Reflections on the Historical Documentary 800 Years of Chu State

Eight Hundred Years of Chu and Han is a documentary describing the history of Xiang and Chu, which is divided into eight episodes: birth, awakening, frustration, bullying, misguided, disaster, change and nirvana. This historical documentary not only tells the history and culture of Chu with 800 years of life, but also tells the colorful historical allusions, totem worship and even food, clothing, housing and transportation of Xiangchu culture. Just from the documentary capacity, it gave the audience endless shock.

Interestingly, the 800-year history of Chu is very anthropomorphic. If we broaden our perspective and interpret the complete biography of Songs of the South from the perspective of banter, we have to admire the "philosophy of life" that is evident everywhere.

Inspirational Rise of the Great Chu State

Judging from the early development of Chu, the whole development of Chu is like a wonderful story of "inspirational youth" getting rid of poverty and becoming rich.

Chu people think that they are descendants of the Vulcan God Zhu Rong, and they are descendants with very pure "royal blood". In fact, they are more like abandoned children sent to the frontier by their stepmother. They are waiting for the royal approval to take them away from this bitter and cold place. However, if you want others to look at you squarely, you must have strength. Chu has no capital at all. Finally, at the end of the Shang Dynasty, the Chu people occupied the team that supported the Zhou Dynasty, and finally got an "approval" and a "five-mile" fief. Thus, the Chu people had the "Chu land" and the first "family business". But this property is too small. When the king of Chu went to worship the Zhou royal family, he could only bring a few kilograms of pork and thatch. Such a shabby exchange is the arrogance and indifference of the Zhou Dynasty.

Be brave after knowing shame. When knowing that "strength" is the basis for gaining the right to speak, Chu rose up. They constantly expand their territory, "grab" with the most primitive methods, and make themselves "strong". What rules, what manners, things are the most real. Even, ignoring the etiquette of the Zhou Dynasty, it made a world-wide scandal of "sealing the king with the son". Because of this, although the Chu people have the confidence to speak, they are even more marginalized by the whole "Central Plains" and even dubbed as "people". Just like now, a person becomes a nouveau riche through various means, and finally everyone only gives him the name of "local tyrant". However, in any case, Chu has developed and everyone has to listen to him.

A big Chu State hurt by love.

There is an indescribable "sadness" in the story that runs through Chu's development and is vividly summarized by love.

Chu people have been envious of "Central Plains Culture" since the beginning of their prosperity, and have been actively seeking their recognition from "Central Plains Culture". It is this road of "identity" that makes the Chu people suffer enough.

At the beginning, because you didn't have the strength, you didn't even look at others, so the Chu people worked hard and gave themselves the right to speak. During the Spring and Autumn Period, copper was an important raw material for making weapons. Chu had the right time and the right place, and won Tonglu Mountain, which is rich in copper. This is the result of Chu Wuwang's lifelong sacrifice. He was punished three times and failed. At the age of seventy, he went out again and was defeated in the battle. In the end, through unremitting efforts, the Chu people finally gained the right to speak "copper", not only the copper mountain, but also the accompanying copper crafts and craftsmen. Therefore, the Chu people quickly became powerful and became a big country sweeping Jianghan.

After the hegemony between Qi Huangong, Song Xianggong and Jin Wengong in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Five Overlords, Chu, with strong military strength, also wanted to participate. They want to be accepted by the Central Plains cultural system with their own strength. But it is precisely because he is too strong, especially the "toughness" marked by military strength, in exchange for the psychological alienation of the whole Central Plains. Chu called himself king after seeing the failure of all kinds of hegemonic roads of "respecting the king and rejecting foreign countries", "respecting benevolence and righteousness" and "being both civil and military". All his life, he has been thinking about how to realize the difficult problem of "dominating the Central Plains" with his own resources. Fortunately, Chu Zhuangwang finally realized this. When he is full of ambition, he wants to take the world instead of Zhou. There was a very famous allusion in history, "Winning the Central Plains", but I don't want to get the answer that "virtue is not in the tripod".

So far, this search for "Central Plains Culture" has finally found the "answer" and the seemingly feasible "path".

Various ideas, cultures, habits and styles from the Central Plains flooded into Chu. At the same time of crazy acceptance, Chu had a more extreme evolution. Just like King Chu Ling's "King Chu's waist is thin and many palaces starve to death", it is simply ridiculous.

Everything, there is a kind, I love you very much, I will become what you like, even you.

A most "sad and beautiful" ending

Rise up for love, be crazy about love, lose yourself for love, and finally let the fire of love burn you to ashes.

The worship and overall acceptance of Central Plains culture made Chu fall into the curse of "the spirit of ethics". Not only become what you are, but also become better than you, then maybe you can get your love. Chu's strength and willfulness made them fall into a wrong path gradually. Extreme luxury and lack of initiative have become great obstacles to the development of Chu. Nearly 800 years of development, on the one hand, laid a strong foundation for this big country, but also left many cancer for it. The nobility of Chu is a curse that this country can't afford more and more. After several reforms, Chu tried to dig out this cancer, but failed again and again. What a pity.

The story is coming to an end, and the time has come to the Warring States Period. This is an era when rituals collapse and music breaks down. Unlike the Five Overlords in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Seven Heroes in the Warring States relied on swords and guns and tangible surplus grain, which in the final analysis were "money" and "guns". It's a little ridiculous to say. When Chu State robbed the land, made money and made grain with its resilience, people told you that "virtue is not in the tripod". When Chu is really patient, constantly practicing his virtue, and trying to turn himself into a king who knows more about "rites and music" than "Central Plains culture", times tell you that you are the original overlord in this world. It's ridiculous and pathetic to think about it.

It is precisely because of this deviation of self-lost, under the infiltration of extreme Central Plains culture, Chu has become the country's biggest cancer-Chu nobles, which has become a big problem that is difficult to cure. Although the reform failed many times, it bought a lot of time for Chu. But I don't want to. Qu Yuan's reform became the finale of this magnificent chapter.

When Chu Huaiwang came to power, the state of Chu was strong. This is really a lucky and extremely unfortunate successor. In the long history of 800 years, his ancestors left him a strong treasury, a powerful army, splendid culture and a group of difficult Chu nobles. Everything in front makes Chu Huaiwang have the confidence to reform, and everything behind makes Chu Huaiwang have to reform. In the era of the tiger and the wolf in the Warring States, Shang Yang's political reform in Qin made this neighboring country rapidly powerful and seemingly hegemonic. Especially the confusion between "Lian Heng" and "Lian" makes the situation unpredictable and unpredictable. Therefore, "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith" is not binding, and even becomes the weight of conspirators.

Is Qu Yuan's tactics too low-level, the nobles of Chu too numb, or Chu Huaiwang too indecisive? After 800 years, the last three years of Chu State are a joke. Although history is always one-sided, the story of "Chu Huaiwang was deceived and imprisoned in Qin" always makes people feel that it is a "stupid" story, whether it is through his 800-year "benevolence" education or his naive belief in Zhang Yi.

Whether it is "benevolence" or "innocence", it has become the original sin of Chu's demise!

800 years of scenery, 800 years of pursuit, 800 years of rise and prosperity, 800 years, the story of more than 40 kings. In the end, even the chance to catch my breath was not given, and even a false prosperity of edible oil was staged in the end. I can only sigh with regret, hatred and pity. Finally, there is only one sentence left in history: In the first 223 years, Qin Jun invaded the capital of Chu and Chu was destroyed.

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