussion, in order to do a good job.

(A) on the revision of the place of origin

I. Monuments in the Tang Dynasty

The earliest record of Yang Guifei's deeds is the Monument to Yang Fei in Puning County, Rongzhou written by Xu Zizhen, a four-year teaching assistant of Tang Tianbao. According to "The Unified Records of Yuan Dynasty", "The inscription of Yang County is one hundred and twenty steps east of Puning County." Later, it was quoted by Yongle Grand Ceremony. The inscription is not long, and it is copied as follows: "Yang Fei, Rongzhou Yang Chongren also. Ten miles from the city. Nickname, father Wei, mother Ye. Wei Wei said that the ancestors said: "You buried your ancestors here for ten miles, and you forgot your name when you met a skill. As the saying goes,' this grave is a few feet high, and it is expensive to have a son; Cherish too low, and have a daughter is expensive. Princess mother was born in December, and when she was born, the house was full of fragrance. The placenta is like a lotus, and you can't keep your eyes open for three days. Night dream god wiped his eyes with his hand and opened his eyes the next day. Eyes like paint, holding out the sun, eyes are not instantaneous. Muscles are as white as jade, and looks are unparalleled. Yang Kang, the commander-in-chief of the rear army, saw this and married his father with money, seeking to be a woman. The princess's family was so poor that she had to cope. Kang has two sons studying and the princess is three years old. She sat with her day and night and listened to her reading. Gradually, knowing "jade" and "Meng", the Kang couple are as precious as pearls and jade. Yang Changshi Yan took a photo of a handsome boy, heard about it and asked his mother to come. When I met Daqi, I called my wife Jue privately and said,' This woman is abnormal in posture and noble in appearance, and my two daughters are far from catching her. So I gave gold, silk and health, seeking to become a woman. Kang didn't obey, but took coercion. Send a family cry. Living without geometry, with a long history and full ranks, I returned to Chang' an and taught with two women. Only the princess is smart and proficient in melody and Ming dynasty history. Then enter Shougong. In the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan, Ming Di entered the palace, and his name was too real, so he was greatly favored. Tianbao room, the book is the imperial concubine. "( 1)

However, opinions vary. "Biography of Yang Guifei in Old Tang Dynasty" said: "Yang Guifei, Xuanzong, was a high-impedance scribe of Jinzhou. Father Xuanzang, manager of Zhou Shu. I was lonely in my early years and was raised by my uncle Cao. I was a Henan official. " (2) the place of origin is not clear. "The Biography of Yang Guifei in the New Tang Dynasty" clearly states: "Yang Guifei, Xuanzong Guifei, is the grandson of Sui King IV and a disciple of Yongji (now Puban, Shanxi), so he is a Yongle person." (3) The Biography of Yang Taizhen said that he was from Huayin, Hongnong, and later moved to Dutou Village, Yongle, Zhou Pu. In the village, it is more specific. Later, he said: "His father Yuan (Xuan) was the governor of Shu, and the imperial concubine was born in Shu." Therefore, it was later said that Yang Fei was from Sichuan. The Biography of Yang Yuanhua (Xuan) in Old Tang Book and New Tang Book says that Yang Yuanhua (Xuan) Yan is a human being, that is, a native of Shaanxi County, Henan Province. In addition, it is said that Yang Guifei is from Liling, Hunan. There are really different opinions, and no one can say for sure.

