Stories from Ancient China: "Peach Grove over Yonder"

The expression "Peach grove over yonder" means a place that is not affected by the outside world and it can also mean Shangri-La. Such a term originated from "The Story of the Peach Grove" written by Tao Yuanming, a great writer from the Song Dynasty.

In the story, a fisherman from Wuling in Hunan Province decided to row his boat up river. After a long while, he saw a huge peach grove with splendid blossoms. He was overwhelmed with such scenery and continued to row. He then saw a small mountain with a small cave in the middle of the mountain. He was so curious that he got off his boat and crawled into the cave. At the end of the cave, there appeared a broad, flat area. He kept walking and saw rows of houses neatly arranged with various crops growing in a fertile field. Many paths branched out in all directions from the middle of the field; many people were quite busy working in the field.

When they saw the fisherman, they were all surprised and told him that their ancestors went there just to avoid the warfare of the Qin Dynasty. The fisherman told them about the changing of dynasty after dynasty, and everyone was astonished.

The hospitality of the villagers was so moving that he hated to leave, but a few days later the fisherman wanted to go home. After the fisherman returned home, he told his adventure to the local official who then sent people to investigate. The fisherman led the group and followed the same route. They not only failed to find the peach grove but also got lost. Since then, no one has ever seen that peach grove again.

The sceptics believe that this story was written purely out of the author's imagination and human beings are the highest form of life in this universe. In reality, there are lives all over the universe, in different time zones, and in different dimensions. One thing led to the other, and the fisherman was in a different time and space; what he saw and experienced truly exists in this universe. Nowadays, people use this phrase to indicate a place that is untouched by the outside world or a paradise.