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Is there any definite historical data to prove that there was a monk named "Da Xuan" in the early Ming Dynasty?
The latest discovery of the researcher of Quanzhou Cape Museum —— He found from Zheng He, an outstanding navigator by Taiwan Province scholar Chen, and Zheng He's Journey to the West by Japanese scholar Shang Shanyuan that the Ming emperor went to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou to become a monk.

This statement has caused great controversy in Quanzhou literature and history circles. Many experts here believe that this statement is purely posturing, inconsistent with history and unreliable. However, many people are skeptical: "Without records, how can we deny them all?"

The statement that "Emperor Wen Jian once went to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou to become a monk" is somewhat credible. Please see the follow-up report.

This discovery is purely accidental. How did Liu Zhicheng, a researcher at Quanzhou Haijiao Museum, learn about this situation at first?

It turns out that at the beginning of this year, a group of Taiwan Province scholars came to Quanzhou to inspect the ancient kiln site. One of them is a friend of Liu, who spoke to Liu by phone before coming. Liu said, "I was preparing a paper for Zheng He's seminar. By the way, do you have any books on Zheng He's studies in Taiwan Province Province? "

Soon, the Taiwan Province scholar brought Liu the Outstanding Navigator Zheng He written by Chen.

"Unexpectedly, the harvest is great. Emperor Wenjian of the Ming Dynasty once went to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou to become a monk, which is simply a brand-new statement! " Liu said that at that time, he planned to submit this view to Zheng He's seminar.

Later, he looked through other materials and found the same statement again in the book Zheng He's Journey to the Western Ocean in the Millennium by Japanese scholar Sugiyama Shang. "I bought this book in Quanzhou Xiaofeng Bookstore in 2003. It was sold in several bookstores at that time, and now it is collected in the reference room of Overseas Chinese History Museum. " Liu said.

The source is very confusing. "The source is very vague!" "Does the author of this book have authority in academia?" ..... Experts and scholars questioned the origin of this statement.

According to Taiwan Province scholar Chen's book, he learned his record from an American scholar, who got it from the Japanese book Great Navigation. Zheng He's Journey to the West, written by Japanese scholar Sugiyama for thousands of years, did not indicate the source. Unfortunately, at present, no one in Quanzhou has said that he has read the Japanese book "Great Navigation". In the collection of Quanzhou Cape Museum, Li Yukun only found another Japanese scholar, Jing Zeshi's "The Night Talk of the Great Sailing".

"However, there is a book." Li Yukun said that he had read a paper in which the author quoted the book Great Navigation.

So, who are the two authors who draw relevant opinions from it? The reporter found out that Chen is a native of Changhua, Taiwan Province, with a master's degree in management and a doctor's degree in agriculture. He is also a university lecturer and associate professor. However, Japanese scholars have not found any records about Chinese fir information for thousands of years.

Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple can't accommodate Jianwen Emperor?

Some readers have raised questions:

Assuming that Emperor Wen Jian of the Ming Dynasty really became a monk in the first year of Yongle (A.D. 1403), what was the situation of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou at this time? Is it consistent with the statements of Taiwan Province and Japanese scholars?

Professor Wu, an expert in Quanzhou local history and former director of the history department of Quanzhou Normal University, said that in the early Ming Dynasty, Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou was only a medium-sized temple, mainly the East West Pagoda and Tan Jie. The ring altar is the place where Tantric Buddhism is ordained. Apart from the temples in Beijing and Hangzhou, Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou has only one ring altar.

According to the Records of Quanzhou Prefecture, Kaiyuan Temple was located in the political, economic and cultural center of Quanzhou in the early Ming Dynasty. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou began to decline. There used to be a garrison in the temple, and soldiers were still smelting weapons here.

"So, I deny that Emperor Wen Jian of the Ming Dynasty came to Kaiyuan Temple!" Professor Wu said, on the one hand, under the background at that time, he took in the emperor at the risk of decapitation. Why should Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple, a medium-sized temple, take this risk? On the other hand, Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou is located in the local political center, and the offices of Quanzhou Prefecture and Jinjiang County are all nearby. It is extremely unsafe for Emperor Jianwen to really go here. It's better to go to a temple in the mountains. In addition, Quanzhou Port in Ming Dynasty was not as prosperous as before. Why did Wen Jian flee Quanzhou?

