Qiu Chuji (10 February 1148– 21 August 1227),
courtesy name Tongmi (通密), also known by his
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...
name Master Changchun,
was the disciple of
Wang Chongyang
Wang Chongyang (11 January 1113 – 22 January 1170; Chinese calendar: 22nd day, 12th month, 2nd year, Zhenghe era in the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song - 4th day, 1st month, 10th year, Dading era in the reign of Emperor Shizong of Jin) wa ...
and a renowned
Taoist master. He is known for meeting
Genghis Khan near the Hindu Kush.
Qiu was one of the Seven True Taoists of the North.
He was the founder of the
Dragon Gate sect of
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
attracting a following in the streams of traditions flowing from the sects of the disciples.
History
In 1219
Genghis Khan invited Changchun to visit him
in a letter dated 15 May 1219 by present reckoning. Changchun left his home in
Shandong in February 1220 and journeyed to
Beijing. Learning that Genghis had gone West, he spent winter there. In February 1221, Changchun left, traversing modern-day eastern
Mongolia to the camp of Genghis' youngest brother Otchigin near Lake Buyur in the upper Kerulen - today's
Kherlen-
Amur basin. From there he traveled southwestward up the Kerulen, crossing the
Karakorum region in north-central Mongolia, and arrived at the
Altai Mountains, probably passing near the present
Uliastai. After traversing the Altai he visited Bishbalig, modern
Ürümqi, and moved along the north side of the
Tian Shan range to Lake Sutkol, today's Sairam,
Almaliq (or
Yining City
YiningThe official spelling according to (), also known as Ghulja ( ug, غۇلجا) or Qulja ( kk, قۇلجا) and formerly Ningyuan (), is a county-level city in Northwestern Xinjiang, People's Republic of China and the seat of the Ili Kazakh ...
), and the rich valley of the
Ili.
From there, Changchun passed to
Balasagun and
Shu River, and across that river to
Talas and the
Tashkent region, and then over the
Syr Darya to
Samarkand, where he halted for some months. Finally, through the Iron Gates of Termit, over the
Amu Darya, and by way of
Balkh and northern
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, Changchun reached Genghis' camp near the
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Province ...
.
Changchun, had been invited to satisfy the interest of
Genghis Khan in "the
philosopher's stone
The philosopher's stone or more properly philosophers' stone (Arabic: حجر الفلاسفة, , la, lapis philosophorum), is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold (, from the Greek , "gold", ...
" and the secret medicine of immortality. He explained the Taoist philosophy and the many ways to prolong life and was honest in saying there was no secret medicine of immortality.
The two had 12 in-depth conversations.
[(Chinese]
胡刃, "成吉思汗与丘处机" 北方新报(呼和浩特)
2014-10-20 Genghis Khan honoured him with the title
Spirit Immortal.
Genghis also made Changchun in charge of all religious persons in the empire. Their conversations were recorded in the book ''
Xuanfeng qinghui lu''.
The Yenisei area had
a community of weavers of ethnic Han origin. Similarly, Samarkand and
Outer Mongolia both had artisans of Han origin, as observed by Changchun.
After the Mongol conquest of Central Asia, foreigners were chosen as administrators. Co-management with Han and Khitans of gardens and fields in Samarqand was enacted as a requirement since Muslims were not allowed to manage without them.
Returning home, Changchun largely followed his outward route, with certain deviations, such as a visit to
Hohhot. He was back in Beijing by the end of January 1224. From the narrative of his expedition, ''
Travels to the West of Qiu Chang Chun'' written by his pupil Li Zhichang,
we derive some of the most vivid pictures ever drawn of nature and man between the
Great Wall of China and
Kabul, between the
Aral and
Yellow Seas.
Of particular interest are the sketches of the Mongols and the people of
Samarkand and its vicinity, the account of the land and products of Samarkand in the Ili Valley at or near Almalig-Kulja, and the description of various great mountain ranges, peaks and
defiles, such as the Chinese
Altay, the
Tian Shan,
Bogdo Uula, and the Iron Gates of Termit. There is, moreover, a noteworthy reference to a land apparently identical with the uppermost valley of the
Yenisei.
After his return, Changchun lived in Beijing until his death on 23 July 1227. By order of Genghis Khan, some of the former imperial garden grounds were given to him for the foundation of a Taoist
Monastery of the White Clouds that exists to this day.
Fiction
Qiu Chuji appears as a character in
Jin Yong's ''
Legend of the Condor Heroes'', ''
Return of the Condor Heroes'', and the 2013 film ''
An End to Killing''. In Jin Yong's work he is very different from the real persona, described as a 'bullheaded priest' who gets into fights and contests with rivals, very contrary to what his religion preaches. His deeds shape much of the future of the 2 main male characters of the first story.
Qiu Chuji appears as a main character in Guo Yulong's 2018 film Zang Sanfeng: Peerless Hero.
Estonian writer
Arvo Valton
Arvo Vallikivi (born 14 December 1935 in Märjamaa), commonly known under the pen name of Arvo Valton, is an Estonian writer known for a number of books and, among other things, the script for Viimne reliikvia, the highly successful movie adaptat ...
wrote the novel ''Journey to the Other Side of Infinity'' (''Tee lõpmatuse teise otsa'', 1978) about Qiu Chuji's journey to meet Genghis Khan and their subsequent encounters.
References
Citations
Sources
* E. Bretschneider, ''Mediaeval Researches from Eastern Asiatic Sources'', vol. i. pp. 35–108, where a complete translation of the narrative is given, with a valuable commentary
*
C. R. Beazley ''Dawn of Modern Geography'', iii.539.
*
External links
Introduction to Quanzhen Daoism and the Dragon Gate Tradition(includes a translation of Genghis Khan's letter of invitation)
Qiuchuji's story including timeline and comics - but only the Chinese section works(In Chinese.)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qiu, Chuji
1148 births
1227 deaths
13th-century explorers
Song dynasty Taoists
Yuan dynasty Taoists
Taoist religious leaders