The Er-Yu Cave of Hidden Books

　　Er-Yu is the name of a place, and historically there is a legend about the hidden books of Er-Yu. For centuries, there have been various accounts regarding how the books were hidden at Er-Yu. Later, the Ciyuan (a Chinese dictionary) provided a clearer annotation on “Er-Yu Hidden Books”: “Er-Yu refers to the two mountains, Da-Yu (Big Yu) and Xiao-Yu (Small Yu), located northwest of present-day Yuanling County in Hunan Province. According to the Jiangzhou Ji (Records of Jiangzhou) in the Taiping Yulan (Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era), Volume 49: ‘In the stone cave on Xiao-Yu Mountain, there are a thousand volumes of books. It is said that people from the Qin Dynasty studied here and left the books behind. Later, this place became known as the hidden books of Er-Yu.’” Driving out of Yuanling County along the “Yuanfeng” Highway on the north bank of the You River, the largest tributary of the Yuan River, heading northwest, you will soon see the rushing You River not far from the city. The surrounding mountains undulate, and the highway clings tightly to the northern edge of the You River, winding its way northwest. In less than 30 minutes by car, you reach the opposite bank of Er-Yu Mountain. The guide tells us: “Er-Yu Mountain is one single mountain, not the two mountains—Da-Yu and Xiao-Yu—as the ancients used to say. It got its name because the You River, which originates in Youyang County, Sichuan, and the Youxi Stream, which comes from Guzhang County, Hunan, converge on the western side of this mountain.”

　　After crossing the You River and arriving at the foot of Er-Yu Mountain, you can see the majestic presence of the mountain. The Er-Yu Cave of Hidden Books is nestled right in the middle of the cliffs, like a swallow’s nest built under the eaves. By clinging to the rocks, pulling on vines, and crawling through bushes, we finally find an entrance. When we stand up, we see a long, narrow stone step less than one meter wide, on which stand four large stone tablets inscribed with four bold regular-script characters: “Ancient Hidden Books Site,” alongside a row of smaller characters:

　　“Written in the Gengyin year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (i.e., 1890) by Zhang Hengjia, the Educational Commissioner of Hunan, from Fujian.”

　　Behind the stone tablet of the Ancient Hidden Books Site is a vertical rock wall over ten feet high, which is impossible to climb, so we have to go around and eventually find the Er-Yu Cave of Hidden Books. Entering the cave, you see a wide entrance and a bright interior. Two or three steps inside, there is a large flat stone slab on the ground. This is a natural cave, with the main body extending inward from the mountainside and then sloping downward. At a depth of 15 meters inside the cave, it is the widest, and it is said that the books were hidden on the right side of this area. On the stone steps on the right, there used to be “book chests.” Above the cave, there is an alchemy pool. From the crevices of the alchemy pool rock, water continuously sprays out, clear and clean. Further inside the sloping cave, many sections have collapsed, giving it a rather eerie feel. It is said that the end of the cave connects to the bottom of the You River. We stop at the collapsed area, dare not go further, and turn back.

　　Standing at the entrance of the Er-Yu Cave and facing the undulating mountains like waves ahead, while gazing at the ceaselessly flowing You River, one can’t help but recall the ancient legend: It is said that more than 2,000 years ago, when Emperor Qin Shi Huang burned books and buried Confucian scholars alive, the Confucian intellectuals in the capital Xianyang suffered tragic persecution, and classical texts and ancient books were on the verge of extinction. At that time, two “bald-headed old Fu Shengs” secretly took the books they had kept at home, traveled day and night from Xianyang through Henan, by boat and cart, then crossed Dongting Lake and sailed upstream along the Yuan River and into the You River, hiding more than a thousand bamboo slips of books in this ancient cave of Er-Yu Mountain, a place “where even birds dare not fly over and beasts dare not approach.” After Liu Bang established the Han Dynasty, bamboo and wooden slips, as well as classic texts, quickly regained importance. These two bald-headed Confucian scholars brought the bamboo books to the capital to seek an audience. For a time, all the court officials were deeply moved. Scholars and historians spared no expense, competing to purchase the texts for a fortune. It is truly said, “The rare writings of Er-Yu are seldom known, yet the burned books have paradoxically survived in full.” Throughout history, high-ranking officials, literati, and poets have made special trips to Er-Yu Mountain to visit the ancient site and pay homage. During the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Educational Commissioner of Hunan, Zhang Hengjia, by imperial decree, erected a stone tablet at the Er-Yu Cave of Hidden Books. Since then, scholars and students have come in an endless stream to worship at Er-Yu Mountain every year.

　　The hidden books of Er-Yu have made significant contributions to the inheritance, continuation, and development of the 5,000-year cultural and civilizational history of the Chinese nation. The Er-Yu Cave of Hidden Books has always been valued and protected. Currently, the county’s cultural relics department is preparing to restore and organize the site for visitors to explore.