Monday, September 22, 2008

Travels to the West of Qiu Chang Chun

Qiu Chang Chun Xi You Ji 长春真人西游记 was a record
of journey of Taoist monk Qiu Chuji from Shandong China through central Asia to Persia to
present himself before Genghis Khan.

In 1220, on the invitation of Genghis Khan with a golden tablet, Qiu Chuji left his home town Shangdong with eighteen disciples, and travelled through Peking and travelled north. In June, they reached Te Hing and stayed in the Lung Yun Taosit Temple from summer to end of winter. On February of 1221, they resumed their journey. When asked by friends and
disciples when to expect the master to return, the master answered "In three years, three years". On February 3, they reached Chui Ping Kou, they saw Tai Hang Mountain to their
south. Travelled north then north east, they arrived at Kai Li Po salt lake.

Lake Buyur, Hulunbuir, Ulan Bator, , Altay Mountains, Bishbulik, Dzungaria, Samarkand and arrived at Hindu Kush of Afganistan in 1222 and presented himself before Genghis Khan.

The journey to Persia and back took three years, from 1220 to 1224. The record was
written by a disciple Li Zhichang , who accompanied Qiu on the journey. The Travels consisted of two parts, the first part described the details of the travel to the west and back; the second part contains advices from Qiu Chuji to Genghis Khan.

Chang Chun Xi You Ji was published by another disciple Sun Xi, with a preface dated 1228. Xi You Ji was included in Dao Zang , but was forgotten for more than five hundred years. Until 1795 Qing dynasty scholars
Qian Daxin and Duan Yucai rediscovered it from Dao Zang in the Xuan Miao Taoist Temple in Suzhou,then Qian Daxin hand copied this work and distributed it.

Translations


Chang Chun Xi You Ji was first translated into Russian by the Archimandrite of Russian Orthodox Church Pekin Eccles Mission Palladius Kafarov in 1866.

In 1867 M. Pauthier translated an abridged version of Xi You Ji from Hai Guo Tu Zhi

1888, Dr. Emil Bretschneider, a Baltic German physician posted to the Russian Legation in Pekin, published his English translation of Chang Chun Xi you Ji.

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