Translation of Dongcheng Father's Biography Works

This old man, surnamed Jia Mingchang, is from Xuanyangli, Chang 'an. He was born in the first year of Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty, that is, the year of guichou. By the time Yuan and Geng Yin arrived, he was 98 years old. His eyesight and hearing have not declined, his speech is calm, and his thinking ability has not declined. He told Princess Taiping clearly and beautifully.

Jia Chang's father Jia Zhong is nine feet tall. He is strong enough to lead the cattle forward, so that he can be an official and serve as the guardian of the queen's residence.

In the fourth year of Jinglong, Jia Zhong took a long pole to pick a tent, followed Tang Xuanzong into Daming Palace, and killed Webster. After his father, Zong Rui, ascended the throne, he became a hero of the Jing Yun Dynasty and was elected to the Long Dao Team as the emperor's bodyguard. The emperor ordered his family to move to Longmen, Dong Yun.

When Jia Chang was seven years old, he was more agile than the average person. He can climb up the beam along the pillar. He is also good at answering questions and understanding birds. When Xuanzong lived in the palace, he liked the game of cockfighting in Tomb-Sweeping Day. When he became emperor, he built a chicken farm between the two palaces and chose roosters in Chang 'an. There are more than 1000 big cocks with long and pointed golden feathers, iron claws, high cockscomb and cocked tail in chicken farms. In addition, 500 teenagers were selected from the guards to raise and coach them. The emperor likes this game, and the people are more popular. The prince's royal family, the emperor's mother and the queen's in-laws family, the princess's family and the marquis's family all spend all their money to buy chickens or pay them back. Men, women and children in Beijing play with chickens for a living, and poor people play with fake chickens.

Once, when the emperor went out to play, he saw Jia Chang playing with wooden chickens on the roadside outside Yunlong Gate, so he called him into the palace to work as a chicken trainer in a chicken farm, and his treatment was more than that of imperial soldiers. Three-foot-tall children, entering a group of chickens, are like domesticating a group of children. They are strong, thin, brave and timid, and can know the time of eating and the signs of illness. Picked up two chickens, timid and docile, and obeyed orders like commanders. Wang Chengen, the eunuch who supervised the chicken farm, reported the situation to Xuanzong. Xuanzong summoned Jia Chang to the front steps of the palace for verification, which was very in line with the emperor's wishes. On the same day, he was appointed as the leader of 500 chicken training teenagers. In addition, Jia is cautious and thoughtful, and the son of heaven dotes on him even more. Gold, silk and other rewards are sent to his home every day.

In the 13th year of Kaiyuan, 300 chickens were caged in the palace, and they followed Xuanzong to meditate on Mount Tai in Dongyue. Jia Chang's father died at the foot of Mount Tai, was respected by his son, and escorted the body back to Yongzhou for burial. The county magistrate prepared funeral supplies and funeral vehicles and took the post car to Luoyang Avenue.

In March of the 14th year of Kaiyuan, Jia Chang put on a cockfighting suit and met Xuanzong at the hot spring. At that time, everyone in the world called him "God Chicken". At that time, people wrote words for him: "You don't have to read when you are born, and cockfighting will win school." Look at the Jia family's young man. At the age of thirteen, his family's wealth and luxury are far less than those of many aristocratic families. Jia Chang is great. He can command a flock of chickens. He is supposed to win the game. He was wearing a white silk dress embroidered with embroidery patterns, followed by a beautifully decorated chariot. My father died in Chang 'an, thousands of miles away, and my husband was in a condolence car. "