"What is the origin of Japanese scholars? We have no way to prove it now. Even if there is evidence, you can't rely on the words of one family. The Japanese also said that Yang Yuhuan finally went to Japan. Who unilaterally admits it! " Professor Wu said.

"The theory that Emperor Wen Jian set himself on fire" is untenable?

According to relevant writings, there are two main theories about Wen Jian's whereabouts after the Jingnan War: one is that Wen Jian became a monk and fled, and the other is that he set himself on fire. If the statement that "Emperor Wen Jian once went to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou to become a monk" is established, its premise must be that the "self-immolation theory" is not established. When the reporter looked up the historical materials yesterday, he found that most experts in literature and history also held a negative attitude towards "the theory that Emperor Wen Jian set himself on fire".

According to the records of Yongle period and the Draft of Ming History, after Wen Jian ascended the throne, "with the help of Qi Taihe, the minister of the Ministry of War, and Huang Zicheng, the great minister, made a plan to cut the vassal". Judy, a prince, immediately went south under the banner of "Jun Qing side" and launched the "Battle of Jingnan". In less than four years, the prince crossed the Yangtze River and arrived at the gates of Nanjing. His peace was not allowed, so he had to stick to it, but his coach, Li Jinglong, opened the Jinchuan Gate to welcome the Prince's army into the city, and the Manchu officers and men surrendered in succession. Seeing the ebb of the tide, Emperor Wen Jian had to order the palace to burn down, and suddenly the fire burst into flames. Wen Jian and his queen Ma Shi jumped into the fire and set themselves on fire. Most of his concubines and entourage died with him. Judy, the prince of Yan, looked for him for three days after she entered the palace. The attendants in the palace said that Emperor Wen Jian set himself on fire and dragged a charred body out of the fire to prove it. When the prince saw the body, he couldn't tell his face apart. After he succeeded to the throne, "Emperor Wen Jian was buried with the gift of the emperor". Both Ming History and Biography of Fang Xiaoru hold this view.

However, it is recorded in Ming Taizu Yao Zhuan that Ming Taizu once proclaimed himself emperor and was suspicious of his death by self-immolation. Someone told him that the charred body was true, and he cut off his hair and fled from home.

The Ming Dynasty's Biography of Zheng He also recorded that Emperor Yongle suspected that Wen Jian had fled overseas, so he sent Zheng He and Wang Jingxian to the Western Ocean to find his whereabouts. In addition, the secret purpose of Zheng He's voyage to the West is clearly recorded in the historical records of the Ming Dynasty, such as Ge Chaozhi.

Emperor Wen Jian finally fled to Indonesia via Quanzhou?

Since historians have a lot of questions about "the theory that Emperor Wen Jian set himself on fire", will Emperor Wen Jian really become a monk in Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou and eventually flee overseas through Quanzhou, as the two scholars in and Taiwan said? In this regard, some readers have provided relevant positive evidence to this newspaper.

"Recently, the descendants of Jianwen Emperor were discovered in Indonesia!" Readers showed this newspaper the fourth issue of Guanghua magazine of 1997, which introduced:

It has been found that there is a remote and independent village on the east coast of Sumatra Island, where a group of China people have lived for generations, and they have maintained an ancient and strong China style for many years. In Indonesia, a country composed of more than 3,000 islands, they are probably descendants of Emperor Jianwen.

One more thing is very special. They only know Chinese, not Indonesian. Most of them live by fishing. Every year on the 16th day of the fifth lunar month, a rare grand ceremony is held here to worship the "emperor", among which the dragon boat burning program is the most grand. On this day, it was the day when Emperor Wen Jian ascended the throne. On that day, in addition to all the men, women and children in the village, villagers from nearby islands were attracted to watch this annual ceremony.

Who is the "emperor"? Nobody knows. Intriguingly, most of the Chinese here are surnamed Hong. The titles of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Wen Jian were "Hongwu".

It is said that after the emperor and his entourage fled to Indonesia, in order to show their loyalty and nostalgia for the motherland, they changed their surname to Hong.

