Lu Chunyang

Lu Chunyang, also known as Lu Dongbin, was one of the Eight Immortals in ancient legends. According to the historical records of Wudang Mountain and the old records of Junzhou, his father's surname was Li and he was a descendant of the Tang Dynasty. My mother's surname is Lu. Lu Dongbin, originally surnamed Li, once passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer. Later, due to Wu Zetian's usurpation of power and her extensive persecution of the descendants of the Tang royal family, he changed his father's surname to his mother's and retired to the mountains. First, he practiced on Mount Taihua in Shaanxi Province. Due to obtaining the Three Great Principles (i.e., the Heavenly Essence, the Earthly Essence, and the Human Essence) and his painstaking efforts to save the world, he was selected by the Jade Emperor as the top celestial scholar and was ordered by imperial decree to be the ancestral master of preaching. I often visit Wudang Mountain and stay at Ziqi Peak. According to the "Three Words and Two Beats", which quotes from "Helin Yulu", "Qunshu Leibian Stories - Volume Ten", "Tingyu Jitan", "Quhai Zongmu Huidian - Volume Thirty-one 'Wanxian Lu'", etc., the account of Lu Chunyang's background is slightly different from the previous ones. The aforementioned Lu passed the imperial examination and became the top scorer. Later, it was all said that he "repeatedly failed to pass the imperial examination." Based on this, it can be inferred that the former is probably an extension of the Taoist school to the theory of "Celestial immortals and top scholars", with the latter being the first. According to historical records, it seems possible that Lu Dongbin changed his father's surname to his mother's. Regarding Lu Dongbin's secluded practice in Wudang, the "Collected Books and Compiled Stories" goes: "He often traveled between Xiangtan and Yue 'e, and no one could recognize him." Prove that the matter is credible. Outside the Liangyi Hall of the South Rock Palace on Wudang Mountain today, there is a stele inscribed with Lu Dongbin's poem "On Taihe Mountain". The poem goes: At the beginning of the chaos, this rock was formed, and this rock soars high over Mount Taihe. Facing the Great Peak a thousand feet in front and backed by a bay of sweet spring water. The stone threads form the shape of a flying phoenix, and the niche patterns are tied up to make a green snail hair. The Lingyuan Immortal Stream winds around on three sides, and ancient cypresses and green cypresses encircle it on all sides. Raindrops and jade beads strike the stone stack, and the wind blows the jade flute to resound at the pine pass. The crowing rooster crows at dawn in the east, and the late crane returns to the half-moon bay. The immortal birds at the valley mouth often chirp, and the divine beasts on the mountain peak are at will to climb. Among them, it is the separation of heaven and earth, which is the original leisure of the sun and the moon. This is the place where Gao Zhen achieved enlightenment, thus leaving his traces in the human world. How many immortal couples in ancient times went to restore the famous mountains for their love. From this poem, it can be seen that Lu Dongbin was very familiar with the history of Taoism in Wudang and Nan Yan. It is estimated that he was mostly cultivating in the South Rock at that time. There is also a place called Dongbin Rock on Wudang Mountain, which might have been where Lu Dongbin spent a relatively long time in seclusion.