When Empress Zhaocheng was in Xiangwangfu, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was born on August 5th. After the national rejuvenation, this day was designated as Qian Qiu Festival, and people were rewarded with cattle and wine for entertainment for three days, which was called "Spring" and became a habit in the future. Large-scale music ensembles are held in the palace, and sometimes cocktail parties are held in Luoyang. Lantern Festival and Tomb-Sweeping Day are mostly spent in Lishan Mountain. Every few days, all kinds of entertainment activities are held at the same time, and the sixth house follows. Jia Chang wore a hat engraved with golden flowers, embroidered clothes with brocade sleeves and a bladed weapon in his hand, sweeping the road ahead. The cocks stood neatly in the square, and Jia Chang looked back, with bright eyes and firm orders. The cock flutters its wings, grinds its mouth and claws, suppresses its anger and waits for victory, and advances and retreats in accordance with the rules; With the command of the whip, keep your head down and head high, and do not deviate from Jia Chang's regulations. After the outcome is decided, the winner is in the front and the loser is in the back. He followed Jia Chang back to the chicken farm like a wild goose flying. Wrestling champions, sword-wielders, pole climbers, kickers, rope walkers and pole-top performers are all dejected and depressed, and are afraid to play because of concerns. Is he the man who trained macaques to tame dragons?

In twenty-three years, Xuanzong married Jia Chang's daughter, a song and dance artist named Pan Datong. The groom wears jade clothes and the bride wears embroidered coats, which are the treasures of the court. Jia Chang has two sons, one is Zhixin and the other is Zhide.

During the Tianbao period, Jia Chang's wife was deeply loved by Yang Guifei because she was good at singing and dancing. Jia Chang and his wife have been in favor for 40 years, and the emperor's kindness has not changed. Aren't they skilled and cautious?

The emperor was born in yiyou, a rooster, and people wore imperial clothes to fight cocks. The omen of disaster appeared in peacetime, but the emperor didn't realize it.

In the fourteenth year of Tianbao, the Anshi Rebellion broke out, Luoyang fell, Tongguan fell, and the emperor came to Chengdu. Jia Changben ran to protect the emperor and came out of a side door at night. The horse fell into a pit on the road. He hurt his foot and couldn't walk any further. He walked into Nanshan on crutches. Every cockfighting day, Jia Chang cries loudly to the southwest. When An Lushan went to Beijing to appear before the emperor, he met Jia Chang outside Hengmen. When capturing East and West Beijing, Jia Chang was offered a reward for his whereabouts in Luoyang, Chang 'an. Jia Chang changed his name and surname and hid in a Buddhist temple. Sweep the floor, ring the bell and serve the Buddha. By the time the emperor's father returned to Xingqing Palace, Su Zong had been succeeded by providence in other halls, and Jia Chang had also returned to his hometown. His house was ransacked. Jia Chang was ragged and haggard, so he could not enter the palace again. The next day, he left the south gate of Chang 'an and met his wife and son on his way to Zhao. They are dark-skinned and malnourished. The son is carrying firewood, and the wife is wearing an old cotton-padded jacket. Jia Chang wept with them and said goodbye to them on the way.

So I hid in Chang 'an Buddhist Temple and studied Buddhism with the monks. In the first year of Dali, Jia Chang and the eminent monk of Zisheng Temple lived in Dongshi Haichi, where there were stone pillars engraved with the Dalagni Classic. He can already write his own name, read Buddhist scriptures, understand the profound meaning and truth in the book, and influence secular people with kindness. Build a monk's house and plant beautiful flowers and sweet trees. Water bamboo with bacon and water during the day; Meditate in the meditation room at night.

Three years after the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), monk Yunping died. After Jia Chang received the funeral, he built a stupa in the east of Zhenguo Temple outside the east gate of Chang 'an, planted a hundred pines and cypresses, built a small house under the pagoda, lived in it, burned incense and sprinkled water to sweep the floor in the morning and evening, and served his master as if he were still alive.

When Shunzong was a prince, he gave 300,000 yuan to build a temple for Jia Chang to worship the monk statue and fast the palace. Houses are built on the periphery to allow displaced people to live and collect rent. Jia Chang eats a bowl of porridge, drinks a liter of water, sleeps on straw mats and wears cotton-padded clothes every day. Everything else is used for offering Buddha. Jia Chang's wife Pan Shi later disappeared.

