Legend of Huangshi Village in Zhangjiajie
To explain the origin of Huangshi Village, one must start with Zhang Liang, Marquis of Liu of the Han Dynasty. After Zhang Liang retired to Qingyan Mountain in Zhangjiajie, he devoted himself to alchemy and immortality cultivation. One day, villagers from the foot of the slope reported: the governor of Wuling Commandery had received a secret decree from Empress Lü to arrest him. Enraged, Zhang Liang threw down his alchemy gourd, led his disciples and villagers, carried provisions, drove pigs, sheep, and oxen, and headed straight for the highest and largest peak of Qingyan Mountain.
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
To explain the origin of Huangshizhai, one must begin with Zhang Liang, the Marquis of Liu of the Han Dynasty. After Zhang Liang went into seclusion on Qingyan Mountain in Zhangjiajie, he devoted himself to alchemy and cultivating immortality. Then one day, villagers at the foot of the slope reported: the governor of Wuling Commandery had received a secret edict from Empress Lü and was coming to arrest him. Hearing this, Zhang Liang was furious. He threw away his alchemy gourd and led his disciples and the mountain villagers, carrying grain and driving pigs, sheep, and oxen, straight to the highest and largest peak of Qingyan Mountain. There they set up camp, established passes and checkpoints, made swords and arrows, and vowed to fight the governor of Wuling Commandery to the death.
Within a few days, sure enough, the governor of Wuling Commandery led three thousand troops to surround and attack the mountain stronghold. Zhang Liang met them by relying on the terrain, guarding the passes tightly, rolling down rocks and shooting flying arrows, beating the governor's soldiers so badly that they dared not come near. After besieging for forty-nine days, they still could not break through the gate or capture Zhang Liang. The governor grew anxious, cut down trees, spread them over the grass, and used fire attack. But the cliffs were too high, and the flames could not climb up, so the fire attack failed. Eager for reward, the governor was unwilling to withdraw. Blinking his eyes a few times, he ordered the mountain to be encircled and besieged, keeping it surrounded for a full three months, hoping to starve Zhang Liang's forces to death on the mountain.
This tactic was indeed formidable. The grain carried up the mountain was eaten up, the pigs and sheep were all slaughtered, and in the end they had to kill the oxen to stave off hunger. When everything edible was gone, Zhang Liang had no choice but to tell everyone to collect the bones of the pigs, sheep, and oxen, burn them in fire, grind them into bone powder, and mix it with water to eat. In the end, even the bones were eaten up, and there was nothing left to eat at all. Some collapsed on the ground from hunger and could not get up.
In this extremely critical moment, Zhang Liang thought of Old Man Huangshi, who had given him the book on military strategy. Only by invoking his master could he break the siege. So he lit incense, candles, and paper money, knelt on both knees, and bowed to heaven to seek his master's help. Strangely enough, after he bowed three times, a puff of white smoke suddenly rose from the ground, and from the smoke emerged an old man with a white beard. He was holding a whisk, waved it a few times in the air, and then slowly shrank back into the white smoke. When the white smoke dispersed, the old man was gone.
Kneeling on the ground, Zhang Liang was just staring blankly, unable to understand what it meant, when suddenly someone ran over overjoyed and reported: three carp had leaped out of the three small ponds on the mountain, each weighing more than eighty jin. Zhang Liang was very surprised. How could carp weighing more than eighty jin leap out of ponds not much bigger than the water where oxen wallow? He hurried over to look, and indeed saw three big carp being carried ashore by everyone. His disciples, their eyes dim with hunger, were overjoyed and said, "Master, the brothers have all collapsed from hunger. Let's cook these three carp and eat them!"
Zhang Liang pondered for a moment, then shook his head and waved his hand, saying: "No!"
The brothers widened their eyes in astonishment and asked, "What, these fish can't be eaten?"
Zhang Liang gave no explanation, but raised his hand as if giving an order and said, "Throw the three fish off the cliff!"
The brothers, starving and barely alive, wished they could bite into raw fish and eat it. When Zhang Liang shouted to throw them off the cliff, no one understood why he wanted to do this, but they did not dare disobey. They lifted the three fresh, lively carp and staggered toward the cliff, throwing them down one after another.
When the fresh fish fell below the cliff, the besieging soldiers were startled and rushed to report to the governor. The governor hurried over to look, and it was as if a blown-up pig's bladder had been punctured—it hissed and deflated at once. His face turned deathly pale, his whole body went limp, and, utterly dispirited, he waved his hand and said, "Stop the siege, withdraw…"
The soldiers asked in shock and doubt, "Why are we not surrounding them anymore?"
The governor said in disappointment, "The stronghold still has carp weighing seventy or eighty jin. How can we starve them out?"
When the defenders on the cliff saw the governor's troops withdraw, they reported to Zhang Liang in both shock and joy. Zhang Liang said happily, "You don't know—it was my master, Old Man Huangshi, who granted the heavenly fish to save me!"
Only then did the brothers suddenly understand, and they deeply admired Zhang Liang's great wisdom and strategy.
After the storm came clear skies. The people of Qingyan Mountain once again lived in peace and contentment. To commemorate his master, Old Man Huangshi, Zhang Liang named the nameless mountain stronghold Huangshizhai.