Cao Gongqi
I have bought Mr. Lin Yutang's biography of Su Dongpo for a long time, and I have occasionally rummaged through it on my desk, but I have not read it all for various reasons. It's snowing and freezing recently, so it's hard to go out, just in time to finish reading Su Dongpo's Biography.
I have known about Su Dongpo's life experience before, but I only have a flat understanding of him. I have taught Su Dongpo's poems before, but I only stay in the conceptual understanding of his works. I used to see others worship Su Dongpo so much, but I didn't really know him deeply ...
Why has Su Dongpo been so popular and beloved for thousands of years?
I'm afraid this is not only because his poems and essays are well written, but also because he has left many well-known masterpieces for people and created an uninhibited school of Song Ci. It is not only because he is also a painter, but also because he has left many masterpieces for future generations. Not only because of his ups and downs in life, his official career was bumpy ... Mr. Lin Yutang said: "Su Dongpo is an optimist whose nature is hard to change, a moralist who shows compassion for others, a good friend of the people of Lebanon, a prose writer, a painter of a new school, a great calligrapher, an experimenter of wine making, an engineer, an opponent of hypocrisy, a practitioner of yoga, a Buddhist, a scholar-bureaucrat. But these may not be enough to sketch the whole picture of Su Dongpo. "
There are many things that Su Dongpo likes and loves, but the most important thing is his personality and temperament.
? He is straightforward by nature. Su Dongpo is a pure and lovely person with a straightforward nature. Whether he is facing dignitaries or colleagues, he always treats him with a pure and straightforward heart. He will not follow the trend, he will not cater to it tactfully, and he will not tell lies. Wang Anshi's insistence on carrying out his new law has caused many people to lose their jobs, be separated from their wives, be displaced and be homeless. Among the court officials, some helped others to abuse, bullying the lower and deceiving the upper; Some resigned and retired nymphs; Some opposed the new law and were cleared by Wang Anshi as dissidents ... In this case, Su Dongpo was writing his book of thousands of words about the emperor of God. He knew that even if he didn't suffer a great disaster, he would at least be deposed, but he, who is honest and frank by nature, still expressed his opinions in Wan Yan Shu. "Angry arguments and calm and clear reasoning interact. Sometimes sad and sarcastic, harsh criticism, frank and straightforward, beyond the ordinary; Sometimes debate right and wrong, citing classics and history, in order to smooth its meaning. Clever and sincere for the arts and crafts, the words are touching enough, and the deep feelings are hidden, because of things. " In this way, three books were connected and he was deposed, but he didn't care about it, even refused to write a letter to defend himself, and left Kyoto for Hangzhou. How lovely and straightforward this disposition is!
he is optimistic and broad-minded. Su Dongpo's life, ups and downs, ups and downs, whether the official position is as high as the history of the Ministry of Rites, or as a local official, or living in exile, he is neither domineering, nor complaining, nor passive and depressed, but always faces it with an optimistic and broad-minded heart. Being in adversity can better show his optimistic spirit. Being demoted to Huangzhou, he became a real farmer, claiming to be a "Dongpo layman", building houses, building dams, repairing fish ponds, visiting beautiful scenery, enjoying the bright moon, cooking food and drinking wine ... Happy and satisfied, and living in exile like a fairy; He was demoted to Huizhou, Lingnan for the second time. He won the title of fantastic exploration, practiced Buddhism and alchemy, made wine and tasted wine, built houses and planted trees, and wrote poems and paintings. His life was quite comfortable, so he was demoted again. He was finally relegated to Danzhou, Hainan Island, which is far away from the earth. He still interacted with people of all kinds, took his big dog "Wuzui" and wandered around at will, sitting on the floor and talking with villagers, still strolling under the moon, collecting herbs in the countryside, trial-producing good ink, sorting out manuscripts and Tao Qian's poems, and making the most difficult days interesting and happy. If there is no optimistic and broad-minded temperament, how can we live so tastefully in adversity?
he loves Li min. Lin Yutang said that he was "a good friend of the people of Lebanon", which is really true. He never had the sour taste of a scholar-bureaucrat, nor did he have the airs of a dignitary. Everywhere he went, he became one with the common people, and he was very concerned about the sufferings of the common people, trying his best to think for them and relieve their worries. During Judge Ren Fengxiang's tenure, there was a drought in Shaanxi, and he took the initiative to ask for rain for farmers. As the satrap of Hangzhou, he built public hospitals, solved the water consumption of Hangzhou residents, repaired official houses and barns, tidied up the West Lake, built major projects, prevented floods and provided disaster relief, and even painted inscriptions for fan businessmen who could not pay their debts. When he was appointed as the satrap of Xuzhou, he risked his life to reinforce the dike and save the city. Exiled in Huangzhou, he not only wrote to Wuchang satrap to stop the bad habit of infanticide among the people, but also set up a "save the children" to save the babies and show his kindness; Being demoted to Huizhou, he had no right to govern, but repeatedly suggested to the satrap that it was forbidden to collect folk materials, not to blackmail farmers, build bridges and bury the bones without owners. It is true that he is a citizen who is enthusiastic about public welfare; Even though he was finally demoted to Danzhou, Hainan Island, he still worked hard to change the local bad customs ... Wherever he went, he was a good friend of the people, putting himself in the shoes of the people and doing things for them.
Su Dongpo has too many advantages. I think that people have loved him so much for thousands of years because he is an all-rounder who has written so many poems that have been handed down through the ages and left many valuable paintings and calligraphy works. More importantly, because he has a pure and lovely, naive and straightforward personality, he has the feelings of compassion and care for the people, and he has an optimistic and open-minded temperament ...
Su Dongpo, Su Dongpo of the people, Su Dongpo forever! 218.1.6.