| Qiu Chuji | |||||||||
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.jpg) Qiu Chuji as depicted in by Guo Xu, 1503 (Shanghai Museum) | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 丘處機 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 丘处机 | ||||||||
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| Master Changchun | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 長春子 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 长春子 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Master of the EternalSpring | ||||||||
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Qiu Chuji (10 February 1148– 21 August 1227),courtesy nameTongmi (通密), also known by hisTaoist nameMaster Changchun,[1][2] was a renownedTaoist master from lateSouthern Song/Jin dynasty and a famous disciple ofWang Chongyang, the founder ofQuanzhen School. He is known for being invited byGenghis Khan to a personal meeting near theHindu Kush, who also respected and honored him as anImmortal.
Qiu was one of the Seven True Daoists of the North.[3][4] He was the founder of theDragon Gate sect ofTaoism attracting a following in the streams of traditions flowing from the sects of the disciples.
In 1219Genghis Khan invited Changchun to visit him in a letter dated 15 May 1219 by present reckoning.[5][6] Changchun left his home inShandong in February 1220 and journeyed toBeijing. Learning that Genghis had gone West, he spent winter there. In February 1221, Changchun left, traversing modern-day easternMongolia to the camp of Genghis' youngest brother Otchigin near Lake Buyur in the upper Kerulen – today'sKherlen-Amur basin. From there he traveled southwestward up the Kerulen, crossing theKarakorum region in north-central Mongolia, and arrived at theAltai Mountains, probably passing near the presentUliastai. After traversing the Altai he visited Bishbalig, modernÜrümqi, and moved along the north side of theTian Shan range to Lake Sutkol, today's Sairam,Almaliq (orYining City), and the rich valley of theIli.[7]
From there, Changchun passed toBalasagun andShu River, and across that river toTalas and theTashkent region, and then over theSyr Darya toSamarkand, where he halted for some months. Finally, through the Iron Gates of Termit, over theAmu Darya, and by way ofBalkh and northernAfghanistan, Changchun reached Genghis' camp near theHindu Kush.[7]
Changchun, had been invited to satisfy the interest ofGenghis Khan in "thephilosopher'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.[3] The two had 12 in-depth conversations.[8] Genghis Khan honoured him with the titleSpirit Immortal.[4] Genghis also made Changchun in charge of all religious persons in the empire.[9][10][11] Their conversations were recorded in the bookXuanfeng qinghui lu.
The Yenisei area hada community of weavers of ethnic Han origin. Similarly, Samarkand andOuter Mongolia both had artisans of Han origin, as observed by Changchun.[12] 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.[13][14]
Returning home, Changchun largely followed his outward route, with certain deviations, such as a visit toHohhot. 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,[15] we derive some of the most vivid pictures ever drawn of nature and man between theGreat Wall of China andKabul, between theAral andYellow Seas, peppered by poetic expressions.[7][16]
Of particular interest are the sketches of the Mongols and the people ofSamarkand 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 anddefiles, such as the ChineseAltay, theTian Shan,Bogdo Uula, and the Iron Gates of Termit. There is, moreover, a noteworthy reference to a land apparently identical with the uppermost valley of theYenisei.[7]
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 TaoistMonastery of the White Clouds[5] that exists to this day.
Qiu Chuji appears as a character inJin Yong'sLegend of the Condor Heroes,Return of the Condor Heroes, and the 2013 filmAn 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 aboutZhang Sanfeng,Zhang Sanfeng: Peerless Hero.
Estonian writerArvo Valton wrote the novelJourney to the Other Side of Infinity (Tee lõpmatuse teise otsa, 1978) about Qiu Chuji's journey to meet Genghis Khan and their subsequent encounters.
In 1227 Chingiz decreed that all priests and persons of religion in his empire were to be under Ch'ang Chun's control and that his jurisdiction over the Taoist community was to be absolute. On paper, at least, no Taoist before or since has ever had such power. It did not last long, for both Chingiz and Ch'ang died that same year (1227).
Chang Chun: The greatest living adept of Tao when Genghis Khan conquered China; the Great Khan summoned him to his field headquarters in AFghanistan in AD 1219 and was so pleased with his discourse that he appointed him head of all religious life in China.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Beazley, Charles Raymond (1911). "Chang Chun, Kiu". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 840.| Preceded by | Head Taoist ofQuanzhen 1551–1553 | Succeeded by |
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