During the Eastern Jin Dynasty (376-396 AD), a man in Wuling lived by fishing. One day he rowed along the stream and forgot how far the road was. Suddenly he came across a peach blossom forest. Within a few hundred paces on both sides of the stream, there were no other trees in the middle. The flowers and plants were fresh and beautiful. There were many flowers on the ground. The fisherman was very surprised. He went on sailing, trying to reach the end of the forest.
At the end of the Peach Blossom Forest is the source of the stream. The fisherman found a hill with a small hole in it. There was a faint light in the hole. The fisherman got off the boat and walked in through the hole. At first, it was very narrow and could only accommodate one person. He walked forward for dozens of steps and the hole suddenly became open and bright. The land in front of the fisherman is flat and wide, the houses are arranged neatly, and there are fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, bamboo, and other plants. The paths in the fields extend in all directions, and the sounds of chickens chirping and dogs barking come and go. People come and go to work in the fields. The clothes worn by men and women look almost from a foreign land. The elderly and children are happy and enjoy themselves.
The people here were very surprised to see the fisherman and asked him where he came from. The fishermen all answered in detail. The people here invited him to their home and served him wine and chickens. Other people in the village heard of such a person had come, so they all came to inquire about the news. They themselves said that their ancestors came to this isolated place with their wives and children to escape the war in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). Since then, no one has gone out, so they have cut off all contact with people outside. The villagers asked the fisherman what the world is like now. They didn't even know that there was a Han Dynasty (206 BC - 226 AD), let alone the Wei and Jin dynasties. The fisherman told all the things he knew one by one, and the villagers felt sorry. The rest of them invited the fisherman to their home, and all of them gave him their delicious food and wine. After staying for a few days, the fisherman said goodbye to the villagers. The villagers told him, "The situation here is not worth talking to people outside."
When the fisherman came out, he found his boat and went back along the way he had come, making marks everywhere. When he arrived at Wuling, the county town, he went to see the governor and told him about his experience. The governor immediately sent personnel to follow him, looking for the mark made by the fisherman, but he got lost. Later, he could not find the way to the Peach Blossom Valley.
Liu Ziji, a noble scholar in Nanyang, heard the news and planned happily to go to the Peach Blossom Valley. But it didn't happen, and soon he died of illness. Later, no one visited the Peach Blossom Valley anymore.
~ End ~
Original Chinese title: 桃花源记
Author: Tao Yuanming (about 365-427 AD)
From the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the beginning of Liu Song Dynasty, he was an outstanding poet, lyricist and essayist. It is known as the "Father of Reclusive Poets" and the originator of the pastoral poetry school. He is the first literary giant in Jiangxi. He is the first pastoral poet in China, known as the "Master of Ancient and Modern Reclusive Poets", and has the treatise "Collection of Tao Yuanming".
Translator: Jian Xu
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