It is such a cultural giant that his life is inextricably linked with Changzhou, Jiangsu. In particular, he was originally from Meishan, Sichuan, but he chose Changzhou as his final resting place. Changzhou became Su Dongpo's second hometown.
Some people think that after Su Dongpo was pardoned and returned to the north, he chose Yixing, Changzhou (Yixing used to belong to Changzhou) as his residence, which was purely an accidental and helpless move. In fact, looking at Su Dongpo's life, judging from his poems, words, essays, notes and memorials, this move is by no means accidental. It is Su Dongpo's choice after repeated weighing.
Why do Su Dongpo and Changzhou Yixing have such deep feelings? Why did he choose Yixing, Changzhou, as his place of residence?
first, the marriage of chicken and millet
The fate of Su Dongpo and Changzhou Yixing can be traced back to the second year of Jiayou in Song Renzong
(157). In that year, Su Dongpo went to Beijing to take the exam and became a scholar. At a gathering of children in the same year, his deskmates were Jiang Yingshu (strange) from Yixing County, Changzhou Prefecture, Shan Xi and Hu Zongfu from Wujin County. Su Dongpo learned the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan from the introduction of Jiang Zhiqi, Shan Xi and Hu Zongfu. He was fascinated by the beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River. In the wine, I set a "chicken and millet agreement" in Yixing, Changzhou. However, due to his youthful spirit, Su Dongpo thought that he had not yet displayed his ambition, so he was only in a temporary mood at that time and was not very serious. This can be seen from Su Dongpo's poem of singing with Jiang Zhiqi:
When the moon is bright, the magpie is surprised, but it floats with the wind.
the autumn wind on the river is infinitely good, and there are not many spring dreams in the pillow.
the flowers and plants in Qionglin smell the previous words. Painting Xishan refers to the later period.
How dare you make an appointment for a chicken? The Jade Hall and the Golden Hall should be discussed.
Later, Su Dongpo made friends with Changzhou's Qian Gongfu, Qian Jiming's father and son, Hu Renxiu, elder Hoonji, Yixing's Teng Yuanfa, Shao Minzhan, Jiang Gongyu and other old friends.
These classmates and friends have become close friends with him. In his later official career, especially in his exiled life, these friends gave him selfless care.
The warmth and care of friendship and affection are the sources of Su Dongpo's love for Yixing, Changzhou.
Second, the scenery is infinitely beautiful
When Su Dongpo was appointed as the general judge of Hangzhou, he was ordered to go to Changrun area for disaster relief from the end of June to May of the seventh year of Xining, and stayed in Changzhou area for about half a year. After completing the disaster relief task, he stayed in Yixing at the invitation of his friends Jiang Zhiqi and Shan Xi, and accompanied by them, he visited the Furong landscape. Draw Ximing, ancient caves and strange caves, Yutan Ningbi and other places of interest. Su Dongpo lingers in the lush mountains, the Ming Che of streams, the hidden vines and the intricate beauty of apricots, as if he were in the beautiful and simple pastoral scenery described in Tao Yuanming's Peach Blossom Garden. Su Dongpo, who worships Tao Yuanming very much, vaguely feels that Yang Xian (another name for Yixing) is the home of his future retirement.
Su Dongpo wrote five poems in memory of Chen Xiang, the prefect of Hangzhou, when he was in Changrun for disaster relief. The fifth song is:
The soil is like water at the foot of Hui Quan Mountain, and the rice at the head of Yangxian River is better than pearls.
I want to get old by selling swords and buying oxen, but it's impossible to kill chickens for millet.
the earth is partial to unbelief and high capacity, and vulgarity and frugality are really comparable to corrupt Confucianism.
don't blame Jiangnan for its hard work, and its business plan will be repaid all its life.
The wet soil at the foot of Hui Quan Mountain, the glittering rice at the head of Yangxian Creek and the simple and honest folk customs in the south of the Yangtze River deeply attracted Su Dongpo, and made him think of retiring here.
