China knows everything for 5000 years

Chapter 46

Sima Guang studied a lot of historical works after becoming an official. In the process of studying and studying, he found that although the historical works since ancient times are voluminous, there is no general history that runs through them.In addition, in Sima Guang's view, there were too many various history books for the emperor to read. If a general history was compiled, it would also provide some convenience for the emperor to read history books.So, he sprouted a strong desire to compile one by himself, breaking the limitation that there is no general history.He referred to many historical works and spent 2 years to complete a history book from the Warring States Period to the end of Qin Dynasty. According to his own idea, he named the book "Tong Zhi". "Tongzhi" was compiled when Song Yingzong was in power.Sima Guang dedicated this book to Yingzong.After reading it, Yingzong felt that it was an eye-opener and it was very helpful for him to govern the country, so he ordered Sima Guang to set up a special bookstore for Sima Guang to organize editors and allow them to borrow books from the government's collection.Sima Guang was greatly encouraged by Yingzong's support, and he immediately invited famous historians Liu Shu, Liu He, Fan Zuyu, etc. as assistants to form a writing organization to write "Tongzhi".

When Song Shenzong came to the throne, Sima Guang dedicated some of the newly edited manuscripts to Shenzong.Shenzong was a capable emperor, and he was even happier after reading Sima Guang's manuscript.He believes that Sima Guang's book can not only help emperors understand the ups and downs of the past dynasties, but also this ups and downs are like a mirror, so that people can often compare and learn from them.Therefore, Shenzong changed the title of the book "Tong Zhi" to "Zi Zhi Tong Jian". "Zizhi" is to help govern, and the original meaning of "jian" is a mirror, which is used to express warning and lesson.Later, people referred to "Zizhi Tongjian" as "Tongjian".

Sima Guang and Wang Anshi were very good friends.Wang Anshi was highly valued by Shenzong, and when he returned to the imperial court to preside over reforms, Sima Guang was a Hanlin scholar.Because of Sima Guang's conservative thinking, he couldn't talk with Wang Anshi.Later, Wang Anshi was promoted to prime minister, and proposed and implemented a series of reform measures.Not only did Sima Guang disagree with one of these, but he also desperately opposed it.Because of Sima Guang's knowledge and influence and his tough attitude against reform, he became the leader of the opposition and completely fell out with his old friends.So Sima Guang resigned from Shenzong, left the capital and went to Luoyang, where he devoted himself to writing "Zi Zhi Tong Jian".It took Sima Guang a total of 19 years to finish writing this work.

"Tongjian" adopts the chronological style, that is, according to the order of historical development, the major events that happened every year in history are written year by year.It records the history of 4 years from 3D959 BC to 1360 AD, that is, from the beginning of the Warring States period to the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" is rich in materials, well-tailored, rigorous in textual research, and concise in writing, full of literary talent.In history, "Tongjian" and "Historical Records" are as famous.

