Du Fu (712 AD - 770 AD), courtesy name Zimei, Han nationality, was born in Gong County, Henan Province (now Gongyi, Henan Province). Du Fu's great-grandfather Du Yiyi came from Xiangyang, Hubei Province to serve as the county magistrate of Gong County, and his family moved there Gong County. From grandfather Du Shenyan, father Du Xian, to Du Fu, the Du family has been in Gong County for 85 years. The Xiangyang Du family, one of the branches of the Jingzhao Du family, later moved to Gong County, Henan. [1-2] Called himself Shaoling Yelao, he was a great realist poet in the Tang Dynasty. Together with Li Bai, he was known as "Li Du". In order to distinguish them from the other two poets Li Shangyin and Du Mu, known as "Little Li Du", Du Fu and Li Bai are also collectively known as "Big Li Du", and Du Fu is often called "Old Du".
Du Fu had a profound influence on Chinese classical poetry. He was called the "Sage of Poetry" by later generations, and his poems were called the "History of Poetry". Later generations called him Du Shiyi and Du Gongbu, and also called him Du Shaoling and Du Caotang.
Du Fu created such masterpieces as "Looking in Spring", "Northern Expedition", "Three Officials" and "Three Farewells". In 759, Du Fu abandoned his official position and went to Sichuan. Although he escaped the war and lived a relatively stable life, he still cared about the common people and national affairs. Although Du Fu is a realist poet, he also has a wild and uninhibited side. It is not difficult to see Du Fu's heroic spirit from his famous work "Song of the Eight Immortals in Drinking".
The core of Du Fu's thought is the Confucian thought of benevolent government. He has the grand ambition of "bringing the kings to Yao and Shun, and then making the customs pure." Although Du Fu was not well-known during his lifetime, he later became famous and had a profound impact on both Chinese and Japanese literature. About 1,500 poems by Du Fu have been preserved, most of which are collected in "Du Gongbu Collection".
Li Bai (February 8, 701 - December 762)[1], also known as Taibai, Qinglian Jushi, also known as "Exiled Immortal", Han nationality. He was a great romantic poet in the Tang Dynasty and was hailed as the "Immortal of Poetry" by later generations. Together with Du Fu, they are called "Li Du". In order to distinguish them from the other two poets Li Shangyin and Du Mu, who are called "Little Li Du", Du Fu and Li Bai are also collectively called "Big Li Du". He is cheerful and generous, loves drinking, writing poetry, and making friends.
Li Bai was deeply influenced by Huang Lao Liezhuang's thoughts. There is "Li Taibai Collection" handed down to the world. Most of his poems were written when he was drunk. His representative works include "Wang Lushan Waterfall", "The Road is Difficult", "The Road to Shu" "Difficult", "About to Enter the Wine", "Liang Fu Yin", "Early Departure from Baidi City" and many other songs.
The Song Dynasty people have biographies of Li Bai's poems and poems (such as the first volume of Wen Ying's "Xiangshan Wild Records"). In terms of its pioneering significance and artistic achievements, "Li Bai's Ci" enjoys an extremely high status.
Wang Anshi (December 18, 1021 - May 21, 1086), courtesy name Jiefu, nickname Banshan, Han nationality, native of Linchuan (now Linchuan District, Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province), was a famous thinker in the Northern Song Dynasty , politician, writer, reformer. [1]
In the second year of Qingli (1042), Wang Anshi became a Jinshi. He has successively served as Yangzhou signing magistrate, Yinxian county magistrate, Shuzhou general magistrate, etc., with remarkable political achievements. In the second year of Xining (1069), he was appointed as the counselor of political affairs. The following year, he became the prime minister and presided over the reform. Due to opposition from the conservative faction, Xi was dismissed as prime minister in the seventh year of Xining's reign (1074). A year later, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty took up the post again, then dismissed him and retreated to Jiangning. In the first year of Yuanyou (1086), the conservatives gained power and all new laws were abolished. Yu Ran died of illness in Zhongshan (now Nanjing, Jiangsu) and was given to the Taifu. In the first year of Shaosheng (1094), he received the posthumous title "Wen" and was called Wang Wengong in his later life.
Wang Anshi devoted himself to the study of Confucian classics and wrote books. He was known as the "Tongru Confucian" [2] and created the "Jinggong New School", which promoted the formation of the ancient style of study in the Song Dynasty. Philosophically, the use of the "Five Elements Theory" to explain the formation of the universe has enriched and developed ancient Chinese simple materialist thought; its philosophical proposition "new and old are eliminated" has pushed ancient Chinese dialectics to a new height.
Wang Anshi has made outstanding achievements in literature. His prose has clear arguments, strict logic, and strong persuasiveness, giving full play to the practical function of ancient prose; his essays are concise, sharp, short and concise, and he is ranked among the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties". His poems "learned from Du's thinness and toughness", and he was good at reasoning and rhetoric. In his later years, his poetry style was implicit, deep, profound and unobtrusive. His style of richness, spirit and far-reaching rhyme made him unique in the poetry circle of the Northern Song Dynasty, and he was known as "Wang Jinggong style" in the world. There are "Wang Linchuan Collection", "Linchuan Collection Supplements" and so on.
Cao Cao (155-March 15, 220[1]), whose courtesy name was Mengde, whose last name was Geely, and whose nickname was Ahao, was from Qiao County, Peiguo (now Bozhou, Anhui), and was of Han nationality. He was an outstanding politician, militarist, writer, and calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty [2] and the founder of the Cao Wei regime in the Three Kingdoms. In the name of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, he conquered the four directions, eliminated the separatist forces such as Yuan, Lu Bu, Liu Biao, Ma Chao, and Han Sui internally, and surrendered the Southern Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, etc. externally, unified northern China, and implemented a series of policies to restore economic production. and social order, laying the foundation for the founding of Cao Wei. When Cao Cao was alive, he served as the Prime Minister of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and later as the King of Wei. After his death, he was given the posthumous title of King Wu. After his son Cao Pi became emperor, he was honored as Emperor Wu, with the temple name Taizu.
Cao Cao was skilled in military tactics and good at poetry. He expressed his political ambitions and reflected the suffering life of the people in the late Han Dynasty. He was majestic, generous and desolate. His prose was also clear and neat, which opened up and prospered Jian'an literature and gave it to later generations. He left behind precious spiritual wealth, known as the character of Jian'an in history, and Lu Xun evaluated him as "the founder of reformed articles." At the same time, Cao Cao was also good at calligraphy, especially Zhangcao. Zhang Huaiguan of the Tang Dynasty rated it as a "wonderful product" in "Shu Duan".
Chang Jian was probably from Chang'an (now Xi'an, Shaanxi Province) (disputed). He was a poet of the Tang Dynasty whose name is unknown. In the fifteenth year of Kaiyuan (727), he and Wang Changling were ranked as Jinshi. He was not satisfied with his long career as an official. He traveled to famous places and lived a wandering life for a long time. Later he moved to live in seclusion in Ezhu. In Tianbao, he once served as Lieutenant Xuyi. Not many of Chang Jian's poems are extant, among which "Inscribed on Poshan Temple Houchanyuan" is more famous.