Customer Service Hotline:022-29821824 Chinese|EN
01
2017
-
12
Qi Jiguang’s Ode to Panshan Mountain
Author:
Qi Jiguang was an outstanding military commander. While serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Jizhou Garrison, he compiled two seminal military treatises, the “Jixiao Xinshu” and the “Lianbing Jishi,” which have long been esteemed by strategists throughout Chinese history. At the same time, he was also a gifted poet. On one occasion, after ascending the summit of Panshan, moved by the scene before him, he composed his celebrated poem “Ascending to the Peak of Panshan”: “At the cry of the frost‑horn, grass and trees sigh; From the cloud‑tops, the stone gate swings open. In the north wind, wine fails to bring drunken ease; Fallen leaves return, and crows come in countless flocks. So long as my spear can quell the murderous aura, It matters not that white hair marks my years on the frontier. Upon this peak, who shall share my name? Here stands General Li’s sword‑dancing platform.” The poem expresses his ardent patriotic devotion to defending the nation’s borders. Qi Jiguang resided in the Jizhou Prefectural Office, where his study was known as “Zhizhi Tang.” The name “Zhizhi” is drawn from the Zhuangzi’s “Human World”: “In the empty chamber, whiteness arises; auspiciousness abides forever.” This means that only when one attains the utmost emptiness and stillness can good fortune remain ever at one’s side.
After Zhang Juzheng’s death, Qi Jiguang was immediately slandered and marginalized by his political rivals. Emperor Wanli, swayed by false accusations, transferred Qi to Guangdong. As Qi departed the Jizhen Garrison, local officials and common folk gathered at the prefectural office to implore him to stay; even beyond the frontier, for dozens of miles, they saw him off, reluctant to part and shedding tears. Among his former subordinates, Deputy General Chen Di captured the scene in verse: “Who would carry the banner to the farthest reaches of the mountains? Young and old alike weep at the edge of the sky.” Qi, too, could scarcely hold back his tears and composed a poem: “Riding north and south through the cold sea‑bound skies, this lone minister gazes toward the imperial phoenix. Every frostdrop is but blood from my heart, scattered upon the crimson autumn leaves of a thousand peaks,” expressing his boundless affection for this land of breathtaking beauty.
Previous page
Previous page
Tianjin Panshan Scenic Area
· Scenic Area Inquiry Phone:022-29828186· Scenic Area Complaint Hotline:022-29821719· Scenic area rescue hotline:022-29821814