KING GOUJIAN OF YUE
CHINA
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| King Goujian of Yue |
However, Xue Zhu was unimpressed with the first two swords, saying they were slightly flawed. It was then that Goujian decided to bring out his most valuable sword — Chun Jun. Xue Zhu literally fell off his seat when the sword was mentioned, for Chun Jun was said to be one of the most legendary swords. Indeed, Xue Zhu was entranced by the sword's magnificence and elegance upon laying eyes on it. Goujian then jokingly asked Xue Zhu if the sword could be exchanged for a thousand horses, three villas and two cities.
In response, Xue Zhu firmly told Goujian to never give up Chun Jun for anything else in the world — the sword was considered priceless and worth more than any material wealth. Assured of its value, Goujian declared Chun Jun as the Sword of Goujian.
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| Chun Jun at the Hubei Provincial Museum |
Surprisingly, the sword was uncovered in an archaeological site in Hubei in 1966. What's more surprising — its blade showed no signs of wear and tear, even after two thousand years . Since the scabbard fits the sword perfectly, it created a vacuum that prevented the blade from rust.
The sword represents the long history of China. It is currently kept in the Hubei Provincial Museum. Upon closer inspection, one can see ancient scripts running along the blade, which measures around 18 inches in length and uses the rhombus as its main pattern block. The hilt is around 4 inches in length and exquisitely decorated with blue gemstones.
As far as the last few paragraphs are concerned, The story you tell seems to comply with the general history. But, I feel, that this story has left out some crucial points about King Gou Jian and his majestic sword.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the sword, Chun Jun's(純鈞) origins ARE KNOWN! The sword was made by the famous swordsmith Ou Yezi (歐冶子), who was a citizen of Yue. He also made several other legendary swords. One such sword is Tai E, (泰阿) A peerless blade, which is possibly more famous than Chun Jun! Both of these bronze swords were made some time during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-475 B.C.E.)
Second of all, King Gou Jian may have had good reasons to rejoice, at this point in his life, but he also knew a lot of suffering. Before his glorious victory over his life-long enemy, King Fuchai of Wu, he suffered several major defeats, during which he was captured and forced to serve as a hostage in the Kingdom of Wu for 3 long years!
After his release it is said he ate gall/bile, to remind himself of the shame of his defeat, and the suffering of his people. But he didn't wallow in his misery for long.
Slowly, stealthily, he rebuilt his kingdom's military. It was then that he sought out Ou Yezi, and commissioned the sword(s) to be made for him. When the time was right, he launched an offensive that crushed the kingdom of Wu's forces. This time it was King Fuchai's turn to understand the shame of defeat, and he committed suicide.
Kinda changes the whole story doesn't it?
If this sounds like a rant, it kind of is, but I don't mean to hurt anybody's feelings or start any flame wars. I just think King Goujian is such a cool historical figure because he is portrayed as a heroic king who is willing to face his own mistakes, swallow his pride, rise from the ashes of his own failings, and get some old fashioned justice.
I just would like to see him portrayed that way. Not just as some random king who had an awesome sword.
By the way, if you can read Chinese, you can read the full history in "Records of the Grand Historian"(史記) by Sima Qian,
or in the Yuejueshu (越絶書) by Han Yuankang
I dunno if either of these has an English translation though.
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ReplyDeleteblue gemstones