Yídū shānchuān jì 宜都山川記
Record of the Mountains and Rivers of Yidu by 袁山松 (Yuán Shānsōng, also 袁崧 Yuán Sōng, d. 401 CE) — zhuàn 撰
About the work
A substantial fragmentary geographic record of Yídū Commandery 宜都郡 (modern western Hubei, including the Three Gorges region), compiled by Yuán Shānsōng 袁山松 (also written 袁崧 Yuán Sōng, d. 401 CE). This is the longer reconstruction of Yuán’s geographic writing, distinct from the very brief Yídū jì 宜都記 (KR2k0176). The KRP title heading reads “袁崧宜都山川記.” The text is one of the most extensively quoted Six Dynasties geographic sources for the Three Gorges area, cited repeatedly in Lì Dàoyuán’s 酈道元 Shuǐjīng zhù 水經注, the Yìwén lèijù 藝文類聚, and Tàipíng yùlǎn 太平御覽.
Abstract
The surviving fragments cover a broad range of topics across the Yidu Commandery territory, from Zigui at the eastern gorge entrance to the Yichang and Yidu plains:
Zīguī County 秭歸縣 (Qu Yuan’s homeland):
- The etymology of Zigui: Qu Yuan’s elder sister (zǐ 姐/秭) came to console the exiled Yuan, urging him to take comfort. The villagers, hoping he would comply, named the place Guī (Return). Qu Yuan’s former residence was still visible at the time of writing.
- The elders’ tradition: when Qu Yuan returned briefly from exile, the joyful villagers named the township Guī Xiāng 歸鄉 (Return Village). The rugged terrain (beautiful mountains, swift waters) produced outstanding people but with narrow temperaments — quoting the Shī jīng: “Only the mountain sends down the spirits, giving birth to Fǔ and Shēn.” “True indeed!”
- Gorge Monkeys (one of the most famous passages): “The monkeys’ cry in the gorges is extremely clear; the mountains and valleys transmit the sound, crystalline and unbroken. Travelers sing of it: ‘The monkeys of the Three Gorges of Bā Dōng cry in sorrow; three monkey cries, and tears soak one’s clothes.‘” — the folksong preserved here became one of the canonical texts of Three Gorges literature.
Yídū mountains 宜都山:
- A cliff several hundred zhàng high with a fire-charred stick embedded in the rock face, several feet long as seen from a distance — tradition holds this is a remnant from the time of Yao’s great flood, when people moored their boats here and left a cooking-hearth remnant (hence named “Inserted Stove” 插竈).
The text covers many more sites along the Three Gorges — the Ox Liver and Horse Lungs 牛肝馬肺 rock formations, the Hanging Coffins of Zigui, the gorge scenery — all of which Lì Dàoyuán incorporated into his Shuǐjīng zhù commentary on the Yangtze River section.
This is the most important pre-Tang source for Three Gorges geography and lore.
Translations and research
- Lì Dàoyuán 酈道元. Shuǐjīng zhù 水經注. Extensively quotes from the Yídū shānchuān jì in the Yangtze River (Jiāng Shuǐ 江水) chapter.
Links
- ctext.org search: https://ctext.org/search.pl?if=en&search=宜都山川記