In the seventh year of Xining, Su Dongpo's good friend Qian Gongfu passed away in Changzhou. Su Dongpo went to pay his respects and wrote "Mourning", which sent out the feeling that "I traveled everywhere without returning, so how can I stop when I died" and "I wandered alone without going to Xi, so as to be a gentleman in this country". This shows that Su Dongpo later chose Changzhou as his hiding place, which was not accidental. He had long been fond of Changzhou.
In this year, Su Dongpo entrusted Yixing friends to buy fields in Yixing, and prepared to retire here in the future.
Third, seeking to live in Changzhou
Su Dongpo was demoted to Huangzhou for five years because of the Wutai Poetry Case. It was not until Yuanfeng's seventh year that he was pardoned
. Political ups and downs made his desire to retire from the countryside and devote himself to self-sufficiency even stronger. Changzhou's beautiful and rich land, mild and humid climate and friends who have never turned against him made him want to stay, so he decided to ask the court to let him stay in Changzhou.
He twice begged the court to allow him to live in Changzhou. He wrote in "Begging for Changzhou Residence Table": "... and you have run out of land, and Ruzhou has no other fields to make a living. Worry about dogs and horses, hunger and cold are urgent. ..... I have a thin field in Yixing County, Changzhou, and I have a rough porridge and a desire for holiness. I am chartered to live in Changzhou. "
when he learned that the imperial court had allowed him to live in Changzhou, he wept with joy and sang for his wish: "Go back and come, there is no bottom in Qingxi, and there are thousands of craggy mountains on it;" On the east bank of the painting building, there are many sunsets in the sky. "
On May 22nd, Yuanfeng, eight years, Su Dongpo led his family to Changzhou Demotion Institute. After many twists and turns, Su Dongpo finally returned to this land of longing. He traveled all over the city of Changzhou. He left his poems in Taiping Temple and Hoonji: "Six Flowers? Buddha in the Portuguese forest, nine calamus immortals on the stone; What is it like Dongpo's iron crutch, which shocked the wild fox Zen for a while. " "Jasper bowls are filled with red agates, and well water is used to raise Acorus gramineus. I also know that the dharma is inexhaustible, so I wonder if the Zen master is full. "
A few days later, Su Dongpo and his family settled in the grange in Yixing. Being exposed to the rural scenery in the south of the Yangtze River, Su Dongpo sincerely expressed his feelings: "It is always good for Xishan to buy Tian Yang and admire my old age. Travel in an empty boat and talk about traveling from things. Some books are still lazy, and the songs are gone. I don't care about poetry, but I have to be stormy. "
At this time, Su Dongpo lived an ideal life completely, without politics, official documents and worries about not having enough to eat. He completely relaxed himself and enjoyed the beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River.
But fate never allowed Su Dongpo to have a quiet land. At this time, the political situation changed greatly, and the court used Su Dongpo again and entrusted him with a heavy responsibility. With mixed feelings, he had to bid farewell to the home he had just built and set off for his post.
Four, Changzhou has been in Yuan You for eight years, and the Empress Dowager, who has been protecting Su Dongpo, died. Disasters fell on Su Dongpo one after another. He was demoted again and again, from Dingzhou to Yingzhou, to Huizhou, and from Huizhou to Danzhou, Hainan Island. Until Yuan Fu's third year, Su Dongpo and other Yuan You ministers were granted amnesty. The court gave him a virtual post and allowed him to live in another state at will. In this way, Su Dongpo is faced with the choice of where to retire and enjoy his old age.
Su Dongpo's first choice is to go back to his hometown in Sichuan. China people pay attention to "returning the leaves to the roots", and there are two places for Su Shi and Su Zhe beside the grave of his father Su Xun. Su Dongpo once wanted to "return to the roots", but after he left his hometown in Sichuan in the first year of Xining, he never returned to his hometown for more than 3 years. He has neither land nor relatives in Sichuan, so he has to give up his plan to return to his hometown.