●Su Dongpo is versatile
In the highly culturally developed social environment of the Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo (that is, Su Shi, also known as Su Dongpo because he was named Dongpo Layman) was the most romantic and individual character at that time. It is written vertically and horizontally, and the meaning is smooth.Especially in the creation of Ci, Su Dongpo made a greater contribution, creating a new school of Ci, which made the Ci look completely new.Ci was gradually developed from the folk in the middle Tang Dynasty to the era of Su Shi, which has a history of more than 300 years.Although there have been many masterpieces by famous masters, Ci has always been regarded as "poetry" and "small way".Therefore, the subject matter of Ci is very narrow. Especially in the Tang and Five Dynasties, Ci has been lingering between flowers and bottles of wine.However, the content of Su Shi's Ci completely broke the shackles of the subject matter. All kinds of life content, especially the subject matter reflecting rural scenes and life, are reflected in Su Shi's Ci. This is a remarkable breakthrough.Su Shi therefore created a new school of Ci, called the bold school.Such as "Niannujiao Chibi Nostalgia": The great river goes east, the waves wash away, and the eternal romantic figure.On the west side of the old base, the human way is, Zhou Lang Chibi of the Three Kingdoms.The rocks pierced through the sky, the stormy waves hit the shore, and thousands of piles of snow were rolled up.Picturesque, a moment how many hero!Thinking back to the time when Gongjin was young, Xiao Qiao was married for the first time, and she was majestic and heroic.Feather fans and scarves, while talking and laughing, the masts and troughs are wiped out.If you wander about the motherland, you should laugh at me passionately, and you will be born early.Life is like a dream, and a bottle is still pouring into Jiangyue.This poem expresses Su Dongpo's philosophical life feelings of facing nature and nostalgia for the past and present, and expresses his elegant and open-minded spirit.From the very beginning, the poem unfolded on a grand realm of thousands of years and thousands of miles. In such a vast space-time framework, it sighs that life is short and fame is illusory, and leads the frustration of life setbacks to a lofty place.Although this philosophy of life lacks the power of fierce resistance, it also reflects Su Dongpo's arrogant character unwilling to sink.

Once, Su Dongpo asked a singer: "How do my words compare with those of Liu Yong (a famous poet in the Song Dynasty)?" It is only suitable for girls aged [-] or [-], clap their hands with red teeth, and sing "Yangliuan, Xiaofengwanyue" (Liu Yong's famous line); your words need a big man from Kansai, holding an iron plate, singing "Dajiangdong" Go'." This answer vividly expresses the difference between Su Dongpo's Ci and another school of Ci (the Grace School).

In addition to poems, words, and essays, Su Dongpo is also a great calligrapher. He is good at running script and regular script.His pen is rich and ups and downs, with a kind of innocent taste.Su Dongpo, together with Cai Xiang, Huang Tingjian, and Mi Fu, is called the "Four Masters of the Song Dynasty", and many people are still learning his calligraphy.

Although Su Dongpo is versatile, he is upright and has a clear distinction between black and white.Before and after Wang Anshi's reform in the Song Dynasty, whether it was the reformers or the diehards in power, he insisted not to follow the trend.Therefore, his official career was not going well for most of his life, and he was repeatedly demoted.

In 1100 A.D., Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty came to the throne, and after Su Dongpo was amnesty and returned to Changzhou, he became ill.The following year, this great talent in the literary world, which was hard to find in a hundred years, passed away forever.He left precious cultural heritages such as "Dongpo Collection", "Dongpo Houji" and "Dongpo Yuefu" to future generations.

●Ouyang Xiu's "Literary Revolution"

Ouyang Xiu, courtesy name Yongshu, was born in Jishui (now Jiangxi), and was born in a family of low-level officials.Ouyang Xiu lost his father when he was young, and his family was poor.Ouyang Xiu was smart and eager to learn since he was a child. His mother used sand as paper and a stick as a pen to teach his son calligraphy and give him an enlightenment education.Later, his mother brought Ouyang Xiu to his uncle Ouyang Hua, who was an official in Suizhou, so that Ouyang Xiu's education could be continued, and a literary master like him finally appeared in the literary world of the Northern Song Dynasty.

After Ouyang Xiu arrived at his uncle's house, he became more eager to learn and read books to the point of fascination.

Ouyang Xiu's Idea of ​​Literary Innovation
Ouyang Xiu was the first literary leader who created a style of writing in the history of Song Dynasty literature.The innovation of poetry and prose he advocated was essentially aimed at the Five Dynasties style of writing and the Xikun style in the early Song Dynasty, but Ouyang Xiu's literary theory and creative practice were very different from those of the retro-style literary theorists since Liu Kai.From Liu Kai, Mu Xiu to Shi Jie, the literary theories of revivalism all have a tendency to emphasize morality over literature, and even completely regard literature as a vassal of orthodoxy.But Ouyang Xiu is different, and holds a new view on the relationship between literature and Taoism.First of all, Ouyang Xiu believes that the way of Confucianism is closely related to real life: "What is recorded in the Six Classics are those who are relevant to the world."In addition, he also considered the independent nature of stationery.

