Lü Dafang (1027-1097), courtesy name Weizhong, was a politician and calligrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty.
In the first year of Emperor Renzong's reign (1049), he became a Jinshi and served as the chief administrator of Feng Yi and the magistrate of Yongshou County. There were no wells in the county and drinking water was difficult. Da Fang introduced spring water into the county, and the people of the county named it "Lü Gongquan". When Emperor Yingzong came to the throne, he changed Dr. Taichang and Supervised the Censor Li Xing. He was demoted for participating in the Pu discussion. During the reign of Emperor Zhezong, he was called a Hanlin scholar and sent to Kaifeng Mansion. In the first year of Yuanyou (1086), he was promoted to Shangshu Zuopushe and served as minister of the province, and was granted the title of Duke of Ji. During Zhezong's reign, he fought with the Yuanyou party, became aware of Suizhou, and was demoted to Secretary and Supervisor. In the fourth year of Shaosheng (1097), he was demoted to deputy envoy of Tuanlian in Shuzhou and resettled in Xunzhou (now Huizhou City). He died of illness in Xinfeng, Qianzhou (now Xinfeng County, Jiangxi Province). Duke Xuan. He wrote twenty volumes of Wenlu, one volume of which was left behind, and the "Tongkao of Wenwen" has been handed down to the world. He is a master of calligraphy and his ink handwriting has been handed down from generation to generation.
How does history evaluate Lu Dafang?
"History of the Song Dynasty": Dafang was strong, sincere, and virtuous. The three of them were all in the autumn when their mother was behind the curtain to listen to the government, and they were able to make Yuanyou's rule better than Long Jiayou. How could it be so easy to achieve this? The eight things of preventing and sparing the Song Dynasty's family law are beyond words, and they are the most cherished style for all generations. Zhi was very strict in distinguishing between good and evil. In the end, he was angered by the small group with his straight way, so he and Da Fang died together in demotion. Scholars argued that he was unjust. Song Du was still in his old age and had not been tainted by evil. The world said that he was wise and wise in protecting himself. However, judging from his comments, Zhang Zhongxuan, the governor of the state, received the Jin Dynasty, and he judged the seriousness of his crime based on his appearance. Moreover, the punishment was not up to the justice of a doctor, so Zhongxuan was exempted from death and was tattooed. Since the Song Dynasty ordered officials and criminals to pay the stolen goods to the deceased, and the punishment was not increased, wouldn't it be the behavior of a noble gentleman? The creator has his own way.