Peach Blossom Shangri-La by Tao Yuan Ming, 421 AD
After waking up one morning recently, I was drawn to the garden. The grass was still wet with dew and glistened where the sun touched it. A light breeze lifted through the leaves and gently swung the slender branches of a tall willow. I turned the cool soil with my fingertips and planted a row of seeds. Birdsong filled the air. All was at peace, in that quiet little morning world within the larger world, and I was reminded of a story I had come across recently, which I will share with you today.
Peach Blossom Shangri-La
by Tao Yuan Ming
Peach Blossom Shangri-La
by Tao Yuan Ming, 421 AD
(As translated and proofed by Rick Davis and David Steelman)
Foreword and ending comments by Cardinale Montano
Peach Blossom by Susan Holmes
During the Taiyuan era of the Jin Dynasty there was a
man of Wuling who made his living as a fisherman. Once
while following a stream he forgot how far he had gone. He
suddenly came to a grove of blossoming peach trees. It lined
both banks for several hundred paces and included not a
single other kind of tree. Petals of the dazzling and
fragrant blossoms were falling everywhere in profusion.
Thinking this place highly unusual, the fisherman advanced
once again in wanting to see how far it went.
The peach trees stopped at the stream's source, where the
fisherman came to a mountain with a small opening through
which it seemed he could see light. Leaving his boat, he
entered the opening. At first it was so narrow that he could
barely pass, but after advancing a short distance it suddenly
opened up to reveal a broad, flat area with imposing houses,
good fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, bamboo, and the
like. The fisherman saw paths extending among the fields in
all directions, and could hear the sounds of chickens and
dogs. Men and women working in the fields all wore clothing
that looked like that of foreign lands. The elderly and
children all seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves.
Peach Blossom by Susan Holmes
The people were amazed to see the fisherman, and they asked
him from where he had come. He told them in detail, then the
people invited him to their home, set out wine, butchered a
chicken , and prepared a meal. Other villagers heard
about the fisherman, and they all came to ask him questions.
Then the villagers told him, "To avoid the chaos of war
during the Qin Dynasty our ancestors brought their
families and villagers to this isolated place and never left
it, so we've had no contact with the outside world." They
asked the fisherman what the present reign was. They were
not even aware of the Han Dynasty , let alone the Wei
and Jin. The fisherman told them everything he knew in great
detail, and the villagers were amazed and heaved sighs. Then
other villagers also invited the fisherman to their homes,
where they gave him food and drink.
Peach Blossom by Susan Holmes
After several days
there, the fisherman bid farewell, at which time some
villagers told him, "It's not worth telling people on the outside about us."
The fisherman exited through the opening, found his boat, and
retraced his route while leaving markers to find this place
again. Upon his arrival at the prefecture town he went to
the prefect and told him what had happened. The prefect
immediately sent a person to follow the fisherman and look
for the trail markers, but they got lost and never found the way.
Liu Ziji of Nanyang was a person of noble
character. When he heard this story he was happy and planned
to visit the Shangri-la, but he died of illness before he
could accomplish it. After that no one else ever looked for
the place.
Peach Blossom Shangri-La was written in 421 AD in China, during a time of great political instability and national disunity. It touched the hearts of a people yearning for simpler, more peaceful times of the past, while being pulled through dark tides of upheaval.
In Yuan Ming’s story, the place itself was never found again. Many attempted in vain, looking outward for markers, to set them in the right direction. Perhaps instead, this Shangri-La lies hidden deep within the human heart. Where it remains untouched and pure, at the end of a trail unspoiled by the complexities of a troubled world.
Thank you so much to Susan, Becky’s dear mum for the beautiful art work of the peach blossom.
Here is another version of this story I recently came across which you might like to see ‘A poetic take on an old story by Tao Yuangming - an idyllic rural utopia separated from the world.’ on a YouTube channel by a gentleman called Manuel do Rio -
