The Chongshan People Don't Eat Eel
Eel stewed with lettuce is a famous Tujia dish. But the Chongshan people of Zhangjiajie not only refuse to eat eel—they revere it as their ancestral deity. Legend says that over 4,500 years ago, after Emperor Shun exiled Huandou to Chongshan in Dayong, Huandou refused to submit. While developing Dayong, he drilled troops and prepared to attack Emperor Shun. Fearing this, Shun sent a great army south.
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The People of Chongshan Do Not Eat Rice-field Eels
Braised rice-field eel with lettuce is a famous Tujia dish. But the people of Chongshan in Zhangjiajie not only do not eat rice-field eels—they revere them as their ancestral deity.
It is said that over four thousand five hundred years ago, after Emperor Yu Shun exiled Huandou to Chongshan in Dayong, Huandou did not submit. While developing Dayong, he drilled his troops and prepared to attack Emperor Shun. Emperor Shun was very afraid and sent a great army south to subdue the "barbarians." Huandou, outnumbered, had no choice but to retreat into a cave in Chongshan and hold out by relying on the terrain. The Shun soldiers sealed the cave entrance and attacked day and night. Eventually, food and water in the cave ran out, and the fate of eight hundred soldiers hung in the balance.
One day, Huandou was dozing against a rock when he suddenly felt an itch on his toe. He opened his eyes and saw a rice-field eel biting his toe and dragging him to one side. Huandou was startled and kicked the eel aside. After a while, the eel came back and nibbled at his toe again. A thought flashed in Huandou's mind: where there is an eel, there must be a water source! He quickly bent down and said to the eel: "Eel, eel, if you have come to save me, Huandou, then show me the way to life!" Hearing this, the eel let go, turned, and slithered deeper into the cave. Huandou followed closely and finally found a water source. The soldiers drank their fill, rallied in one burst of energy, and defeated the Shun army.
After that, Huandou ordered all his soldiers not to eat rice-field eels.
Later, the people of Chongshan revered the rice-field eel as their ancestral deity, and they still do so to this day.
(Collected by Gu Jian)
[Appendix] On the Exile of Huandou to Chongshan
Huandou is said to have been a man of the Tang Yao period in ancient times. Because he "caused trouble" along with Gonggong, Sanmiao, and Gun, he was exiled by Shun to Chongshan. According to Ciyuan (Dictionary of Word Origins): "Chongshan is southwest of Dayong County in Hunan, connected to Tianmen Mountain. It is said that Shun exiled Huandou to Chongshan, which is this place." Today's historians have proposed the theory that the ancient civilization of the Chinese nation was jointly created by four groups, among which the Miao-Man group of the middle and lower Yangtze River was led by Huandou and Zhurong. Some ethnic experts have put forward new views on the origin of the Tujia people, believing that the "Ba Lin Jun" branch in western Hubei and Huandou in western Hunan were the main body of the Tujia people, who also absorbed the Ba people and other ethnic groups. These views have broadened the thinking on Tujia studies, and thus Chongshan has increasingly attracted the attention of interested parties at home and abroad.
Chongshan is 10 kilometers southwest of Zhangjiajie City, with an elevation of 1,164.7 meters and an area of dozens of square kilometers. It is said that after Huandou was exiled to Chongshan, he founded the Chongshan Heavenly Kingdom, spread Central Plains culture, and made great contributions to the development of the great Jiangnan region.
On the summit of Chongshan today there remain ancient relics such as Huandou's Tomb, Huandou's Homestead, and Huandou's Temple. Among the people there are also many legends about Huandou's battles at Chongshan.