Which of these statements should be more reliable? The author thinks that Xu Zizhen's inscription should be the most reliable. There are four reasons: first, the content of the inscription is well-founded and the context is very clear. And detailed. Although there are some legends in the article, it is not surprising that many stories of emperors, generals and heroes in history are accompanied by some legends and even superstitions. Second, the epitaph was written by Yang Guifei's contemporaries, which is the authoritative witness of this period of history. All other statements about Yang Fei's native place are far behind Xu Zizhen, the most qualified spokesperson in Yang Guifei's life. Third, this is a real inscription, which has special literature value that ordinary books and characters do not have. This is always the first thing that happens. Only with its destiny can it have its monument. For a noble lady in the Tang Dynasty, people can't just call it a stone tablet. This is within the common sense of people. Fourth, Xu Zizhen served as four teaching assistants at that time and was the prestigious dean of the school. Originally a university before the Tang Dynasty, Simen School was affiliated to imperial academy, and its duty was to teach Confucian classics. There were three teaching assistants in the Tang Dynasty. According to Liu Zongyuan's Supplementary Notes on Four Teaching, "The system of four learning, in which one sergeant is third-class, one sergeant is fourth-class, one son of Hou Bozi is the son of a scholar, and one son is a gentleman, makes his career second, and makes a textual research on the officials who study Confucianism." (5) Therefore, Xu Zi was indeed a man of high status at that time, so he had the responsibility to write such an inscription and would never fabricate it out of thin air.

As an ancient example, life cannot be passed on, so this monument should be built after Yang Fei's death. The style of the inscription must be praised after it is handed down, and the date of the monument must be after the text. This monument is unique; There is no conclusion from the chronicle to the imperial concubine in the palace, which means that it is not the full text, and there will be some omissions later. The inscription said that Yang Guifei "entered the Palace of Eternal Life", and later "the imperial edict entered it, which was too true and greatly favored." This is a positive record of history. After Yang Fei entered the residence of Shouwang, she became the wife of Shouwang. Xuanzong's father took her son's wife and shilled her to be a Taoist priest. The figures are so real that she went to Tianbao to register as an incest scandal of imperial concubine. The inscription is only vague and not clear, which is also the reason why "the honorable man is taboo"

There are different opinions about Yang Fei's native place, except Xu Zizhen's tablet. There are differences between Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan in the north and Sichuan and Hunan in the south. The content is simple and there are no details. The basis is that the Yang Xuanyan family, which is in the same strain, either follows the "Gao Zuling Ben" or follows the relocation and official tour of Yang Xuanyan and Yun, and there is no agreement. That family didn't understand the specific origin of Yang Guifei. What's more, it should be pointed out that these are all made up by later generations. When Liu Yun compiled Old Books of the Five Dynasties Tang Dynasty, it was more than 80 years since Yang Fei's death. When Song Taizong wrote Biography of Yang Taizhen, it was more than 280 years after Yang Fei's death. With a long history and indirect materials, their own statements are confusing and cannot be compared with the recorded inscriptions that Xu Zizhen personally experienced at that time. Even Bai Juyi's Song of Eternal Sorrow and Chen Hong's Biography of Song of Eternal Sorrow written 50 years after Yang Guifei's death did not clearly affirm Yang Guifei's native place. "Song of Eternal Sorrow" only says that "Yang's children haven't grown up yet", but it doesn't say where Yang's daughter is from, who her biological father is and where her home is. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that the imperial concubine is Yang Xuanyan's own daughter. The Song of Eternal Sorrow only says that "the daughter of Hongnong Yang Xuanyan was born in Shoudi" (6). In fact, Hongnong (now Lingbao County, Henan Province) was a county in the Tang Dynasty, and Yang Xuanyan was a royal town when he was the county magistrate of Hongnong, not his hometown, so it was wrong to take it as Yang Guifei's birthplace.

Second, the records of later generations.

Where is Puning County in Rongzhou mentioned by Xu Zizhen in the inscription? According to "Reading Historical Records Minutes", "Puning abandoned the county, and now it is a county rule. In the early Tang Dynasty, it belonged to Rongzhou, which governed Beiliu County. At the beginning of Kaiyuan, Shengzhou was the viceroy. " (7) The county, prefecture and state mentioned here are all consistent with the inscription. This is now Rong county in Yulin area of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Beiliu County is adjacent to Rongxian County and is also under the jurisdiction of Rongguo.

