His grandfather Liu Heng lived to the age of 54, and his father Liu Qi lived to the age of 47. It can be seen that his longevity does not lie in heredity. Then, as a feudal emperor in the history of China more than two thousand years ago, why did he live so long?
There are many reasons.
Often participate in sacrificial activities.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty frequently participated in sacrificial activities, including the activities of sacrificing five emperors, Taiyi, Hou Di and famous mountains and rivers. In the first year of yuanshou (BC 133), he went to yongci (now Fengxiang county, Shaanxi province) in winter and October to worship Wu? (sound: zhiì, a place to worship heaven and earth and ancient emperors), I came here to worship once every three years. According to Hanshu? According to Liang Wudi's records, he sacrificed to the five emperors eight times before his death. He comes here every five years. He climbed Mount Tai five times before his death and held a ceremony to worship heaven. There are many records about his activities of climbing Mount Tai in the history books, among which there is a saying: "Emperor Tiandi climbed Mount Tai alone with Huo Zihou (son of Huo Qubing in Han Dynasty), the general in charge of middle schools and automobiles." Besides Mount Tai, he also visited Huashan, Takamatsu (Songshan), Tianzhu Mountain and Hengshan Mountain.
Often cruise the country.
According to historical records, Ding Yuan, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, began to patrol the county in the fourth year (1 13), and later he often toured all parts of the country. There are many records about this point, and now only a few examples are given to illustrate it. In order to impress the Huns, he led an army of 180,000 to patrol the border in the winter of the first year of Yuanfeng. Starting from Yunyang, passing through Shang Jun, Xihe and Wuyuan to the north, leaving Chang 'an, going north to Shanyutai to Shuofang, facing the North Sea, and finally returning to Ganquan. In the first month of the first year of Yuanfeng, he visited the Xing family in spring, traveled to the sea in the east, and returned to Dengfeng Mount Tai in summer and April. Later, Huo Zihou suddenly died of illness, and Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty was very sad. So he swam to the sea in the east again, to the vicinity of Jieshi in the north, to western Liaoning, to Jiuyuan in the north, and returned to Ganquan in May. The trip reached18,000 miles.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has a soft spot for mountains and seas. Hanshu? According to the Records of Emperor Wudi, he went to the sea three times, once enjoying the Bohai Sea, once floating on the sea and once offshore. It can be seen that he went to sea at least six times in his life, and the last time he went to sea was in the first month of the spring of Zheng He's four years (89 years ago). At this time, he was 67 years old, only two years away from his death. It is recorded in the book that he went to the East China Sea to see "floating the sea to see the mountains". Now it is a mirage, but the weather is not good. At that time, the sea was "windy and dark, and the sea was boiling", but he didn't listen. He waited at sea for more than ten days and still didn't come back.
In the summer of the third year of Yuanguang, the Yellow River burst in Zhangzikou, Puyang, and flooded sixteen counties. He ordered tens of thousands of people to stop the breach, and personally went to the scene to order the left and right officials and accompanying officials to stop the breach with a salary below the general. He stayed here for two days until the gap was blocked.
Have a passion for hunting
As an emperor, he often disguised his identity and traveled around. In order not to attract people's attention or criticism, he always goes out of the palace at night with those who can ride and shoot well, calling himself "Hou Pingyang" (Hou Pingyang Cao Shou is the brother-in-law of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and is very respected), and goes hunting in Nanshan at dawn. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty often chased wild animals alone and liked to beat bears and wild boars alone. When hunting, he always stays in a hotel and never goes back to the palace. In order to have a fixed hunting ground, he expanded the Shanglin Garden built by Qin Shihuang as a palace garden. Go to the forest garden for more than 200 miles. There are all kinds of animals in the garden for him to shoot.
Dieting and taking medicine in old age
In his early years, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was superstitious about ghosts and gods, superstitious about alchemists, and bent on riding a dragon to heaven like the Yellow Emperor, so he was repeatedly deceived. In his later years, he listened to Tian's advice and repented. He often lamented to ministers: I was ignorant and confused before, and I was cheated by the alchemist. There are no immortals in the world. They all use witchcraft. Only by controlling appetite and taking medicine can we get less sick and be healthy.
He frequently participated in sacrificial activities in order to get the blessing of the gods, prolong life and consolidate unity. However, we know that the ancients had to bathe and change clothes before the sacrificial ceremony, and they could not drink alcohol, eat meat or sleep with their wives and concubines to tidy up their bodies and minds. This will have a positive impact on his daily life and longevity. He loves hunting to satisfy his own selfish desires, so as to have fun. Sima Guang said that he "cruised excessively" and loved hunting, which made him stay away from the palace for a long time and be active outside, thus getting physical and mental exercise and laying the foundation for prolonging life. In his later years, he restrained his appetite and took medicine when he was ill. From the perspective of modern medical care concept, dieting is good for health, and proper dieting is good for health and can prolong life. As for taking medicine to treat diseases, it was a major change in his concept in his later years, which made it possible for him to live a long and healthy life.