This idea of ​​equal emphasis on literature and morality has two meanings: one is to regard literature as equally important as Taoism, and the other is to regard the artistic form of literature as important as the content of thought, which undoubtedly greatly improves the status of literature.

Ouyang Xiu's Correction of Xikun Style and Taixue Style
Liu Kai and others called for Han Yu, mainly focusing on his orthodoxy, while Ouyang Xiu focused on inheriting Han Yu's literary tradition; Ouyang Xiu loved Korean since he was a child, and later wrote ancient prose using Han and Liu as models for learning, but he did not blindly worship Han Yu. In ancient times, he took the method of Hanwen and Chinese from the smooth side, and abandoned the strange and profound tendencies that had already emerged in Han and Liu ancient writings.

In this way, Ouyang Xiu not only corrected the partiality of Liu Kai and Shi Jie in theory, but also corrected some shortcomings of Han and Liu's ancient prose, thus establishing a correct guiding ideology for the innovation of poetry and prose in the Northern Song Dynasty, and also opened up a new path for the development of ancient prose in the Song Dynasty. broad prospects.

Achievements in prose writing

([-]) Strengthening of functions and completion of themes
Ouyang Xiu's prose is rich in content and diverse in form.Whether it is discussion or narration, they are all made with intentions and expressed with feelings.Ouyang Xiu's prose has a strong emotional color. His political essays are generous and full of emotion;In Ouyang Xiu's works, the practical and aesthetic properties of prose are fully displayed, and the three functions of prose narrative, discussion and lyricism are also highly organically integrated.

Ouyang Xiu also made great contributions to the development of prose style.His works are of various genres, each suitable for its own use.In addition to ancient prose, Fu and Si Liu are also his proficient styles of writing.

First of all, Ouyang Xiu reformed the arrogant Fu and Rhythmic Fu of the previous generation, removed the dual regulations of rowing couplets and restricting rhyme, and changed to single-stroke prose as Fu, creating Wen Fu.His famous work is "Autumn Sound Fu".

Secondly, Ouyang Xiu also innovated the four-six body.He often uses the ancient prose style of prose and single line, and rarely uses story idioms, and does not seek duality, thus injecting new vitality into this style of parallel, four, double, and six.

Ouyang Xiu's creation enriches the genre of prose and completes the function.

([-]) Easy and gentle style of writing
Ouyang Xiu's language is concise and fluent, and his style is delicate and euphemistic, creating a new style that is easy and natural, which is unique in addition to the grandeur of Korean and the severity of Liu Wen.For example, the opening paragraph of "Drunkard Pavilion".

The high achievement of Ouyang Xiu's prose creation and his correct ancient prose theory complement each other, thus creating a style of writing for a generation.

●"Surfing the River During the Qingming Festival" handed down from generation to generation

During the Song Dynasty, the economy was developed, and the capital, Bianjing, was one of the few prosperous cities in the world. Four rivers flowed through the city and four land routes extended. It was the national water and land transportation center, and the commercial development ranked first in the country. .There are many lively markets in Bianjing City, where there are various shops and night markets.During the holidays, the capital is even more lively.Although later generations have no chance to see the grand scene at that time, a painter left a fascinating scroll for future generations with his giant brush, which is Zhang Zeduan's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival".

Zhang Zeduan, courtesy name Zhengdao, was born in Dongwu (now Zhucheng), Shandong.In his early years, he traveled to Bianjing and studied painting. During the reign of Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty, he worked in Hanlin Academy of Painting. "Along the River during the Qingming Festival" is his only surviving painting, which depicts the scene of Bianjing in late summer and early autumn. The term "Qingming" was originally a eulogy made by Zhang Zeduan when he presented this painting, rather than the name of the solar terms.