During Zhenyuan period, Jia Chang's eldest son was a soldier in Bingzhou. He went to Changfeng to visit Jia Chang, just as Da Situ Sui went to Beijing to meet the emperor. It seems that Jia Chang was not born by himself, so he left him forever. The second son, Zhide, came back and sold silk goods in the market in Luoyang, traveling between Luoyang and Chang 'an, giving Jia Chang money and goods every year, without asking for it once. So both sons left and never came back.

During the Yuanhe period, Chen Hongzu of Yingchuan took his friends from Chunmingmen to see the dense bamboo forests and cypresses, and you could smell the smoke of burning incense on the road. They dismounted and met Jia Chang under the tower. Listening to Jia Chang, unconsciously, it was getting late. Jia Chang let Hongzu and his wife live in a Zhai Tang, and told their experiences in an orderly way, involving the imperial system. Chen Hongzu asked about the rebellion during the Kaiyuan period. Jia Chang said: "When I was young, I wanted to please the emperor with cockfighting. The emperor raised me as a player and lived in the outer palace. How can I know about the court? However, there is something I can tell you. Seeing Du Xian, assistant minister of Huangmen, as an envoy of China to the Western Regions, went to North Korea as a physician, the old man began to become famous by virtue of national discipline and laws. When he saw Ge guarding Liangzhou, he captured the stone fort, defended the clear sea city, set out from Bailong City, crossed Qingling Mountain, and took charge of the left side of the river with tiemenguan as the boundary. After seven dates, he became an agent of the ancient empire. I saw Zhang that he was in charge of Youzhou. Every year, when he entered the customs, he always pulled a cart with a long axis to transport silk and cloth paid by Hejian and Jizhou people, and the vehicles kept gathering at the city gate. Only the silk fabrics of Jianghuai, the splendid scenery of Bashu and the rare treasures enjoyed by concubines in the harem were brought into the palace. Dunhuang Road in Hezhou reclaims land every year to enrich the frontier grain, and the surplus millet is transported to Lingzhou, then transported to the East by the Yellow River and stored in the grain depot in Taiyuan for use in the famine year in Guanzhong. The millet in Guanzhong is stored in other people's homes. The emperor personally visited the five mountains, and the accompanying officials had a huge motorcade and did not eat the food of the people. Old people go home to rest in different seasons and walk in the market, often seeing people selling casual clothes and cotton cloth; Walking among the neighbors, someone prayed to eliminate the disease with a black cloth. If you can't buy it at a high price, you can change it into a soft silk scarf for men. Recently, I sent someone out on crutches, walked to the cross street and looked around. Less than 100 people wear casual clothes. Did everyone in the world go to war? In the twelfth year of Kaiyuan, the emperor ordered: when there are vacancies of assistant ministers in Zhongshu Province, Menxia Province and Shangshu Province, those who have served as secretariat should be selected first; When there is a vacancy in Langguan, first choose someone who has been a county magistrate. By the time my husband was forty years old, officials in the three provinces had the talent and prestige to run prisons. The big official went to the counties to make a secretariat, and the small official made a county magistrate. Since my husband lived by the road, I have often seen the county chief stop here. They are all sad and unhappy about the choice of the court to manage county affairs. During the Kaiyuan period, the imperial examination only focused on filial piety, respect for elder brothers and the ability to govern the people. Only those who have never heard of anyone can be selected by "Jinshi", "Macro" and "Outstanding". This is probably the case. "

He shed tears. He also said: "When Emperor Tai Shang was in power, nomadic people in the north, Jilin in the east, Dianchi in the south and ethnic minorities in the west kowtowed to me once every three years. Courtiers are very particular about manners, and the king's kindness is also very generous. They wear brocade and provide food and wine so that they can return home after finishing their work, and foreign guests are not allowed to stay in Kyoto for too long. Now the conference semifinals and Kyoto people live together, get married and have children, and the teenagers in Chang 'an all have conference semifinals' thoughts. Look at the styles of jewelry, boots and shoes. It's different from the past. Is this a weird phenomenon? "

Hongzu was speechless and left without answering.