Dayu became the first ruler of Shenzhou in Chixian County by virtue of his contribution to water control and his reputation for benefiting the people, and he established the first centralized government in the history of our country, the Xia Dynasty. However, in the process of controlling the water, Dayu also suffered from a root cause - due to the many years of outdoor meals, squatting in the mountains and blocking the water, and his body was often immersed in water, he suffered from rheumatism and pain. Whenever it rains, or if you are in a place with heavy moisture and mist, the pain is unbearable and it is inconvenient to walk.

This year, Dayu led tens of thousands of horses to come to Chang'an in the west of Wukang City, Deqing, Zhejiang, to control the flood. However, halfway through the project, Dayu suffered from rheumatism and was in constant pain. Seeing that the rainy season is approaching, if the dams and ditches cannot be repaired in time, it is likely to cause flooding. Dayu, who was lying on the bed and couldn't get up, was in a hurry, but there was nothing he could do.

The people around him saw it in their eyes, and they were anxious in their hearts. They invited many doctors to treat Dayu. He tried one type of herbal medicine after another, taking it both internally and externally. After several days of tossing, Dayu's illness still didn't show any signs of pain. ease.

On this day, a young man more than 20 feet tall came out of Dayu's door, holding a magical musical instrument called "Wind" in his hand. This person is Dayu's right-hand man in the water control here, Xiao Qi.

The wise and brave Xiao Qi was the leader of the tribe and was deeply supported by the tribe. He was moved by Dayu's selfless spirit and led the tribe to follow Dayu to dig canals and dredging rivers.

Da Yu looked at the tall Xiao Qi, and asked suspiciously: "You are born with divine power, and it is not a problem to open up mountains and waters, but I don't know that you still know how to treat diseases?"

Mrs. Qi replied, "Your Majesty, I have lived in the place where Tiaoxi, Yingxi, and Fuxi meet for a long time. The climate here is humid, and many people suffer from rheumatism. After my observation, I found that it is difficult to eradicate rheumatism. , but if you work hard on the living environment, you can play a role in relieving the pain.”

Saying that, Mrs. Qi placed a sheepskin with a pattern in front of Dayu. This was a construction drawing of a house. The house was built with bamboo and wood, with a thatched roof. The biggest feature was that the lower part of the house was overhead. Known as dry land, it can not only isolate wet ground, be quiet and ventilated, but also prevent rain and beasts.

Under the leadership of Mr. Qi, a large hall was quickly built. Dayu moved in and lived there for a while, and his rheumatism symptoms got better, but on windy and rainy days, his limbs and joints were still aching.

It seems that dryness alone is not enough. Xiao Qi thought of another way. He sent his fourth younger brother Xianggong to bring eighteen strong men to the mountains and mountains around Tianquan Mountain and Wangmu Mountain to choose and cut down the giant ancient camphor, red pines, cypresses and green homs that were hugged by several people. Waiting for the sacred wood, it is sawed into wooden sections, carried down the mountain, and transported back by water.

The little Qi clan summoned the skilled craftsmen in the tribe to saw the wood into pieces day and night, then inlaid and connected the boards one by one, and laid them in the dry yard where Dayu lived, effectively blocking the invasion of moisture. The hygroscopic and evaporative properties of camphor wood floors contain special aromatic tinctures that emit a fragrance that is beneficial to physical and mental health and soothes the mind. Dayu's rheumatism pain was immediately relieved to a great extent. After a good night's sleep, I also dreamed of my white-haired parents and my wife's family...

Local tribal people found that wooden floors have so many magical benefits, and they followed suit. They also laid a dry wooden floor in their own dry yard. The previous mud floor was more neat and clean and beautiful, and at the same time, it also effectively resisted the invasion of damp water vapor.

The earliest original floor in China was born in this way.

Times have changed dramatically. The craftsman who laid wooden floors for King Dayu 4,000 years ago was called Guo Zhao. In order to commemorate this skillful craftsman, his name was also used in the place where his descendants lived for generations, namely Guo Zhao Village. Coincidentally, in Chang'anli, the place where Dayu once lived, there is now a company named "Ink Jiangnan", which is engaged in the production of wooden floors, the wisdom and crystallization of the people of the ancient windproof country. Perhaps, this is an eternal karma that was destined in the middle of the sky.

This article is excerpted from the 397th issue of "Shan Hai Jing" October 2014 (Part 1) - Author: Zhou Jianghong