Qiu Chuji (10 February 1148– 21 August 1227),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Tongmi (通密), also known by his

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

name Master Changchun, was a renowned Taoist master from late Southern Song/ Jin dynasty and a famous disciple of Wang Chongyang, the founder of Quanzhen School. He is known for being invited by

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

to a personal meeting near the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central Asia, Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and eastern Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the wester ...

, who also respected and honored him as an Immortal. Qiu was one of the Seven True Daoists of the North. He was the founder of the Dragon Gate sect of

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

attracting a following in the streams of traditions flowing from the sects of the disciples.

History

In 1219

invited Changchun to visit him in a letter dated 15 May 1219 by present reckoning. Changchun left his home in

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

in February 1220 and journeyed to

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. Learning that Genghis had gone West, he spent winter there. In February 1221, Changchun left, traversing modern-day eastern

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

to the camp of Genghis' youngest brother Otchigin near Lake Buyur in the upper Kerulen – today's Kherlen-

Amur The Amur River () or Heilong River ( zh, s=黑龙江) is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China (historically the Outer Manchuria, Outer and Inner Manchuria). The Amur ...

basin. From there he traveled southwestward up the Kerulen, crossing the

Karakorum Karakorum (Khalkha Mongolian: Хархорум, ''Kharkhorum''; Mongolian script:, ''Qaraqorum'') was the capital city, capital of the Mongol Empire between 1235 and 1260 and of the Northern Yuan, Northern Yuan dynasty in the late 14th and 1 ...

region in north-central Mongolia, and arrived at the

Altai Mountains The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The ...

, probably passing near the present Uliastai. After traversing the Altai he visited Bishbalig, modern

Ürümqi Ürümqi, , is the capital of the Xinjiang, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China. With a census population of 4 million in 2020, Ürümqi is the second-largest city in China's northwestern interior after Xi'an, also the ...

, and moved along the north side of the

Tian Shan The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven", is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is ...

range to Lake Sutkol, today's Sairam, Almaliq (or Yining City), 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 Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

region, and then over the

Syr Darya The Syr Darya ( ),; ; ; ; ; /. historically known as the Jaxartes ( , ), is a river in Central Asia. The name, which is Persian language, Persian, literally means ''Syr Sea'' or ''Syr River''. It originates in the Tian Shan, Tian Shan Mountain ...

Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...

, where he halted for some months. Finally, through the Iron Gates of Termit, over the

Amu Darya The Amu Darya ( ),() also shortened to Amu and historically known as the Oxus ( ), is a major river in Central Asia, which flows through Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Rising in the Pamir Mountains, north of the Hindu Ku ...

, and by way of Balkh and northern

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, Changchun reached Genghis' camp near the

. Changchun, had been invited to satisfy the interest of

in "the philosopher's stone" 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 Hohhot,; abbreviated zh, c=呼市, p=Hūshì, labels=no formerly known as Kweisui, is the Capital (political), capital of Inner Mongolia in the North China, north of the China, People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrativ ...

. 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 The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' long wall") is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against vario ...

and

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

, between the Aral and Yellow Seas. Of particular interest are the sketches of the Mongols and the people of

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

, 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 about Zhang Sanfeng, ''Zhang Sanfeng: Peerless Hero''. Estonian writer

Arvo Valton Arvo Vallikivi (14 December 1935 – 26 July 2024), commonly known under the pen name of Arvo Valton, was an Estonian writer known for a number of books and, among other things, the script for Viimne reliikvia, the highly successful film adaptati ...

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'', volume 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 Jin dynasty (1115–1234) Taoists Taoist religious leaders 12th-century Taoists 13th-century Taoists