Peng Zu, as a symbol of longevity, even the sage Confucius Zhuangzi envied his longevity. Su Shi once praised Peng Zu in his poems: "It is safer to be infatuated with the ancient immortals of the Warring States, and to smear the old ones. Worrying about the country and the people, not seeing the clouds, talking about burying clothes in an empty grave. Hong Chau, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, went further and said, "Monkey has gone and his clothes are buried here. Tomb Gu Song Ming wall, mountain crane Meng Han. The doctor didn't do it. He really wanted to kill a coffin. Who are there in three generations? Let's talk about the same thing. "There are indications that Peng Zu really lived for a long time. He died because he was world-weary, leaving an empty grave for people to pay homage to.
There are several different views about Peng Zu's age in academic circles at present. One view is that only the "little flower dating method" conforms to modern people's outlook on life. Because "floret dating method" takes 60 days as a year, it is speculated that Peng Zu's 800 years old is only equivalent to 1.30 years old of modern people. Another way of saying this is that Peng Zu's life span is 800 years, which is unrealistic from the scientific analysis, but it is reasonable to regard Peng Zu as the title or ancestor worship of Guo Peng in past dynasties.
There is also a saying that according to ancient books and historical records handed down from generation to generation, Peng Zu did live for two dynasties and lived for more than 800 years. The reason is that Peng Zu has been recorded in Shan Hai Jing, Historical Records, Huayang National Records and other documents, and has experienced more than 800 years in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. Moreover, the method of historical chronology does not support the saying that "small flowers date", which may be a method of expressing time in some individual places, and is not used to record the historical age of China. However, there is no evidence to show whether "Xiaohua is scheduled to be 60 days old" is one year. Compared with the Gregorian calendar, 60-year-old flowers are still 365 days a year. Moreover, the historical figures and dynasties of Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties are also represented by the Gregorian calendar.
Professor Chen said: "We are studying Peng Zu now, and we don't need to find out the real age of Peng Zu and the actual situation at that time. Since all generations have regarded Peng Zu as a symbol of longevity, then we should absorb the essence of Peng Zu's health culture and carry forward the longevity culture, instead of just arguing about Peng Zu's age. "
Peng Zu's secret of health preservation
Peng Zu's longevity stems from his way of keeping in good health, which is to improve his ability to resist diseases through self-cultivation. According to legend, there was the Peng Zu Classic in ancient times, which was Peng Zu's monograph on health preservation, but it was later lost. At present, the academic consensus mainly comes down to dietotherapy, qigong (breathing) and medical skills.
First of all, Peng Zu likes to do more exercise to keep fit, but he is not keen on fame and fortune. It is said that Zhou Muwang once asked him to be a doctor, but he didn't want to be an official. He disappeared after he was 800 years old. He does not advocate vanity and is not bound by utilitarian thoughts. All the tens of thousands of gold donated by Yin Wang were donated to the poor. It can be seen that he is kind-hearted, noble-minded, broad-minded and helpful, thus laying a spiritual foundation for longevity.
Secondly, Peng Zu is a gourmet. In Tian Wen, Qu Yuan said, "Peng Keng poured wild chicken soup for the emperor", which means that even the emperor likes the wild chicken soup he cooked. During the Warring States Period, Yi Ya of Qi longed for Peng Zu's food supplement, and once went to Wuyang (Pengshan was called Wuyang in ancient times) to learn cooking techniques. He is also proficient in medical skills and alchemy, and has made great contributions to traditional medicine in China. He was regarded as the founder by Zhang Zhongjing, Hua Tuo and Li Shizhen.
He is also good at Qigong (breathing and breathing). In ancient times, due to flooding, stagnation of yin and qi, omnivorous food, and people suffering from cold and heat, he invented meridian introduction, which became popular as a good health preservation method in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. He organically combined breathing and qi circulation with body movement, forming a unique qi circulation technology to guide longevity. Zhuangzi said in "Deliberate": "Exaggerate breathing, go to the old and suck in the new ... Peng Zushou's candidate is also good"; Xunzi said, "Treating qi and preserving health will make Peng Zu." It can be seen that they all regarded Peng Zu as the originator of Qigong.
Peng Zu pointed out: "Men can't live without women, and women can't live without men. If you are lonely and think about handover, it will damage your life and cause various diseases. " "There is a strong stagnation, which is difficult to hold and easy to lose, making people leak semen and urine, resulting in the disease of ghost sex." He stressed that neither abstinence nor indulgence, but moderation is enough, and harmonious husband and wife life can enhance people's spiritual vitality and prolong life. Peng Zu boldly put forward the viewpoint that invigorating qi is not as good as food supplement, and food supplement is not as good as sex supplement. This is not only the earliest systematic theory and experience summary about male and female sex in human history, but also a rare and original experience and theory about male and female sex in the world so far.
Why do Pengshan people generally live longer?
Peng Zu, the legendary place where Peng Zu died, is the birthplace of Peng Zu's healthy and longevity culture. Up to now, there are still well-preserved historical sites such as Pengzu Temple, Peng Zu's Tomb, An Dan Cave, Yunv Cave and Pengzu Well. Peng Zu is a natural Tai Chi map, and it is a treasure trove of geomantic omen with good pattern and atmosphere. Its unique terrain has made countless Feng Shui masters linger. Peng Zu's Tomb is located in the eye of a fish in Taiji, which is said to be an ideal place to practice Qigong. Health pavilion is a concentrated display of Peng Zu's secret of health and longevity. Pengshan people generally live a long life, which is inseparable from these superior geographical environments.
According to a data from pengshan county Tourism Bureau, the average life expectancy of pengshan county population is 76.6 years. The total population of the county is 323,995. By the end of this year, there will be 32 centenarians, accounting for 0.0988% of the total population, which is nearly 20 times higher than that of the national centenarians in the same period.
Why do Pengshan people generally live longer? According to Professor Chen, this song was first influenced by the environment. Pengshan belongs to subtropical humid climate zone, with small altitude difference and little climate change. Most long-lived elderly people live in rural areas, with fresh air, less pollution and beautiful natural environment. Secondly, people have the habit of loving labor since childhood. Most of the long-lived old people in Pengshan were born in poverty. In this environment, they have developed the habit of working hard and being busy from morning till night. Their life is very regular, they like to go to bed early and get up early, and their diet is mainly whole grains and fresh vegetables. In addition, Pengshan people have a fine tradition of respecting and loving the elderly. Shang Shulang in the Western Jin Dynasty, the satrap of Hanzhong, Shi Mi, the author of Chen Qingbiao, and a villager in Baosheng, pengshan county. As a dutiful son, he treats senior officials like dirt, and his reputation spreads all over the world. In addition, family harmony and national peace are also necessary conditions for the elderly to live a long life.
Some experts also found a very interesting phenomenon during the investigation: women are the main group of people who live longer, and only five of the 32 centenarians in pengshan county are men. Some people attribute it to the fact that in the family, a lot of housework is done by women, and they have developed the instinct of diligence and kindness; Moreover, women like to nag, which can adjust the balance between physiology and psychology well.
According to the relevant personnel of the China Association for the Aged, there are now seven regions in China that call themselves "the hometown of longevity". In order to evaluate the "Hometown of Longevity" in China, China Association for the Aged will work with relevant departments to formulate relevant selection criteria. Whether Pengshan can win the title of "Hometown of Longevity" in China by virtue of Peng Zu's unique health culture and the birthplace of longevity-Peng Zu, remains to be seen.