杭州西湖妙庭观附近有一座望仙桥。宋代绍兴年间，有位叫董元行的道士在附近土层中挖到过一块奇怪的铜牌，上面隐约残留着文字：“我有蟠桃树，千年一度生，是谁来窃去？须问董双成。”
Near the Miaoting Temple by Hangzhou’s West Lake stands the Wangxian Bridge (Bridge of Gazing at Immortals). During the Shaoxing era of the Song Dynasty, a Taoist priest named Dong Yuanxing unearthed a peculiar bronze plaque from the soil nearby. Faint inscriptions remained on it: “I possess a Flat Peach tree that bears fruit once in a thousand years. Who has come to steal from it? One must ask Dong Shuangcheng.”
董双成就是传说中西王母的蟠桃仙子，望仙桥就是她丹成得道、自吹玉笙、乘鹤仙去的地方。董双成本是西周时钱塘江畔的一位绝色美女，浑身上下洋溢着一种灵秀的气韵。
Dong Shuangcheng is the legendary Flat Peach Fairy of the Queen Mother of the West. Wangxian Bridge is said to be the very spot where she perfected her elixir, achieved immortality, played her jade sheng (reed pipe), and ascended to the heavens on the back of a crane. Originally, she was a stunning beauty living by the Qiantang River during the Western Zhou Dynasty, radiating an aura of spiritual elegance.
她的先祖是商朝的史官，清虚以自守，卑弱以自持，在朝廷中也偶尔鉴往知来，出谋献策。商朝亡后，她的祖先定居钱塘江畔，在飞来峰下种桃成林，结庐而居。初春桃花盛开，嫣红一片，簇拥草庐，不愧是神仙生活。
Her ancestors were court historians of the Shang Dynasty, known for their purity, humility, and foresight in advising the throne. After the fall of the Shang, they settled by the Qiantang River, planting a peach orchard and building a cottage beneath Feilai Peak. In early spring, the blooming peach blossoms would surround the cottage in a sea of crimson—a truly celestial lifestyle.
这种生活环境从小就陶冶着董双成，体似弱柳的董双成酷爱桃花，如痴如醉。董双成日渐长大，秀面明眸堪与繁花竞艳。有一天，她突发奇想，采撷桃花，配以山中的芝草炼制丹药。
This environment nurtured Dong Shuangcheng from a young age. With a grace like a slender willow, she was deeply infatuated with peach blossoms. As she grew, her radiant face and bright eyes rivaled the flowers in beauty. One day, a sudden inspiration led her to gather peach blossoms and mountain herbs to concoct medicinal elixirs.
初时仅能清痰化气，日久生灵，屡加研究，逐渐在火候及配方上有了很大的改进。所提炼的丹药竟然能够治疗多种内科病症，因此，前来飞来峰下董家讨药的人络绎不绝。
At first, her elixirs only cleared phlegm and regulated “qi,” but over time, they gained spiritual potency. Through constant research, she greatly improved her techniques regarding heat control and formulas. Her refined pills could eventually treat various internal ailments, leading to a constant stream of people seeking medicine at the Dong family home.
从采集原料到守炉炼丹，董双成经常忙得不可开交，偶有闲暇，便吹笙自娱，兴致来时还会高歌一曲《丹小凤》。据说当她吹笙时，百鸟循声而来，在空中盘旋；而当她唱歌时，仙鹤飞来聆听。
Busy with everything from gathering ingredients to guarding the furnace, Dong Shuangcheng was often occupied. In her rare moments of leisure, she played the sheng for entertainment and would sing “Dan Xiao Feng” when in high spirits. It is said that when she played, hundreds of birds would circle in the sky, and when she sang, immortal cranes would descend to listen.
一个春光明媚的午后，董双成炼成了“百花丹”，这百花丹异香扑鼻，炉香飘数里之外。自食数粒后，董双成顿觉神清气爽，精神百倍，取笙吹奏，百鸟群集，盘旋飞舞。
On a bright spring afternoon, she successfully refined the “Hundred Flowers Elixir.” It gave off an extraordinary fragrance that wafted for miles. After consuming a few pellets, she felt refreshed and invigorated. As she began to play her sheng, a flock of birds gathered and danced in circles above.
董双成忍不住又高歌一曲，声彻云霄，引来仙鹤翩然而降，匍匐阶下。董双成一步跨上鹤背，仙鹤驮着她冉冉飞升。附近的山民都只知痴痴地傻看。
She couldn’t help but sing again, her voice piercing the clouds. An immortal crane glided down and knelt before her steps. She stepped onto its back, and the crane soared slowly into the sky. The local villagers could only watch in stunned silence.
西边昆仑山上的瑶池畔住着赫赫有名的王母娘娘。王母娘娘究竟是什么人呢？各种记载中的说法颇有出入。有的说她是古代西域一个小国的女王，蓬发虎齿，面目狰狞，仰天长啸声每使群兽惊慌而逃。
By the Jade Pool on Kunlun Mountain lived the renowned Queen Mother of the West. Who exactly was she? Accounts vary significantly. Some describe her as the queen of a small kingdom in the ancient Western Regions, with disheveled hair and tiger teeth—a terrifying figure whose roars sent beasts fleeing in panic.