The literary and historical circles have long rumored that Wen Jian has been to Quanzhou.

"Whether Emperor Wen Jian of the Ming Dynasty has been to Quanzhou, a researcher at the Palace Museum told me two years ago that he had heard relevant rumors." Hong Hong, who works in the Political and Legal Committee of Quanzhou Municipal Committee, told reporters yesterday.

"However, I searched all the relevant books in Quanzhou Library and found no relevant content." Hong Hong said. Li Yukun, a researcher at Quanzhou Haijiao Museum, also said that no relevant records were found.

"There is no record is also possible. At this time, if Wen Jian fled to Quanzhou, it must be a secret. How can it be easily known? " Li Yukun believes that "the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou mentioned by Taiwan Province scholar Chen should be recorded according to common sense".

Unfortunately, Li Yukun only found in the records of Kaiyuan Temple that in June of the 30th year of Ming Hongwu, monk Ying Zheng was the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou. In the first year of Yongle, he went to Xuefeng Temple in Fuzhou, and then to Linggu Temple in Nanjing. The original monk recorded later was the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple in the first month of the 18th year of Yongle.

/kloc-who was the abbot of kaiyuan temple in Quanzhou during 0/7 years? Is the abbot Nianhai mentioned by Taiwan Province and Japanese scholars one of them? The records in historical materials are blank.

"How many abbots are there in Kaiyuan Temple in the Ming Dynasty? So far, we have no complete information. " Li Yukun said that even if someone supplemented the records of Kaiyuan Temple now, its integrity and comprehensiveness had to be questioned because of its age.

"So, you can't completely deny it." Zeng Qingsheng, director of Quanzhou Hayes office, said that it is human nature to question the views of freshmen. Only after some textual research can we know whether it is established.

Read the abstract

Title: "The emperor went to the spring to become a monk"?

Author: Lu Yeya

Book and newspaper title: Straits Metropolis Daily, A4 edition, June 65438+1October 65438+July 2004.

Is it a pure literary and historical drama or is it really credible? In recent days, the statement that "Ming Taizu Wen Jian once went to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou to become a monk" has caused great controversy in the field of literature and history. Some people are sure, some people are negative, and some people doubt it. At the time of heated debate, yesterday, the original informant "exploded" a new story: Quanzhou Ke's genealogy recorded that the emperor was taken in, and the relevant records of Zheng He, an outstanding navigator written by Taiwan Province scholar Chen, and Zheng He's Sailing to the Western Seas written by Japanese scholar Shang Shanyuan were included in Shi Kekao-The Emperor entered the spring and became a monk, adding further evidence?

Core tip:

In recent days, there has been a wave of smoke in Quanzhou's literary and historical circles, focusing on whether Wen Jian, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ever became a monk at Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou.

In the case that most experts in literature and history questioned, Liu Zhicheng, a researcher at Quanzhou Cape Museum, showed a new story to reporters yesterday-Quanzhou Ke's genealogy recorded that an ancestor took in the emperor in the Ming Dynasty!

This is related to the record that "the Ming emperor became a monk at Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou" in Zheng He, an outstanding navigator written by Taiwan Province scholar Chen, and Zheng He's Journey to the West written by Japanese scholar Shang Shan for thousands of years. Can they confirm each other?

On the same day, Liu Zhicheng also revealed to reporters that the authenticity and authority of Zheng He's voyages to the West have also added new evidence, and a physical picture attached to the book can be found in Haijiaotang, Quanzhou!

With the emergence of relevant historical materials and records, the statement that "Ming Taizu Wen Jian once entered Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou as a monk" seems to have signs of positive development. Can this case of Ming history, which has troubled China's literary and historical circles for more than 600 years, really find a breakthrough in Quanzhou?

The genealogy of Ke surname records the situation of ancestors when they were alive.

At that time, he hid Emperor Wen Jian and probably introduced him to his hometown of Quanzhou.

"This statement was studied by people in Quanzhou literature and history in the early years!" Liu Zhicheng said that Mr. Wang Hongtao, who worked in Quanzhou Haijiao Pavilion and Quanzhou Cultural Management Committee, was one of them.