Xu Zizhen is not the only one who says that Yang Guifei is from Rongxian County. From the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, many scholars have written about it, and many historical books have detailed records. Since the Yuan Dynasty Historical Records, the Ming Dynasty Encyclopedia Yongle Dadian and the Ming Dynasty Historical Records recorded the monument of Xu Zizhen as a historical document, in the Ming Dynasty, there were Cao Xuequan's Notes on Scenic Spots in Guangxi, Wei Jun's Notes on Lingnan, Kuanglu's Cliff, and so on. After investigation, they all have the right to speak. Zeng said, "Shan Yang is in Xiyunling, Rong County, and Imperial concubine Tang Yang was born here." (8) Kuang Lu also went deep into Rong County from his hometown in Guangdong, visited Yang, the birthplace of Yang Guifei, and tasted well water. In the Qing Dynasty, there were many related records, and the most authoritative one was the large-scale series "Integration of Ancient and Modern Books" compiled by Emperor Kangxi. The book clearly affirms: "The imperial concubine's surname is Yang, Rongzhou, Yuhuan, posthumous title." (9) At the same time, Wilson, a famous Zhejiang scholar who used to be a judge in Guilin, quoted Wuzhou Fu Zhi in the Collected Works of Western Guangdong, which also confirmed that Yang Guifei was from Yunling, Rongzhou. (10) In order to compile the Collection of Western Guangdong (including essays, poems and anthologies in Western Guangdong, also known as three years), Wilson has been searching for literature and history materials in Guangxi, Zhejiang and other places for many years, and has been immersed in research, and finally achieved great success. He is recognized as an expert on Guangxi, and is known as "an expert on Guangxi". During the Jiaqing period, scholars such as Dong Hao included Yang Fei's inscription in Puning County, Rongzhou in the influential Complete Tang Dynasty. (1 1) Before deciding to be selected, Dong Hao interviewed Xiucai Zhou of Rongxian County who lived in Beijing many times, and was selected only after being confirmed. In this regard, Zhou said in his "Yu Feng Man Bi": "The imperial concubine is also a woman's ear. Good words and deeds, not recorded in the book, but so concerned about future generations, is also sad? " In addition, due to the local chronicles of Guangxi, such as Guangxi General Records, Wuzhou Prefecture Records and Rongxian County Records, etc. Can't help but describe that Yang Guifei is from Rong County. It is rare and by no means accidental that a controversial historical female image has been recorded by so many important historical chapters and books and studied by authoritative scholars. Even though some of them are influenced by Xu Zizhen's inscriptions, authoritative scholars will never blindly follow them if the inscriptions are unreliable.

Third, praise history.