Su Dongpo's second choice is Hangzhou. Su Dongpo has worked in Hangzhou twice. He has a very good relationship with the people there, and the mountains and rivers in Hangzhou have deeply attracted him. He really wants to settle there. He once said: "If Shu doesn't return, Hangzhou is the best." But the cost of living in Hangzhou is very high, and he has no land there. Su Dongpo has been migrating and exiled all his life, and he has no savings, so he can only give up in the end.
Su Dongpo's third choice is to meet Su Zhe in Yingchang (now Xuchang) and live in seclusion in Songshan in the future. Su Dongpo thought that his two brothers had been separated from each other since they became officials, and now they are old. He really wants to reunite with Su Zhe. But then the political situation changed again. The Empress Dowager, who sheltered the Yuan You Party, has passed away, and the political wind has turned back to its original state. He felt more and more that Yingchang was too close to Beijing to be quiet. Moreover, Su Zhe has been exiled in recent years, and the economy is also very poor. Going to him by himself will increase his burden. After much consideration, he resolutely gave up his plan to meet his younger brother in Yingchang.
Su Dongpo's fourth choice is to go to Changzhou and Yixing. He bought land in Yixing, which can provide for his life. His son and family also live in Changzhou, so they can take care of him nearby. In Changzhou and Yixing, he still has many good friends, such as Jiang Zhiqi, Shan Xi and Qian Shixiong, especially Qian Shixiong. When he was demoted to the south, he kept sending letters and things, and their friendship remained unchanged. Living in Changzhou, he can live next door to his old friends and compose poems. Moreover, Changzhou area is criss-crossed with water networks and beautiful scenery. Living in Changzhou, he has no worries about hunger and cold, but also enjoys beautiful scenery. Moreover, he is far away from the political disputes in Beijing, and he can get along with his family and friends day and night and spend his old age safely. Why not? So Su Dongpo finally chose Changzhou as his final destination, "now he has made up his mind to live in Changzhou". However, the bumps along the way made Su Dongpo extremely weak. He was unfortunately ill on his way back to Changzhou. After arriving in Changzhou, his condition never improved. On July 28th, the year of Jian Zhong Jing Guo Yuan (A.D. 111), Su Dongpo, a great writer of the Northern Song Dynasty, finished his 66-year life journey and died in Sun Shi Pavilion beside Gutang Bridge in Changzhou.
Looking at Su Dongpo's life, he has an indissoluble bond with Changzhou. When Su Dongpo was a rookie, he made friends with many Changzhou-born students. They showed Su Dongpo a gorgeous scenery in the south of the Yangtze River, which made him make a "chicken-millet agreement" with his friends. However, although there is an oath of settlement, after all, without careful consideration, it is a loose word. When he really arrived in Changzhou, Su Dongpo appreciated the charm of Shan Ye, a water town, and was deeply attracted. When he left Huangzhou in middle age, Su Dongpo begged to live in Changzhou twice, and finally got his wish. Since then, he has forged an indissoluble bond with Changzhou. Even in Yuan You's time, when he was politically popular, he made a decision with Changzhou minister Hu Zongyu (Wanfu): "A certain person has settled in Piling and has a secret appointment with Wanfu." On his way back to the north, he was warmly retained by people all the way, and some even provided accommodation for free, but he always said firmly: "However, some fate is in the southeast!" He finally returned to the haunted Changzhou. Finally, he fulfilled his long-cherished wish in Mourning Qian Gongfu's "Mourning Words" in Changzhou in the seventh year of JaeHee Ning: "The great river flows south, while the great river flows north. I walked around without returning, and my death will stop this. "
"I have been poor for 3 years, and I have never forgotten my state for a day." This is the most accurate summary of the relationship between Su Dongpo and Changzhou by Song Feibu.
Su Dongpo's relationship with Changzhou, as he himself said: "Almost is the frontier."