Longxucao, a traditional Chinese medicine, is a commonly seen plant in rural areas. It can often be found along roadsides and in fields. In the past, people used to use Longxucao to make straw shoes and lamp wicks. Nowadays, it is more commonly used in the field of medicine. Let's learn about the legend of Longxucao!
According to legend, the Dragon Emperor, also known as the Heavenly Emperor, was the incarnation of the Yellow Emperor, the ancestor of the Chinese nation. In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor, who had dragon bloodline, traveled around to understand the situation of the people. He ordered people to mine copper from the first mountain and transport it to the foot of Jing Mountain to cast a cauldron to commemorate his victory in the battle against Chi You.
After the cauldron was cast, the Yellow Emperor held a grand celebration ceremony at Jing Mountain. Not only various gods were invited to attend the ceremony, but also people from all over the country. Everyone wanted to see what the cauldron cast by the Yellow Emperor looked like.
When the time came, the Yellow Emperor personally unveiled the cauldron. It was a copper cauldron that was over twenty feet tall and had a mouth as big as a barrel. It shone with dazzling golden light. Everyone praised it and approached to take a closer look. The body of the cauldron was engraved with a vigorous dragon swimming through a sea of auspicious clouds, with various gods and rare birds and animals around it, presenting a myriad of postures, lifelike and vivid.
Just as people were admiring the giant cauldron and its patterns with reverence, suddenly the sky became densely clouded and the weather quickly darkened. Everyone thought it was going to rain. Suddenly, a golden light pierced through the dense clouds, and a dragon in golden armor broke through the clouds. Its tail and lower body hung in the clouds, while its head rested on the cauldron. Long strands of dragon whiskers drooped down from the cauldron to the ground.
The Yellow Emperor understood that this was the Heavenly Court sending a divine dragon to take him back to heaven. He leaped onto the dragon's back and flew back to the Heavenly Court.
The common people on earth were reluctant to let such a wise and virtuous ruler like the Yellow Emperor go back. They held onto the dragon whiskers and refused to let go. As a result, many dragon whiskers were torn off, but in the end, the Yellow Emperor and the divine dragon still left.
It is said that where the dragon whiskers fell to the ground, many slender and elongated grasses grew. People later called this grass "Longxucao".