Not only that, there are many poets and poets in the past dynasties, who confirmed that Yang Guifei was born in Rong County in their chanting. Xu Zhuo, a poet in the Ming Dynasty, wrote well in the Seven Laws of "Looking Back on the Past in the Five Continents": "Wang Cao is from the end of the world, looking at the sunset with wine. Cloud cold Yuhuan concubine building, spring residual gold valley beautiful family. Dansha lonely Yao Island, bamboo sparse Mao. Only Cangwu City had a clear shadow last month. " The couplets in the poem (12) not only describe Yang Guifei, who was born by the Beiliu River (Jiangxiuhe), but also touch Liang Lvzhu, who was born by the Nanliu River. Two of the four most beautiful women in China were born in Wuzhou, Guangxi. According to extensive records, Wuzhou Prefecture at that time had jurisdiction over ten counties, including Cangwu, Rongxian, Yulin and Bobai. (13) In this way, we can see the high artistic generalization and profound connotation of this poem. Peng Qing, a Zhejiang poet born as a scholar in Ming Dynasty, wrote eight landscape poems in Rong County when he was the magistrate of Rong County in the 16th year of Yongle. Wilson's Poetry of Western Guangdong contains four poems, among which "Banzhu in Yunling" intones the folk relics of Yang Fei's hometown. A poem said, "Yunling Bamboo, why are you covered in stains?" Clouds are the tears of Yuhuan when she was young, and they are beautifully decorated. In recent years, for more than one hundred years, wanderers have been practicing moxibustion all over the world. Why is the beauty in the sky upside down? Parents don't protect themselves! I will definitely say that the ruins are Yang's, and this matter is hazy. Up to now, the trees at the foot of Yangshan Mountain are lush. The phoenix has not fallen, not sad, but a slap in the face. " (14) The poet lamented that Yang Fei's childhood was betrayed: "Why is the natural beauty reversed? Parents don't protect themselves! " However, some people pointed out that it is nonsense for bamboo to be teared: "The remains will be said to be done by the Yang family, and there is no way to verify it." The poet is absolutely right. There is no doubt that "Bambusa Yunling" comes from the attached meeting, but it also shows that it was born in Rong County. Because without the Yang family's "natural beauty" and "parents don't protect themselves", there would be no legend of "Yunling Bambusa". Any legend belonging to the affiliated association must be attached before it can be combined into text. Not out of love for this native, Rongxian people probably wouldn't have invented this legend. Jie Jin, editor-in-chief of Yongle Dadian, also wrote poems to confirm that Yang Guifei was born in Rong County. He wrote in "Goulou Visiting the Ancient": "Xiagu Tongzhou in Beiliu County is a rock cage jade building in Pingdishan. Who will check the leakage of cinnabar, and people will pass on bamboo. The well in Yang Fei collapsed, and the Geling Temple (it should be Geling Temple) in autumn is overgrown with weeds and trees. But remember that the hometown mountain is better, and the brocade robe belongs to the boat. " (15) Jie Jin was demoted and came to Rongzhou Beiliu. When he passed Rongzhou, he saw the abandoned Guifei well and sang this song. Now this poem is still engraved in the gun eyes of Beiliu County. This well refers to Yang Guifei's hometown well, under the stone pile in the corner of Raojiawu, Yangpi Village, Rong County. There are Huangpi fruit trees nearby, not far from Bian Xi Village Road. Later, because Mr. Feng Shui said that the well was unfavorable, the villagers quarreled every time; It is also a fallacy to drink water from the well, so the villagers blocked the wellhead with big stones.

For Yang Guifei's native place, the most clear expression in her poems is the Song of Yang, which was first published by Zhejiang poets during the Yongzheng period of Qing Dynasty. The poem says, "john young is full of dust, and the pear blossoms are buried in the rain. Yang is from Puningli, Rongzhou. Qi died late and robbed the sand, and pedestrians visited the Yang family. The beauty of the land is forbidden by the palace, and the traces of the next generation are drawn to the well ... this well is full of clouds and waves, and the ancient waves do not move. If you don't see me, Liang's daughter will be covered in pearls, and she will not hesitate to bury Jingu when she falls. A spoonful of spring leaves and double pepper mountains, creeping grass green. " (16) This ancient poem also compares Yang Guifei with Lvzhu, which shows that ancient poets are very interested in the fact that these two ancient China beauties were born in the North and South Rivers, and deeply sympathize with their misfortune. In addition, there are many poems about Yang Fei in this place, so I won't list them here.

