Is there a Zhang Sanfeng in history?

Zhang Sanfeng was a famous Taoist in Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and his date of birth and death is unknown. According to Taoist speculation, his activity period was from Yuanyou (13 14 ~ 1320) to the fifteenth year of Yongle in Ming Dynasty (14 17). The Biography of Ji Fang in the Ming Dynasty 187 said that Zhang Sanfeng "was named Quan Yi, a military newspaper, and was named' Sanfeng' because he didn't trim his margins." In all kinds of biographies about Zhang Sanfeng or materials about him, there are many names such as Quanmi, Santuo, Sanfeng, Sanfeng's Old, Tong, Xuanyi, Jubao, Kunyang, Baohe Tolerance Sanfengzi, Lalu, Dirty Zhang and Taixian.

According to Ming History, Zhang Sanfeng was tall, with a turtle-shaped crane back, big ears and round eyes, as tall as a halberd. He is the only one who died in hot and cold weather. He can eat a meal, but he can eat for a few days or he can not eat for a few days. Reading is unforgettable, wandering around the world, uncertain whereabouts. I have been to Wudang Mountain and predict that Wudang Mountain will flourish in the future. Zhang Sanfeng and his disciples cut through the thorns in Wudang Mountain, founded the Caotang Monastery, and soon left Wudang Mountain to travel around. Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming emperor, fell ill in his later years and wanted Zhang Sanfeng to combine the fairy medicine. Hongwu twenty-four years (139 1), sent people to search everywhere, and found nothing. In the meantime, Zhang Yuchu and others were sent to find it, but nothing came of it. In the fifth year of Yongle (1407), Ming Taizu Judy took the throne soon and sent him to Hu Ying to take a message. He searched for ten years and never saw him again.

Of all the historical materials describing Zhang Sanfeng's deeds, the Ming Dynasty is highly credible. Zhang Sanfeng's active period has reached a hundred years, which contains the estimation error, which should be within the error limit of several decades. Therefore, the most likely activity period is the fifty years from 1336 to 1386, that is, when Yuan Shundi and Ming Taizu became emperors. According to the Ming History, in the twenty-four years of Hongwu (139 1), nothing was found, and the possibility of death was extremely high. In his novel, Mr. Jin Yong told Zhang Sanfeng that he was born in the late Southern Song Dynasty. By the end of the Yuan Dynasty, he was one hundred years old. Of course, he couldn't find it in twenty-four years of Hongwu. Mr. Jin Yong's time coordinate system is not contradictory to Zhang Sanfeng's active age estimated by Taoist circles, which belongs to an early estimation.

There are many legends about Zhang Sanfeng. According to the Taoist school, Zhang Sanfeng has been elusive all his life, did not admire Li Rong, lived in seclusion and enjoyed a high reputation.

According to Zhang Sanfeng's account, he was an official in Boling County, Zhongshan (now the county of Hebei Province), and then abandoned his official position and became a monk. He once saw a real dragon in Zhong Nanshan and taught him the alchemy. He went to Wudang to practice for many years, then lived in Jintaiguan, Baoji, Shaanxi, and soon went to Sichuan to see the King of Shu, and then returned to Wudang to help Han ... This is Zhang Sanfeng's boast, which has no credible value.

According to "Sanfeng Quanshu Daoism", among Zhang Sanfeng's disciples, Shen Wansan, a rich man in Qinhuai who helped Zhu Yuanzhang to ask for a salary, Yu Shishe, Shen Chuanqi's husband, and Liu Deyuan, a rich man, etc. , are home Taoist. Qiu Xuanqing, a Quanzhen Taoist priest in Wudang Mountain, studied under Zhang Sanfeng in the early years of Hongwu, and was later called to the capital by Ming Taizu as Taichangqing, and was named the most distinguished Taoist in the three generations of Ming Dynasty. Wudang Taoist priests Lu, Zhou Zhende, Liu and Shan Yang studied under Zhang Sanfeng and were called "Four Immortals of Taihe". Wang Zongdao, a native of Huai 'an, also studied under Zhang Sanfeng, and was later named "Yuan De Real Person". In the third year of Tianshun (1459), Ming Yingzong named Zhang Sanfeng as "Tongwei enlightening the real person". In the 22nd year of Chenghua (1486), Xianzong was named as "keeping a low profile and keeping a low profile, and being a true immortal". Sejong was awarded the title of "Qingxu Yuanmiao Zhenjun" in the 42nd year of Jiajing (1563). In the third year of the Apocalypse (1623), Jiazong said that Zhang Sanfeng appeared at the altar, and he was named "the true king who helped the world greatly". The desire and praise of the Ming emperors and the deification of the gate made Zhang Sanfeng's immortal legend enduring, claiming that he had met Zhang Sanfeng's sermon, which was still heard from time to time until the Qing Dynasty.

No matter how Zhang Sanfeng was heightened by the emperor, no matter how Zhang Sanfeng claimed to meet immortals, he was drawn into the category of immortals. There is no record of his superb martial arts, and there is no basis for Zhang Sanfeng to create Tai Ji Chuan and Taiji Sword. It is recorded in the history books that "Zhang Sanfeng and his disciples cut thorns in Wudang Mountain and built a thatched cottage to practice Buddhism", which makes it very clear that they only practiced Buddhism in Wudang Mountain, but did not practice martial arts. It can be seen that there is a martial arts school called "hooliganism", which is pure nonsense. Shaolin monks and nuns can find clues in Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio, but it is difficult to find activities without suitable sects. There is a certain reason why there is no Wu Tang clan in Three Heroes and Five Righteousness, because the story is set in the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhang Sanfeng has not yet been born, and another martial arts novel, Biography of Heroes of Children, was written in the Qing Dynasty, and there is no trace of Wu Tang clan. It is a modern thing that Wu Tangmen appeared as a martial arts sect in the novel, which has nothing to do with Zhang Sanfeng in history.