Religion:Li Changmei
Li Changmei (simplified Chinese: 长眉李大仙; traditional Chinese: 長眉李大仙; pinyin: Chángméi Lǐ Dàxiān; literally: 'Great Immortal Li of the Long Eyebrows'), also known as Changmei Li Daxian, is a legendary Daoist immortal associated with Jiuding Tiesha Mountain (九鼎铁刹山) in Benxi, Liaoning, China. Local legends describe him as an early immortal who cultivated at Bagua Yunguang Cave (八宝云光洞), one of the mountain's principal religious and scenic sites. He is sometimes identified with Du'e Zhenren, a Daoist immortal who appears in the Ming dynasty novel Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi).
Legends
Jiuding Tiesha Mountain
According to local tradition, Li Changmei cultivated and attained immortality at Jiuding Tiesha Mountain. Bagua Yunguang Cave is traditionally identified as his place of cultivation.[1]
The cave contains eight natural stone formations traditionally known as the Eight Treasures of Yunguang Cave (云光洞八宝). They include a stone dragon, stone tiger, stone toad, stone wooden fish, stone lotus, stone longevity figure, stone bed, and the Wind-Fixing Pearl. Local legends associate the formations with Li Changmei and his activities at the mountain.[2]
One local legend states that the Wind-Fixing Pearl was borrowed by the forces of King Wu of Zhou during the campaign against King Zhou of Shang. In the story, the pearl was used to defeat the Wind Roar Array, a magical formation associated with the Shang forces. The story parallels the account in Investiture of the Gods, in which Du'e Zhenren possesses a Wind-Fixing Pearl and lends it to the Zhou forces.[1][3]
The mountain also has an inscription known as the Reinscription of the Stele Record of Great Immortal Li of the Long Eyebrows (重刊长眉李大仙碑记). A 2005 report on the restoration of the mountain's cliff inscriptions states that the inscription records traditions concerning Li Changmei, including his association with Du'e Zhenren and the Wind-Fixing Pearl. The inscription was carved in the 1920s and was among the cliff inscriptions restored by the Tiesha Mountain scenic-area administration.[4]
Yang family legends
Li Changmei is also associated with local versions of the legends of the Generals of the Yang Family. In one tradition, the young warrior Yang Junbao (杨君豹), also known in some accounts as Yang Jinbao, travels to Jiuding Tiesha Mountain and studies under the Long-Eyebrowed Immortal. The mountain's legends therefore connect Li Changmei with later military and heroic folklore.[1]
See also
- Du'e Zhenren
- Jiuding Tiesha Mountain
- Generals of the Yang Family
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "九顶铁刹山" (in zh). Benxi Municipal Government. https://benxi.gov.cn/ly/lyjq/content_206920.
- ↑ "九顶铁刹山云光洞" (in zh). Daoism Culture Center Database. https://zh.daoinfo.org/index.php?title=%E4%B9%9D%E9%BC%8E%E9%93%81%E5%88%B9%E5%B1%B1%E4%BA%91%E5%85%89%E6%B4%9E&variant=zh-hans.
- ↑ Xu, Zhonglin. "Chapters 58–59". Investiture of the Gods.
- ↑ "饱经沧桑伤痕累累 60万“美容”铁刹山摩崖石刻" (in zh). Sina News. 26 September 2005. https://news.sina.com.cn/c/2005-09-26/06037034156s.shtml.
 |  |
