The Yellow Emperor is the pioneer of “Lingzhi Cultural Creativity.”
Release date:
2023-06-18
Upon receiving the task, the Yellow Emperor began promoting lingzhi and soon developed a deep affection for it. He integrated lingzhi into every aspect of his work and daily life:
The Yellow Emperor designed the canopy of a passenger carriage in the shape of a lingzhi mushroom, calling it the “huagai.” According to the “Gujin Zhu·Yu Fu” by Cui Bao of the Jin dynasty, “The huagai was invented by the Yellow Emperor.” By the Han dynasty, it was also referred to as the “huazhi.” As recorded in the “Book of Han, Biography of Yang Xiong, Volume I”: “Thus, the imperial carriage ascended upon the phoenix, its canopy shaded by the huazhi.”
The Yellow Emperor called the chariot he used during his ceremonial plowing of the sacred field and sacrificial rites the “Zhi‑car.” Its canopy consisted of three tiers, symbolizing the lingzhi mushroom, which bears three blossoms in a single year. According to the “Book of the Later Han, Treatise on Vehicles and Attire, Volume I”: “(The plowing chariot) has three canopies; one is called the Zhi‑car… It is the vehicle the emperor himself rides when personally engaging in plowing.” The “Book of Jin, Treatise on Vehicles and Attire” further states: “The plowing‑root chariot… is also known as the Zhi‑car or the Three‑Canopy Car.” Even into the Qing dynasty, there remained the purple‑lingzhi canopy chariot, employed by the emperor on official outings. The canopy was fashioned from purple satin, embroidered with twenty-four lingzhi motifs in five colors. As recorded in the “Draft History of the Qing, Treatise on Vehicles and Attire, Volume IV”: “In the imperial procession’s palanquin and litter… there are the Nine‑Dragon Curved‑Handle Canopy, the Jade‑Green Canopy, and the Purple‑Lingzhi Canopy…”
The Yellow Emperor not only traveled in a chariot of magical herbs but even named his chamber “the Chamber of the Five Herbs” (Taiping Yulan, Chapter on Longevity). He also delighted in inhaling the fragrant aroma of lingzhi mushrooms and admiring their exquisite forms, seeking to comprehend the virtues they embodied. He planted the lingzhi he gathered in his garden, often pausing to savor and reflect upon them. According to the Yunji Qiqian, “The Yellow Emperor regarded the five kinds of lingzhi as fragrant treasures; when unusual herbs sprouted in his garden, they were deemed lingzhi—purple lingzhi, golden lingzhi, black lingzhi—and all these were considered supreme elixirs of the immortals.” The Yellow Emperor’s devotion to lingzhi was not merely for personal pleasure; as recorded in the same text, it served “to nurture the people and cultivate virtue,” using the promotion of lingzhi appreciation as a means of moral education, so that “the common folk would find their food sweet, their clothing fine, their customs pleasing, and their dwellings secure, free from desires and ambitions,” thereby realizing a governance of great harmony.
Illustration: Supplement to the Book of the Later Han, Volume 29, “Regalia and Attire—Part I,” and “Yunji Qijian: The Original Chronicle of Xuanyuan.”
Illustration: “Biography of Yang Xiong, Volume 87 of the Book of Han”
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