Wang Hongtao was one of the pioneers of Quanzhou's early local history, which was recorded in his book Late Silkworm Collection, published by Huaxing Publishing House in May 1993.

Yesterday, the reporter leafed through the chapter "Records of the whereabouts in Koko's genealogy" in Late Silkworm Collection (written in 1975 1 month), and there was a passage in it:

Ke Xun 'an's Series of Qing Yuan Literature contains a record of "Qing Yuan's past events flowing in ink". The article said: "The change of Ming and Jing is difficult, and Wen Jian's death is doubtful. According to my old genealogy, my uncle Zu Shilong was a county commandant in Jurong County. In jiangning house, he established the Wen Jun Hidden, so his family was annihilated! Relatives only serve their nakedness for burial ... to build a brave shrine ... "

After the war in Jingnan, Wen Jian's whereabouts became a mystery. Ke's "Old Spectrum" records that there was an uncle Long Gong in his clan, who was the lieutenant of Jurong County in Nanjing at that time. At that time, Emperor Wen Jian was cheated and his whole family was killed.

According to Late Silkworm Collection, Ke Xun 'an was a Tang scholar in Jinjiang during Daoguang period in Qing Dynasty, and he wrote many works, among which Qingyuan Literature Series was hidden in Peiyuan Middle School before liberation, and was found as an exhibit in Jinjiang cultural relics exhibition in 1953. Due to poor protection in the past, some places in the book were decayed and later sent to the library of Fujian Normal University to become a museum.

"Visible Shi Longgong is close to his. At that time, he hid his Emperor Jianwen, probably to introduce him to his hometown in Quanzhou. Wen Jian fled the whole state after being a monk in Kaiyuan Temple for a while. " Liu Zhicheng said. In this regard, Xiao Zusheng, a folk archaeological enthusiast in Quanzhou, also holds the same view.

The works of two scholars: well-documented in history

Is it necessary for a scholar to spend ten years joking about history?

According to Taiwan Province scholar Chen's works, it took an outstanding navigator Zheng He ten years to complete it, and most of the time was spent consulting historical materials.

"It can be seen that the author wrote it after some research, and it can never be a joke." Liu Zhicheng said, "Do you think it is necessary for a scholar to spend ten years joking about history?"

In this book, "Emperor Wen Jian once went to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou as a monk" can be traced back to the book Great Navigation by Japanese scholars. According to Li Yukun, a researcher at Quanzhou Cape Museum, there are many people who quote the book "Great Navigation" in academic circles. Since so many people quote it, it must have its historical value.

Japanese scholar Shang Shanyuan's book Zheng He's Journey to the West is illustrated with pictures and texts. "The information and pictures in the book are well documented. For example, the rubbings attached to the inscription are one of the tombstones for Quanzhou officials to go to Persia (now Iran), and now the tombstones are hidden in Quanzhou Cape Museum. " Liu Zhicheng said that a few years ago, it was he who was ordered by Quanzhou Cape Museum to extend the tombstone, and then someone in the museum sent it to Japan.

"So, although the source of this book is not stated, its authenticity is beyond doubt," said Xiao Zusheng, a folk archaeology enthusiast in Quanzhou.

"In addition, there are many lost China literature and history materials in many foreign countries." Xiao Zusheng further introduced, for example, Zutang Collection, regarded as a national treasure of South Korea, is the earliest existing collection of Zen historical materials in China. It is a collection compiled by Zen master Jing and Jun of Zhaoqing Temple in Quanzhou (originally under the jurisdiction of Kaiyuan Temple, located near the rock in the middle of Qingyuan Mountain, and later destroyed by war). But why did Quanzhou and even China lose it before? Finally, it was reprinted in Japan and sent back to China by Jizu.

"Some little-known China history is learned from abroad, and there are precedents. Quanzhou had early exchanges with overseas academic circles. According to the Records of Quanzhou Prefecture, since the Tang Dynasty, specialized scholars from Japan, Korea and other countries have come to Quanzhou to collect books and literature and history materials. Moreover, in the Ming Dynasty, there were monks in Quanzhou who went overseas to preach scriptures and give lectures, and they might also bring some local books and materials. It is also recorded in the "The Year of the Mu An Zen Master" compiled by manjuji in the Grand Kaiyuan of Quanzhou that Monk Mu 'an was one of the eminent monks who had been to Japan in the Ming Dynasty. " Xiao Zusheng said.

