Legend of Xiang Yu

Jiangsu
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The legend of Xiang Yu is mainly distributed in Suyu District and Sucheng District of Suqian City, the hometown of Xiang Yu in northern Jiangsu Province, as well as other places such as Xuzhou, Huai'an, and Lianyungang. In addition, legends about Xiang Yu are also circulated in surrounding counties and cities such as Shandong, Anhui, and Henan. Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, was named Ji and styled Yu. He was born in Wutong Lane, Xiaxiang (now Suqian) in 232 BC. He was strong enough to lift a tripod and had extraordinary talents. He was one of the important anti-Qin leaders in the late Qin Dynasty. The series of stories about Xiang Yu circulated in Suyu are basically centered on historical facts, based on Sima Qian's "The Records of Xiang Yu", and are composed of the legendary stories of Xiang Yu's heroic life, such as the Overlord Lifting the Tripod, the Youth's Aspirations, the Rising of the Banner, the Burning of the Cauldrons, the Battle of Julu, the Hongmen Banquet, the Chu-Han Contention, the Battle of Gaixia, the Four-sided Chu Song, the Overlord's Farewell My Concubine, and the suicide of the Wujiang River. The story of Xiang Yu's mighty, fierce, righteous, and powerful heroic spirit and his tender and affectionate feelings is widely circulated among the people. Xiang Yu is a historical hero. His heroic life laid the foundation for the overthrow of the Qin Dynasty. At the same time, his final ending was also very tragic, leaving behind a generous and tragic song that has been sung for thousands of years: "I have the strength to move mountains and my spirit is overwhelming. The time is not favorable and my horse will not go away. What can I do if my horse will not go away? What can I do, Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can I do?" The rulers of dynasties and literati have all had a very high evaluation of Xiang Yu. Therefore, he is the story that the people of Suyu love to tell each other for generations, and they are proud to be from Xiang Yu's hometown. The series of stories of Xiang Yu legends have been passed down by word of mouth for a long time. They are known to women and children and are well-known to every household. It is an oral literary work with local characteristics and has precious folk literature value. Doing a good job in protecting and inheriting the legend of Xiang Yu, and giving the legend of Xiang Yu a new literary and artistic vitality, is of great significance for promoting the excellent local historical culture, enriching the spiritual and cultural life of the people, and promoting local economic and social development. At present, as the birthplace of Xiang Yu, the King of Western Chu, Suyu District has taken it as its mission to promote historical culture and inherit the spirit of Xiang Yu, and has made every effort to create the Xiang Yu cultural brand. Organize personnel to collect, organize and excavate the series of stories about Xiang Yu legends circulating in the Suqian area, and widely collect manuscripts of Xiang Yu legends from the society, and have compiled more than 50 excellent Xiang Yu legends into a book. Let the spirit of Xiang Yu enter the classroom to enrich the classroom content of primary school students.

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