English Translation of Notes on Tao Hua Yuan

Notes on Tao Hua Yuan

or

Record of Peach Blossom Fountainhead

by Tao Yuan-ming (4th AD)

Translation

In Jin Dynasty, during the years of Tai Yuan, there was a once a native of Wu Lin, who took fishing as his career. One day he was cruising following a stream, and forgot how far he had traveled. Suddenly he came upon a peach grove. For hundreds of paces along both banks of the stream, the peach trees were in full bloom. No other trees were to be seen in the whole grove. The soft, fragrant grass was fresh and glorious, the petals fell in riotous profusion. The fisherman was beside himself with amazement; so he went on further in order to reach the uppermost limits of the grove.

As the peach trees came to an end, the headsprings of the stream was found to issue from the side of a mountain. There was a small opening in the mountain, and light seemed to emerge from within. The fisherman got out of the boat and ventured into the opening. At first the opening was very narrow, just enough to admit one person. After going a few dozen paces further, an extensive view suddenly appeared before him. [He saw that] the level plain stretch out far and wide, and the houses and homesteads all neatly arranged. There were the kinds like fertile soil, picturesque ponds, mulberry and bamboo grooves. The crisscross paths extended in all directions. As the cocks crowed, the dogs barked in return. People went back and forth, cultivating the land; the attires of men and women were exactly the same as those outside. The yellow-tressed old folks and the youngsters with flowing hair were all living in self-contentment. Seeing the fisherman, they were extremely surprised; they asked him from whence he came. He made his answers in accordingly. He was invited to their homes. They prepared wine, slaughtered chicken and cooked for him. When people in the village heard of the fisherman, they also flocked round to make inquiries. Of their own accord they told him of their forefathers who had, during the troublous times of the Qin dynasty, sought refuge in this place of absolute seclusion together with their families and neighbors. After having settled down here they had never had a chance to get out, thus lost their connection with the outside people. They asked the fisherman which dynasty it was then, they even did not know there was a Han dynasty, not to say Wei and Jin dynasties. The fisherman told them everything he knew and saw, they were all astonished. Some other people also invited the fisherman to their homes, and served him with food and wine. The fisherman stayed for several more days, then he took leave. People living in there told him, “do not tell the people outside about what’s going on here.”

The fisherman came out, found his boat, and took care to leave marks all along his way home. As soon as he got back to the county, he reported his adventure to the magistrate. The magistrate immediately sent some people going with him to try to find the place. They tried to trace the marks the fisherman had made before, but failed, and lost their way thither.

Liu Zi Ji, from Nan Yang, was a man above politics and worldly interests. He heard of the story and gladly went to look for the place, he could not find it. Not long, he died of illness. Ever since then, few have attempted to find the place again.

Commentary

Tao Yuan-ming (365-427 AD), alias Yuan-liang, otherwise known as Tao Qian, alias Yuan-ming, was a native of the district of Chai Sang in Shun Yang. Tao Yuan-ming was born in Jin dynasty, an era when Zhuang Zi’s ideas (an extension of Taoism) was at its full bloom, and also an era of political chaos. His grandfather, his father were all feudal officials, who succumbed themselves to Confucianism. Tao Yuan-ming’s life was a struggle between the “learn and use” theory of Confucianism and the “return to nature” theory of Taoism. “Notes on Tao Hua Yuan” was the ultimate representation of his Taoism beliefs, it became one of Tao Yuan-ming’s masterpieces. In the article, he constructed an eden outside the reality, an ideal society, a utopia, in which he wanted to live in himself. The article itself had been cited again and agin in other works after Tao Yuan-ming. If fact, “Tao Hua Yuan” has become a synonyme for “utopia” in Chinese language.

However, “Tao Hua Yuan” was not simply a recollection of Taoism ideas, on the contrary, it showed both “realism” from Confucianism and “romanticism” from Taoism. This combination made him unacceptable in his times, which also made him immortal in Chinese literial history. As Lu Xu said, “just because Tao Yuan-ming was not ‘solemn and quiet all over,’ he was great.”

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