"So, we can't easily deny the new findings of overseas scholars because they have been lost in China." Liu Zhicheng said.

Zheng He's going to the spring can prove that Emperor Wen Jian went to the spring.

However, this should be based on the hidden purpose of "Zheng He went to the Western Seas to find the Emperor Wen Jian".

"If the statement that Emperor Wen Jian became a monk in Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou is confirmed, it will definitely add another piece of evidence for Zheng He's voyage to the West." Zheng Mengbiao, a lover of Quanzhou literature and history, said. On the contrary, if the latter statement holds, is it also a confirmation of the former?

At present, most experts in literature and history, such as Li Yukun, a researcher at Quanzhou Haijiao Museum, affirm that "Zheng He has been to Quanzhou" and "Zheng He walked on the incense tablet and Quanzhou government records as evidence".

"Of course, the connection between the two should be based on affirming the hidden purpose of' Zheng He's voyage to the West is to find Emperor Wen Jian'." Liu Zhicheng said.

Domestic scholars' research shows that Zheng He's voyage to the West is a contradiction in itself. On the one hand, it is under the guise of enhancing national prestige and expanding maritime trade, on the other hand, the contemporary court implements the policy of "sea ban". In addition, with the end of Zheng He's voyage to the West, the "sea ban" became stricter, which must have its hidden motive, that is, to find the trace of Emperor Wen Jian. This is recorded in many historical materials, and it is the earliest and most widely circulated.

Xu Liqun wrote in the section "Historical Story of China: Three Treasures of Eunuchs' Sailing to the West": "The purpose of Emperor Yongle's sending Zheng He to the West is to find Emperor Wen Jian. Because after Emperor Yongle usurped the throne of Emperor Jianwen, Emperor Jianwen disappeared, and Emperor Yongle was afraid that he would flee abroad and come back for restoration in the future, so he sent someone to look for him. "Others, such as Fan Wenlan's A Brief History of China and Wu Han's Foreign Policy, and Zheng He's voyages to the West in the early Ming Dynasty, also believe that Zheng He's voyages to the West were accompanied by the emperor's secret mission, that is, to find the whereabouts of the emperor.

The reader's reaction:

This theory is helpful to enhance the popularity of Quanzhou.

Literature and history enthusiast Zheng Mengbiao:

I think it is very likely that "Ming Taizu Wen Jian once went to Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple to become a monk": 1. The new solution to the mystery of history cannot be easily denied by the mode of thinking. Wouldn't it be a new solution if we could find out the relevant records of the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple, Nianhai? 2. Undeniably, one of Zheng He's missions to the West is to find Wen Jian, which is not groundless. What's more, the "self-immolation theory" cannot produce convincing evidence. But it is of little use to find information from the "official history", and folklore should be collected. 3. This statement is debatable, which is helpful to enhance the popularity of Quanzhou. If this is true, it is also strong evidence that Zheng He went to Quanzhou.

I once found Yu Pei in Ming Dynasty in Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou.

Enthusiastic reader Mr. Lin:

Reading the report of Straits Metropolis Daily reminds me of a past event 26 years ago. I work in Quanzhou from 65438 to 0978. One day I was playing in the East Tower of the East West Tower of Kaiyuan Temple. I found a miracle next to the earth wall of an longan tree: there is a Hetian jade "dragon belt board" under my feet. It is 8 cm long, 6 cm high, 0.8 cm thick and weighs about 80 grams. Made of white jade, transparent as jade, magnificent, multi-layer hollow carving. The theme is flying dragon, and there are suzaku and bats around. The lower part is utensils (incense burner, umbrella), the lower center is a "bridge", and the lower layer is carved with grass patterns. The work is extremely fine, just like a tight grid, with a strong three-dimensional sense. It was covered with dust and I washed it for a long time. In the first half of this year, this cultural relic was identified as an Amin Dynasty cultural relic by experts from the Provincial Museum. Can you prove that Emperor Wen Jian of the Ming Dynasty went to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou?

