The giant panda was called Pixiu in ancient times. This has historical records. It is recorded in the Book of Songs, Zhuangzi, Shangshu, and Compendium of Materia Medica. The most famous one is recorded in Sima Qian's "Historical Records of the Five Emperors". Sima Xiangru's "Ode to Shanglin" also described it, and mentioned the ancient name of the giant panda Pixiu. As for Pixiu, one of the five auspicious beasts, it was created through imagination based on the prototype of the giant panda, which is no longer the same thing, just like the prototype of the phoenix is ??the pheasant.
The names of giant pandas in each dynasty are constantly changing. There are dozens of them that have been verified. Let’s copy a few authoritative ones.
Sima Qian recorded in "Historical Records·Five Emperors" that as far as 4,000 years ago, there was a tribe leader named Huangdi, who used domesticated tigers, leopards, bears, Pixiu (giant pandas) and other beasts to help him fight. , defeated another tribal leader Yandi in Banquan (now Zhulu County, Henan).
The "Shangshu" and "The Book of Songs" compiled in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago recorded that Pixiu skin (giant panda skin) was a treasure paid tribute by the emperor. Pi is as majestic as a tiger and leopard, which compares ancient warriors to being as powerful and brave as Pi. The army even uses the banners of "Pi" and "Pi" to symbolize invincibility.
It is described in the "Book of Mountains and Seas" from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period (2700 years ago) that it resembles a bear, with black and white fur, and was produced in Yandao County, Qionglai Mountain (today's Yingjing County, Sichuan). It is also said that it eats Copper and iron, so it is called iron-eating beast.
The writer Sima Xiangru of the Han Dynasty (2000 years ago) recorded in "Ode to Shanglin" that during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Shanglin Garden (now the boundary between Zhi County and Hu County in the Western Zhou Dynasty in Xi'an City) had a radius of 200 miles and there were many livestock Animals for the emperor to hunt, with tapirs (giant pandas) being at the top of the list.
In the Western Jin Dynasty (before 1700), the giant panda was called Zuyu because it only eats bamboo and does not harm other prey animals. It is a "righteous animal" that can live in peace with its neighbors. ”, so the giant panda was regarded as a symbol of peace and friendship at that time. When the two armies are fighting, and the sky is dark and the sun and the moon are dim, as long as one side raises the "Zouyu" flag, the battle will break out suddenly, because the rules of war: Anyone who uses the "Zouyu" flag expresses a request for peace and friendship, and stops conflict.
According to Japan's "Royal Yearbook", on October 22, 658 AD, Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty gave a pair of live white bears (giant pandas) and 70 skins as a national gift to Emperor Tenmu of Japan.
Bai Juyi, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, was resting in his secluded room. He felt the cold wind blowing, his skin was cold and he had a headache. Someone gave him a screen with a giant panda painted on it. Wonderful effect. Bai Juyi was very happy and wrote a poem "Ode to Pi Ping" on the screen. The poet expressed his dissatisfaction with the misfortune and famine brought by the war to the people by saying that giant pandas need a peaceful and quiet environment to survive.
The "Compendium of Materia Medica" written by Li Shizhen (1518-1593) of the Ming Dynasty records that tapir skin can be used as a sleeping mat to prevent cold and dampness, drive away plague and avoid evil spirits; as a plaster, it can penetrate the skin to prevent and treat tumors; Drinking urine mixed with water can dissolve metal debris accidentally ingested into the human body.
It can be seen from ancient books and local chronicles since ancient times that giant pandas have been mysterious and legendary animals that have been cherished since ancient times. It can also be confirmed that giant pandas were once widely distributed in Henan in North China, Shaanxi in Northwest China, Hubei and Hunan in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Fujian in South China, Yunnan, Guizhou in Southwest China, and the surrounding mountainous areas of the Sichuan Basin.