Introduction
You must have heard the old Chinese saying, “Beard the lion in his den”, it means to do some things beyond our ability. In Chinese horoscope, Taisui is an imaginative zodiac like Cupid. It circles every twelve years, against Jupiter, which run anticlockwise .This is a picture from Dunhuang. The drawing shows the Year-star god (Taisui) surrounded by the twelve Great Spirits (Yuanshen) and the four guardian kings.
It is said that if the star shines over upon a place, the Taisui figure will hide right under the ground. If a host digs out a Taisui when building his new house, the man and his will be sure to meet calamity. This belief has been widely spread through the countryside since ancient times.Is the story true or not? There seems to be no one could prove it. Whether the so-called “taisui” really exists? The answer to the riddle hasn’t been got until nearly 10 years ago.
Seeing is believing. In 1992, a farmer and his son went to Wei River to fetch firewood, and they discovered a bid black ball in the torrential river. They then jumped into the river and towed it onto the bank. They found it as a round and flat meat with roots, which was yellow and as soft as sponge when touched. The most incredible thing was that when stored in home it was growing bigger and bigger. Besides, anyone who has eaten it feels comfortable and healthy. And some people acclaimed that the meat ball was the “taisui”. A man of xi’an spend 300,000 yuan bought the Taisui from the farmer. After that, a richman want to buy it with a million, but he refused.
CCTV also made a program about “Taisui”. Since then, many news about “taisui” appeared, and experts begin to study the mysterious substance.
Originality
Then what is taisui at all? As early as the seventeenth century, Li shizhen, the founder of Chinese herbal medicine, wrote in his Bencao Gangmu: Flesh-meat Ganoderma (modern research confirms that is Taisui) whose shape is like flesh meat, is a living being. The white one is as a section of fat; the yellow one is like red gold. Both are transparent and solid as ice blocks.
Study of taisui has perused for many years, and some experts reckon that taisui may be the ancestor of all species. But scientists are not unanimous about the conception of taisui. Generally speaking, there are three main views:
First, taisui is myxomycete complex. Observing with multiplication microscope, scientists found that taisui is composed of diverse thalli. Taking the main features of taisui, that is elasticity and secretion of viscous substance, the experts believe taisui should be “a rare oversize myxomycete complex”, which has both the characteristic of protoplast and fungi, and is a live organism.
The myxomycete is thought to be fed with bacteria, microzyme, mycotic spore or other microorganism, get nutrition from cellulose and chitin. It contains approximately 50% of protein, nucleic acid, microzyme and mould.
However, some scientists don’t agree with this conception.
Second, taisui is a kind of slime bacteria. An expert on microorganism from Jilin university proved that, taisui is slime bacteria which between protoplast and fungi. It lives in the soil, with surprising vitality.
Third, taisui is defined as higher fungi. This conclusion is based on the hypha that discovered in taisui’s body under the microscope.
Though debates about its conception will exist and last for a long time, there is no doubt that taisui is not a mysterious god that can bring people catastrophe, but a kind of bacteria. Even a new conception of “taisui bacteria” has arisen.
Puzzle of taisui
1.Can it really act as a medicine?
A farmer from Inner Mongolia, who found taisui, said that the terrible headache of his families has been cured after drinking the water in which taisui was steeped. Can taisui really be used as a medicine and is benefit to health? From the story you can judge this Taisui is really a good stuff.
Qinshihuang the first emperor in Chinese history (259-210BC), after he united the Chinese lands, he tried to seek a kind of thing which could make him live an eternal life. He heard in the Orient Yingzhou (today's Japanese Islands) there lived underground a kind of meat ganoderma (aka Taisui) which was neither an animal nor a plant. He was wild with joy and ordered 3000 young men and women set out by ship to seek the treasure. But these persons never returned for they had not found it.
The herbal encyclopedia pointed out: The living thing has special treatments to some peculiar diseases. A person who often eats it will feel extremely light and vigorous in body. He will live a long life like an immortal.
Taisui is recognized as treasure of traditional Chinese medicine. Recent research found that taisui can be used to cure cancer in that it is rich in PQQ---unusual bioactivity substance which acts as necessary nutrient factor to animals’ growth. PQQ is three thousand times more expensive than gold
2. Can taisui be found everywhere?
The experts said taisui can be found in the south, but people in Inner Mongolia, Jilin, or even Lianyungang also found it. One reasonable explanation is that, though have the same name, the discoveries are quite different. Bacteria in salt water may not live in the fresh water, and vice versa. Further conclusion is that, myxomycete complex like taisui are very common, especially in moist place.
Besides, it is said that the Taisui has also been found in the USA which they call it sort of Mushroom. Because of its yet-to-be developed value, some guys even create advanced ways to search for them in the wild with the aids of trained dogs and pigs.
3. Why it is so big?
Why the taisui are so big? Is there anything to do with surroundings and its age? Even the experts have difficulties in explaining its oversize. But a certainty is that taisui can adjust itself very quickly to the terrible surroundings. Myxomycete can “eat” bacteria to sustain them, and bacteria is easily found in moist places.
An expert said that, small meat balls may exist in moist sewer, but they are too minor to be noticed. However, perhaps they are taisui, too.
As an unknown organism to humankind, taisui plays a mysterious role. In order to find out the truth, more precise researches are needed.
PS.
From a newspaper for the Chinese who lived in foreign countries, I found some thing about fortunes. The article told us Taisui commands all detities and goblins ,and controls all fortunes in the human world. Pleasing or avoiding Taisui will bring you good fortunes, while offending Taisui will bring you ill fortunes. This year ‘s Taisui governs from the west ,so please do not dig the western side of your yard or tear down a western wall in you house .otherwise,you will disturb Taisui and cause endless trouble for yourself .
People who offend the Taisui need to be careful this year because this year’s Taisui is not pleased with them. These people need to pay attention to their health ,watch what they eat and drink ,and try to avoid unnecessary social gatherings, particularly wedding and funerals. They also need to watch what they say to avoid getting themselves into trouble , and to be careful that they do not do anything that is against the law .