Related background:

The Battle of Jingnan in Ming Dynasty

According to Ming History, Zhu Yuanzhang died in A.D. 1398, and Wen Jian succeeded to the throne. After he succeeded to the throne, he and his trusted ministers implemented the policy of "cutting vassals" First, he sent troops to attack Kaifeng, arrested Zhu Su, the king of Zhou Dynasty, abolished him as a civilian and demoted him as Yunnan. Then they attacked Zhubian (enfeoffment of Wugang, Hunan), Bai Zhu (enfeoffment of Jiangling, Hubei), Zhubo (enfeoffment of Yidu, Shandong) and Zhugui (enfeoffment of Datong, Shanxi), or abandoned them as civilians or imprisoned high walls. Bai Zhu got the news and the whole family set themselves on fire and died. Princes everywhere are afraid.

In the second year of Wen Jian, Judy, the prince of Yan, raised the banner of "Jun Qing side" (meaning eliminating the bad guys around Wen Jian) in Beijing and launched the "Jingnan War". Emperor Wen Jian sent his troops to the Crusades. At first, Judy was defeated and almost destroyed. The Central Army had various advantages, but due to improper employment and other reasons, it was defeated by Judy and Nanjing was broken two years later (AD 1402). At that time, the palace caught fire and its whereabouts were unknown. Someone dug up a charred body from the ruins and pointed out that Wen Jian and Judy buried it with a gift from the emperor. Later, he became an emperor, known as Ming Chengzu in history.

There really is a tunnel in the Ming Palace Museum.

There are countless records about the whereabouts of Emperor Wen Jian, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as "sweating like a pig". Many "death theories" in Wen Jian believe that Wen Jian escaped from the tunnel of the Ming Palace Museum. For example, Professor Huang, an expert in Ming history, said in the article Notes on Ma Shenglong's Phoenix Terrace quoted in Textual Research on Ming History: "The sewer in the palace runs directly outside Tucheng, two feet high and eight feet wide, which is enough for one person to walk alone. It can be described as thoughtful." Therefore, the discovery of this tunnel will be of great significance to prove that Emperor Wen Jian fled.

It is reported that in the 1980s, during the capital construction of the Ming Palace Museum, Nanjing archaeologists did dig up an old road site of "Yin Da ditch", which may be the back road of Yugou. Ji, a researcher at the Institute of History of Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences, also said that there is indeed a drainage channel extending from the Ming Palace outside the Taiping Gate, which is wide in the middle and can accommodate people.

There is a precedent for the emperor to come to the spring.

"The emperor came to Quanzhou for the first time!" Wu Tinghui, a retired teacher in Quanzhou, told reporters that the last two emperors of the Song Dynasty had been to Quanzhou. Many Quanzhou people know this.

According to the investigation, it is recorded in Quanzhou County Annals, Jinjiang County Annals and Fujian Tongzhi that Song Duanzong (in the reign of 1276 ~ 1278) fled to Quanzhou with his younger brother Song when the Yuan soldiers attacked, intending to use Quanzhou as a base to resist the Yuan Dynasty. As a result, Pu Shougeng, then the local governor of Quanzhou, saw that their momentum was lost and closed the city gate, so Song Duanzong had to go to Guangdong.

"With an ancestor as a mirror, it is not impossible for him to come to Quanzhou in difficulty." Liu Zhicheng said.

Read the abstract

Title: Emperor Wen Jian of the Ming Dynasty went to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou to be a monk.

Author: Lu Yeya

Book and newspaper title: Straits Metropolis Daily, Edition A 15, June 2004 15.

This may be the most controversial and surprising discovery in Quanzhou's literary history this year. A researcher at Quanzhou Overseas Transportation Museum told this newspaper that he found out from Zheng He, an outstanding navigator by Taiwan Province scholar Chen, and Zheng He's Sailing to the Western Seas by Japanese scholar Shang Shanyuan that the Ming emperor had become a monk in Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou.

Core tip:

Zhu Yunwen, the emperor of Wenjian in Ming Dynasty, was a monk in Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, but a secret purpose of Zheng He's voyage to the West turned out to be to trace the whereabouts of the emperor Wen Jian?

This is an incredible thing, but there are books to prove it.