Four. Evidence of historical sites

In Rong County, Yang Guifei's hometown, there are not only many records of poems, but also places of interest for textual research. Besides Yang and Yunling Bambusa mentioned above, there are dressing tables, Yang Feishan and Yang Feimiao. The dressing table is located near Zhenwu Pavilion, a site of the Tang Dynasty outside the East Gate of Rongcheng County. According to legend, it was a summer resort for officials in ancient Rongzhou. Yang Guifei was bought and raised by Yang Kang and Yang Xuanyan, and lived there for some time. Later people call it a dresser. Unfortunately, buildings have disappeared for a long time, coupled with natural and man-made disasters, but the foundation is still recognizable and people's poems are still there. Wang Weixin, a poet in Rongxian County in the Qing Dynasty, once sang: "The spring breeze in the inner hall sweeps ten eyebrows, and the name is eternal. Xiulou Pavilion is clearly there, but the dressing case of Furong is suspicious. Mimi Hot Springs have no brocade sill, while Xiaoxiao Spotted Bamboo has a deserted temple. The scholar clung to the past as if he had seen it with his own eyes and was worried about his gratitude. " The second, third and fourth sentences in the poem (17) are aimed at the ambiguity of Yang Fei's native place. It is said that because Yang Fei is nominally the daughter of Yang Xuanyan (with a long history), there are different opinions about her trace (referring to her birthplace). Her body was clearly placed beside the embroidered river, which made her birth story a mystery. In the second half of the poem, two historic sites, Banzhu and Yang Fei Temple, are quoted as evidence, saying that this place (literati) made him "seem to have seen it with his own eyes", and his kindness was vividly on the paper. Zhao Dexiang, a Jiangxi poet in the Qing Dynasty, also made it very clear in the first couplet of the poem "Dressing House in Rongxian County": "The peaks of the group pull out Dai to lead a cruise ship, Changyang Prefecture." (18) Yang Feishan is on Jinniuling near Yangpi Village, also known as Lion Mountain. This is the location of the tomb hill mentioned by Yang Guifei's father in the inscription. Yang Guifei's ancestors were buried on it, and her grave is called "Empress Dowager Point Soldiers", which is very unique. It can be seen from here that there is no doubt that Yang Guifei's ancestral home is Rong County. Yang Fei Temple is located under the longest-preserved poplar. The temple, also known as Niangniang Temple, is quite large. In addition to the main hall, there are attached houses, and there are gardens of Yang Fei Temple in front of and behind the mountain. On the left and right sides of the temple, there are many inscriptions by scholars of past dynasties. Among them, there is a famous sentence written by Li Bai in Qingpingdiao: "Clouds need clothes and flowers ..." Next to it is a couplet with a unique artistic conception and a moxibustion population: "There is silence around Modao empty mountain, and I still smell the spring fragrance of Gujing." There is also a silver plaque in the temple, engraved with the date of birth and death of Yang Guifei. In addition, there are several stone tablets of different ages in the temple, but unfortunately, due to improper preservation, the inscriptions are peeling off. Undoubtedly, these monuments naturally become evidence that Yang Guifei was born in Rong County. During my work in Rongxian County Committee from 65438 to 0950, I heard comrades who worked in sheepskin village from the countryside come back to talk about Yang Fei Temple. Regret a catastrophe, and now I hear it's gone!

The four beauties in China's history all have places of interest related to their birthplace. As the hometown of Stone, there are Huansha Stone, Huansha Pavilion and Xishi Valley in Zhejiang County. Wang Zhaojun's Xingshan County in Hubei Province includes Zhaojun Village, Zhaojun Well, Wangyuelou, Toffee and Dresser. In Bobai County, Guangxi, there are Green Pearl Well, Green Pearl Temple and Green Pearl River. In Rong County, Yang Guifei's hometown, there are Guifei Well, Yang Fei, Guifei Temple, Dressing Table and Yunling Bamboo. Yang Guifei, Zhaojun of Rainbow, has the most related places of interest. These are landscapes designed for people, monuments handed down by people, and evidence recognized by the broad masses of the people for thousands of years. "West courtyard stone, imperial concubine gave birth to a village. The tears of Xiangquan were there and once shone on Ma Wei's soul. " (19) The Five Wonders by Zhou Zhixun, a Hunan poet in the Qing Dynasty, more or less revealed the reference value of this monument. In the early years of the Republic of China, Qiu Meng, a Guangxi poet, also made a positive statement in Gui Hua. After listing Lv Zhi, Wang Zhaojun, Shi, Xue Tao and other famous hometown monuments, he went on to say: "There are Rong County and Yang Feijing, named after beautiful people." (20)