有的说她姓杨名婉玲，住昆仑山上，得道成仙，代替玉帝执行天宫的任务，是一位雍容华贵的妇人。周穆王十六年西征途中，路过昆仑山，传说曾经受到过西王母的款待，并在瑶池上饮酒赋诗，盘桓多日。
Others say her name was Yang Wanling, a graceful woman who attained immortality on Kunlun Mountain and carried out celestial duties on behalf of the Jade Emperor. It is said that during the 16th year of King Mu of Zhou’s western campaign, he was hosted by her at the Jade Pool, where they exchanged poems and wine for many days.
回来的路上，他想再度造访，但见山深林密，云雾缭绕，西王母已经渺无踪迹了。那一支仙鹤载着董双成愈飞愈远，到了昆仑山，董双成做了王母娘娘的传达使，很像今天的机要秘书。
On his return journey, the King wished to visit again, but he found only deep forests and dense mist; the Queen Mother had vanished without a trace. Meanwhile, the crane carried Dong Shuangcheng further away until they reached Kunlun, where she became the Queen Mother’s messenger—much like a modern-day confidential secretary.
王母娘娘有什么旨意，均由董双成负责与众仙联系、沟通。董双成算是王母娘娘的侍从人员，说得更具体些，属于王母娘娘的贴身侍女。西王母一共有四名贴身侍女，除董双成之外，还有王子登、郭蜜香、纪维容三人。
Any decrees from the Queen Mother were communicated to the other immortals through her. She was a member of the royal retinue—specifically, a personal lady-in-law. Alongside Dong Shuangcheng, the Queen Mother had three other personal attendants: Wang Zideng, Guo Mixiang, and Ji Weirong.
从董双成受命看守蟠桃一事可看出她在仙宫受到信任和重视。蟠桃三千年才结一次果，是仙宫中的极品珍果。从平时的培育与保护，到果品的采摘和分配，均由董双成全权负责。
Dong’s high status and the trust placed in her were evident by her appointment as the guardian of the Flat Peaches. These legendary fruits, which ripen only once every 3,000 years, are the ultimate treasures of the celestial palace. Dong was in full charge of their cultivation, protection, harvesting, and distribution.
每值瑶池盛会，西王母赐给群仙的蟠桃，都是经由董双成的纤纤玉手而来。凡间吃过蟠桃的，除了前面提到的周穆王，再有一位就是汉武帝。
During every grand banquet at the Jade Pool, the peaches bestowed upon the immortals were served by her delicate hands. Among mortals, besides King Mu of Zhou, the only other to have tasted the peach was Emperor Wu of Han.
西王母由一位仙女搀扶登上承华殿，这位仙女就是董双成。西王母与汉武帝相谈多时，并从袖中抽出五岳真形图送给汉武帝，并命董双成送给汉武帝四个蟠桃。
Supported by a fairy—who was none other than Dong Shuangcheng—the Queen Mother ascended the Chenghua Hall. After a long conversation, she presented the Emperor with the “True Forms of the Five Sacred Mountains” map and commanded Dong to give him four Flat Peaches.
汉武帝吃后只觉通体舒泰，齿颊生香，于是小心翼翼地将桃核收起，准备栽种。西王母笑着说道：“此桃三千年一结果，中夏地薄，种之不生。”
Upon eating them, the Emperor felt a sense of total well-being, his mouth filled with a lasting fragrance. He carefully saved the pits, intending to plant them. The Queen Mother smiled and said, “This peach fruits but once in three millennia; the soil of the mortal realm is too thin for it to grow.”
汉武帝吃过一次蟠桃之后，对于这种难得一见的仙果念念不忘，食后在体内所产生的奇异效果，使得汉武帝垂涎不已。汉武帝把吃过的桃核，一个个谨慎地收藏起来，一直传到明代。
After that single taste, the Emperor could never forget the rare celestial fruit. The miraculous effects it produced within his body left him forever craving more. He cautiously preserved the pits, which were reportedly passed down until the Ming Dynasty.
明代以后，已经没看到西王母与蟠桃仙子的任何记载。然而西王母是一位法力无边、雍容华贵的美妇人，蟠桃仙子更是一位绝世的美艳少女，她们已经深植人心。虽然历史中不再出现她们的事迹，然而舞台上及绘画中却大量出现她们的形象。杭州城里的望仙桥和昆仑山上的瑶池，总引人遐思。
After the Ming Dynasty, records of the Queen Mother and the Flat Peach Fairy faded. Yet, the image of the Queen Mother as a powerful, elegant lady and the Fairy as a peerless maiden remain deeply rooted in people’s hearts. Though their deeds are no longer recorded in history, they appear frequently in theater and art. To this day, the Wangxian Bridge in Hangzhou and the Jade Pool on Kunlun Mountain continue to inspire endless wonder.
Leave a Reply