The center of the picture is composed of a rainbow-shaped bridge and the street surface of Qiaotou Street.There are many vendors and tourists on the west side of the bridge.There is a bustling stream of people on the sidewalk in the middle of the bridge.The south side of the bridge is connected to the main street. On both sides of the street are teahouses, taverns, pawnshops and workshops.There are still many small vendors with big umbrellas in the open space on both sides of the street.The street stretches east and west to the quieter suburbs outside the city.

"A Picture of Shanghe During the Qingming Festival" vividly depicts the busy and tense transportation scenes on the Bian River.After Zhang Zeduan completed this historical scroll praising the peaceful and prosperous age, he presented it to Zhao Zhe.Zhao Ju was the first collector of this painting. He inscribed the five characters "Surfing the River During the Qingming Festival" on the painting with his own "thin gold body", and engraved the small seal of Shuanglong on it.Unfortunately, this original painting is now lost.

This masterpiece, which is famous in ancient and modern China and abroad, has been enjoyed by countless collectors and connoisseurs in the more than 900 years since it came out, and it is also the target of emperors and dignitaries.It has been tossed and fallen, survived several wars, entered the palace 5 times, and was stolen out of the palace 4 times. It has deduced many legendary stories. Now it is safely stored in the Palace Museum in Beijing for people to appreciate and study.

●Li Qingzhao, a talented woman from the Song Dynasty
Li Qingzhao, a native of Licheng (now Jinan).An outstanding poetess in ancient China.She created a unique style of "Yi'an Style", and was promoted as "the number one poetic style".

Li Qingzhao's father, Li Gefei, was also a writer. He was an official during the Song Huizong period. Because he was upright and a student of Su Shi, he was attacked by the treacherous prime minister Cai Jing.Influenced by his father since he was a child, Li Qingzhao was very fond of literature, reciting poems and painting, especially in writing lyrics.When she was 18, she married Zhao Mingcheng. The couple respected each other as guests. In addition to being good at poetry and prose, they also shared the hobby of collecting gold and stone (ancient bronze wares and calligraphy and paintings engraved on stone tablets).When Zhao Mingcheng entered the official career, his family collected more and more gold and stone calligraphy and paintings. Therefore, Li Qingzhao specially built a large library cabinet, compiled a catalog, and placed them in an orderly manner.

A few years later, Zhao Mingcheng was sent to other places as an official, and Li Qingzhao stayed at home.Li Qingzhao wrote letters in the form of words?To Zhao Mingcheng, these letters are beautifully written and full of emotion. Zhao Mingcheng was very moved after reading them, and often wrote lyrics to Li Qingzhao.One year during the Double Ninth Festival, Li Qingzhao drank wine and admired chrysanthemums at home alone, feeling lonely without her husband by her side.She immediately picked up a pen and wrote a poem called "Drunken Flower Yin": the mist is thick and the clouds are autumn and the day is long, and the brain eliminates the golden beast.The festive season is Double Ninth Festival again, the jade pillow is in the gauze kitchen, and it is cool in the middle of the night.After Dongli drank the wine at dusk, there was a dark fragrance filling his sleeves.There is no way to lose your soul, the wind is blowing from the west, and people are thinner than yellow flowers.The meaning of this poem is that Li Qingzhao is worried about her husband Zhao Mingcheng, and her body is thinner than a chrysanthemum because she can't eat and sleep well.

Li Qingzhao sent the poem to Zhao Mingcheng.Zhao Mingcheng was very moved and thought it was well written.He was determined to write a poem better than his wife's, so he closed the door and spent three days and three nights writing in the house, and finally wrote 50 poems.Zhao Mingcheng mixed Li Qingzhao's song with 50 of his own, showed it to his friends, and asked him to comment on which one was the best.In the end, his friend said that only the three sentences "I can't lose my soul, the wind is blowing in the west, and people are thinner than yellow flowers" are the best.Li Qingzhao's talent can be seen from this.