According to the researcher of Quanzhou Overseas Transportation Museum, the book Zheng He written by Taiwan Province scholar Chen (published by Morningstar Publishing Co., Ltd. in February 2000) and the book Zheng He's Sailing to the West written by Japanese scholar Shang Shanyuan (published by Shanghai Social Sciences Publishing House in May 2003) have exact records on this content.

Did Emperor Wen Jian really go to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou to become a monk? Why did he come? Or is this just a rumor?

The whereabouts of Wen Jian was once one of the "four mysteries" in history.

According to historical records, Zhu Yunwen was the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty. His father, Zhu Biao, was the eldest son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He was made a prince in his early years and unfortunately died young. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang named Zhu Yunwen the great-grandson of the emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang died at the age of 2 1 and became emperor.

However, only four years after Wen Jian ascended the throne, he was usurped by his uncle and later Ming Emperor Judy. This is the "change from Jing to Nan" in history. Since then, the whereabouts of Emperor Wen Jian has been an unsolved mystery: did he burn himself to death or cut his hair to become a monk? Even living overseas? Different opinions make this unsolved case one of the "four mysteries" in the history of China.

Did Emperor Wen Jian go to Quanzhou to make an alternate flight?

According to the records in the two books Zheng He, an Outstanding Navigator, and Zheng He's Journey to the Western Seas, and Liu Zhicheng's introduction, before the disaster of Wen Jian the Great, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Emperor, left him an iron box to open in case of disaster. During the "Change in the South of Beijing", Emperor Wen Jian opened the iron box and found that it contained a decree (this is the identification of becoming a monk), a cassock, a razor and some platinum.

So, according to Ming Taizu's instructions, his emperor and his entourage fled disguised as monks.

Emperor Wen Jian and his entourage came to Luohan Temple in Wuchang from Nanjing along the Yangtze River. Monk Daxuan, abbot of Luohan Temple, is a famous monk in China. At that time, many monks in Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou were his disciples, including Monk Nianhai, the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou. It is still difficult to confirm. After Daxuan saw the official records, he quickly introduced the line into the temple and contacted the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou to read the sea and let others pass by.

Later, Wen Jian went south via Jiangxi yingtan and other places, and arrived in Quanzhou at the end of the first year of Yongle (1403). After working as a monk in Kaiyuan Temple for a while, he crossed the ocean. Some people say that Wen Jian became a monk in Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou just to wait for the chance to escape.

Ming Chengzu once sent people everywhere to search for Wen Jian?

Emperor Yongle, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was worried that Wen Jian would flee before he died. Before Zheng He went to the Western Ocean, he had tracked Wen Jian's whereabouts in inland areas. Zheng He's voyages to the West not only enhanced China's national prestige and expanded China's maritime trade, but also traced the whereabouts of Wen Jian.

At the end of Yongle II, Ming Chengzu sent Li Ting, an old friend of Zheng He, to Wuchang to trace Wen Jian. Li Ting confirmed from the Luohan Temple in Wuchang that in the first year of Yongle (1403), two monks visited, one in his thirties and the other in his twenties. He is gentle and polite, with a white-faced scholar temperament and a slightly tired face. According to the calculation, the age of Emperor Wen Jian at that time should be around 25 years old. If he becomes a monk, he is a young monk.

According to the memory of the owner of a small workshop serving two monks, he once heard chanting between them, among which the young monks chanted "When the river mysteriously widened towards the full moon" and "We once heard a sudden sound, and a guitar crossed the water". The old monk responded to Bai Juyi's poem "I see guests off at night in Xunyang River" in Pipa.

Li Ting heard from the poem that they seemed to be heading for Xunyang (formerly known as Jiangzhou, now Jiujiang) and immediately went to Xunyang. He inquired about the local temples one by one, but he couldn't find the whereabouts of Emperor Wen Jian. Finally, I found the water carrier and was told: "Last September (the first year of Yongle, AD 1403), two monks wandered in Jiangyuan Temple in Xing Zi Town, south of Jiangzhou, and the last two went to Poyang South by boat." Li Ting also went south immediately, and heard on the way: "Two monks entered Poyang Lake from the east bank of Poyang Lake and stayed at Xianshan Temple. After that, I rented a boat to go to Xinjiang. "

Li Ting went to Xinjiang Valley to try his best to find the whereabouts of Wen Jian. He searched the streets, towns, settlements and hillsides of yingtan, a valley in Xinjiang. I overheard that in the first year of Yongle, a salt merchant, accompanied by two monks, left yingtan, Jiangxi, and went south, probably to Fujian.

