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MUFONET-BBS Network * Mutual UFO Network ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ News-Wire ~~~~~~~~~~~ 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴커 �=START= XMT: 15:04 Mon Mar 18 EXP: 15:00 Mon Mar 25 � � � 쿝ESEARCHERS FIND ANCIENT BOOKS ON CHINESE DEITIES, WORSHIP � � � 쿥UHAN (MARCH 18) XINHUA - 'HUAXIA', THE ANCIENT NAME FOR � 쿟HE CHINESE NATION, MEANS 'THE PEOPLE WHO WORSHIP THE SUN � 쿌ND BRIGHTNESS'. BUT IT WAS LONG UNKNOWN IF AND HOW THE � 쿎HINESE PEOPLE IN ANCIENT TIMES WORSHIPPED THE SUN. � � � 쿟HE MYSTERY CAME TO AN END LAST SUMMER, WHEN A CHINESE � 쿑OLKLORE RESEARCHER LIVING IN HUBEI PROVINCE'S CAPITAL CITY � 쿚F WUHAN DISCOVERED SOME WOODCUT BOOKS PRINTED IN THE QING � 쿏YNASTY (1644-1911) WHICH UNVEILED THE ENIGMA. � � � 쿓AN ZHIZHONG FOUND THE THREE INVALUABLE WORKS - 'ON THE � 쿞UN', 'ON THE MOON' AND 'ON THE SUN AND THE MOON' IN � 쿞HENNONGJIA, HUBEI PROVINCE. UNLIKE THE OTHER TWO BOOKS, � 쿥HICH ARE IN VERSE, 'ON THE SUN AND THE MOON' IS IN PROSE. � � � 쿌FTER A CAREFUL STUDY OF THE THREE WORKS, HAN FOUND THAT, � 쿟HOUGH HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY BUDDHISM AND TAOISM, THE BOOKS � 쿘UST HAVE AN ORIGIN OLDER THAN THOSE OF THE TWO RELIGIONS. � � � 쿑OR INSTANCE, 'ON THE SUN' SAYS, 'THE BELIEVERS WHO READ ME � 쿚NCE WILL BENEFIT AS MUCH AS THOSE WHO READ THE 'DIAMOND � 쿞UTRA' (A BUDDHIST TEXT) TEN TIMES.' � � � 쿌NOTHER EXAMPLE IS THAT THE HEAVENLY EMPEROR YUHUANGDADI IS � 쿝EGARDED IN TAOISM AS THE HEAD OF THE GODS, WHILE IN 'ON � 쿟HE SUN AND THE MOON', THE SOLAR AND THE LUNAR GODS ARE � 쿓AILED BY LI LAOJUN, A LEGENDARY CHINESE GOD IN CHARGE OF � 쿘AKING PILLS OF IMMORTALITY, AS MORE REVERED THAN � 쿧UHUANGDADI. � � � 쿔NSCRIPTIONS ON BONES AND SHELLS DATING FROM BEFORE EITHER � 쿍UDDHISM OR TAOISM AND SOME ANCIENT WORKS ALSO MENTION THE � 쿒ODS OF THE TWO HEAVENLY BODIES, HAN ADDED. THE RESEARCHER � 쿢SED A METAPHOR TO ILLUSTRATE THE GATHERING OF LORE IN � 쿟HE THREE BOOKS. � �'IT'S SOMETHING LIKE A SNOWBALL ROLLING DOWNHILL. IT LOSES � 쿞OME ORIGINAL SNOW AND GATHERS NEW SNOW, AND WHEN IT GOES � 쿛AST THE SNOWLINE IT MIGHT GATHER SOMETHING THAT IS NOT � 쿞NOW AT ALL.' � � � 쿎HINESE RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND THAT THE WORSHIP OF THE GODS � 쿚F THE SUN AND MOON STILL PERSISTED UP UNTIL THE 1960S. IN � 쿞OME PLACES IN HUBEI PROVINCE PEOPLE CELEBRATE THE BIRTHDAY � 쿚F THE SOLAR GOD ON THE 19TH DAY OF THE LAST MONTH OF � 쿥INTER. � � � 쿞OME AGED PEOPLE EVEN NOWADAYS BURN INCENSE AT DAWN AND � 쿏USK TO WELCOME AND SEE OFF THE SUN AND THE MOON. THIS IS � 쿔N ACCORDANCE WITH INSTRUCTIONS IN THE BOOK 'ON THE SUN AND � 쿟HE MOON' - 'WHOLE WILL BE THOSE WHO WORSHIP THE TWO GODS � 쿍URNING INCENSE IN THE MORNING AND IN THE EVENING, NO DEATH � 쿥ILL THEY MEET.' � � � 쿟HE LATE PROFESSOR HU SHI SAID THAT THE DECODING OF ANCIENT � 쿥ORDS IS LIKE DISCOVERING A NEW STAR. SOME CHINESE SCHOLARS � 쿎ALL HAN'S FINDING OF THE BOOKS AND HIS ACHIEVEMENT IN � 쿝ESEARCH INTO THE SOLAR GOD AND THE LUNAR GODDESS RECOVERY � 쿚F LONG-LOST STARS IN THE TRADITIONAL CHINESE CULTURAL � 쿒ALAXY. � � � �=END= �

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