After nearly 20 years of hard work, Zhao Mingcheng completed a book recording ancient historical relics - "Jinshilu".But in the era of war, it is not easy to organize and preserve these cultural relics.When Tokyo was captured by Jin soldiers, Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng were still in Zizhou (in today's Shandong).Soon, Jin Bing plundered everywhere, and Li Qingzhao followed Zhao Mingcheng to Jiankang.They took the most precious Jinshi books with them and took Qiaoche away.And as the Jin soldiers went south, more than a dozen cultural relics in Li Qingzhao's home, which condensed all of Li Qingzhao's painstaking efforts, were burned to ashes by the flames of war.

After the establishment of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Mingcheng was sent to Huzhou as the magistrate.Li Qingzhao failed to take office with him due to the chaos.Before leaving, Li Qingzhao asked her husband, "What should I do if the Jin people call again?" The ancient calligraphy and painting artifacts are lost. But there are a few precious ancient ritual artifacts, you must protect them yourself, and treat them as your own life." Li Qingzhao nodded solemnly.However, neither of them thought that Zhao Mingcheng would be separated from Li Qingzhao since then.

The pain of bereavement made Li Qingzhao haggard day by day. Whenever he thought of his dead husband, Li Qingzhao would feel his heart break.At that time, Jin Bingnan committed crimes, and Li Qingzhao, an orphan and widow, had to flee everywhere. She hired boats, asked for help, went to relatives and friends, and brought the books and cultural relics she and Zhao Mingcheng had collected throughout her life.In order to keep the cultural relics from being lost and to fulfill her husband's last wish, she wanted to catch up with the southward court as soon as possible and protect these cultural relics by donating, but she still failed to catch up with Song Gaozong Zhao Gou who fled.Li Qingzhao first went to Hengzhou and then to Yuezhou.During this period, the 20000 volumes of books and 2000 volumes of gold and stone rubbings she deposited in Hongzhou were burned and looted by the Jin soldiers who invaded the south.When he arrived in Yuezhou, the five large boxes of cultural relics he carried with him were stolen by thieves through the wall.

Faced with the destruction of the country and the loss of precious cultural relics, Li Qingzhao used poetry to complain about his dissatisfaction with Zhao Gou and other capitulators. "To be a hero in life, to be a hero in death, I still think of Xiang Yu, and refuse to cross Jiangdong." This deafening "quatrain" is generous and powerful, and it is the greatest mockery of those who are struggling to survive!
●The poem "Shower"
The poem "Shower" written by Lu You.Lu You, a famous patriotic poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, was born in Shanyin, Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang).When Lu You was a child, he experienced the national hatred and family feud that perished in the Northern Song Dynasty, and he also saw and heard many epic deeds of soldiers and civilians in the south of the Yangtze River fighting against the Jin soldiers.Therefore, deep affection for the motherland and the nation grew in his young heart. At the age of 29, he took the exam in Liangzhe area and won No.1.When Song Xiaozong Zhao Shengang came to the throne, he wanted to do something to restore the Central Plains.Therefore, Zhao Shen appointed veteran Zhang Jun as the privy envoy.Zhang Jun asked the imperial court to issue an edict to send troops to the Northern Expedition, calling on the people of the Central Plains to rise up in the war of resistance and cooperate with the Song army to regain lost ground.At that time, Lu You was an editor in the Privy Council, and Zhang Jun sent Lu You to draft this edict.Lu You enthusiastically supported the Northern Expedition, but Zhang Jun, who could be the commander-in-chief, lacked commanding skills.Not long after the Song army dispatched troops, it was defeated by the Jin soldiers in Fuli (in today's Anhui), and retreated across the board.

After the failure of the Northern Expedition, the ministers who had always advocated seeking peace attacked Zhang Jun in front of Zhao Shen, and said that Zhang Jun's use of troops was instigated by Lu You.Soon, Zhang Jun was expelled from the imperial court, and Lu You was dismissed from office and returned to his hometown in Shanyin.

(End of this chapter)