Was Zheng He ordered to look for Wen Jian when he went to the Western Seas?

This news made Li Ting think that Emperor Wen Jian might think of Fujian and then flee overseas.

Quanzhou, Fujian Province, is located in the south of Fujian, south of Fuzhou, next to the estuaries of Jinjiang and Luoyang rivers. Since the Song Dynasty, Quanzhou has been the largest port in China, nicknamed "Erythrina Port". If Emperor Wen Jian fled overseas, it was most convenient to go from Quanzhou.

Li Ting then quickly arrived in Quanzhou. He first visited the disciple of Daxuan and the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple, Monk Nianhai. It is reported that at the end of the first year of Yongle, the two men took a boat to Indonesia on the Arabian route, and then the merchant ship ran aground in Guangdong and drifted to Hainan Island. Li Ting got this information and went to Qiongzhou (now Haikou) on Hainan Island by boat. After shopping for more than a month, I went deep into Yazhou at the southern end and really saw a broken Arab ship. At the same time, he was told that he saw a young man who looked like Emperor Wen Jian waiting in Asia to take a boat to Indonesia. Emperor Wen Jian may have gone overseas by boat.

After Li Ting reported to Ming, Ming asked him to go to the Western Ocean with Zheng He and continue to look for his emperor. Zheng He visited Quanzhou when he went to the Western Seas, which is the knowledge of most experts in literature and history in Quanzhou, as evidenced by Zheng He's incense table in the sacred tomb.

If this is a historical fact, why is it not recorded in Kaiyuan Temple?

Are the accounts of Taiwan Province scholar Chen and Japanese scholar Sugiyama Shangqian authoritative and credible?

According to Chen Shuiyuan's book, he learned his record from an American scholar, who got it from the book Great Navigation in Japan. Zheng He's Journey to the West, written by Japanese scholar Sugiyama for thousands of years, did not indicate the source. "But it was translated and published by Shanghai Social Sciences Publishing House, and publishing must have its historical value." Liu Zhicheng thinks.

In response to this problem, the reporter visited several experts and monks in Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou on June 5438+03.

Everyone said that they had never heard of the saying that "Ming Taizu Wen Jian went to Quanzhou Kaiyuan Temple to become a monk". Quanzhou literature and history experts are also skeptical about this. On the one hand, Kaiyuan Temple has no relevant records; On the other hand, this statement must be based on the denial of the "self-immolation theory of Emperor Wen Jian". However, after the Yongle Emperor Judy ascended the throne, he ordered the search for Jianwen Emperor, which is said to have certain historical basis.

On June 38+03, the reporter and several eminent monks searched the records of Kaiyuan Temple and found no records related to this matter. Even the monk Nianhai, the abbot of Kaiyuan Temple in the first year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, mentioned in Zheng He, an outstanding navigator, has not found any relevant records. In this regard, Liu Zhicheng said: "The Records of Kaiyuan Temple was written in the Ming Dynasty, which mainly recorded the eminent monks of Kaiyuan Temple in the Tang and Five Dynasties and its Song and Yuan Dynasties, but there were not many records of eminent monks in the Ming Dynasty."

Zanren, an old Li Man of Quanzhou Buddhist Museum, took out his newly-added Records of Kaiyuan Temple, supplementing the list of eminent monks in Kaiyuan Temple after the Ming Dynasty, as well as the eminent monks recorded in Quanzhou Prefecture Records, Jinjiang County Records and Shu Min. "It should be said that these materials are already very comprehensive, and monks in Kaiyuan Temple will basically not miss them." Li Laobo said positively. But I still haven't seen the name of the sea. "Therefore, it is necessary to ask a question whether the monk reads the sea really exists." Li Laobo said.

How can people believe that Emperor Wen Jian really became a monk in Quanzhou when he can't prove that he studied in the sea?