Qianlong Wang Xizhi: Zhang Yukun

Zhang Yukun: Zhang Yukun, a wizard of Qianlong Dynasty, was praised as "Wang Xizhi" by Korean literati. He was born in Shenyang during Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty. The real name is Zhang Youling, the word Yukun, and the name is Wanquan layman. So far, the name Zhang Yukun can't be found in all the existing official books of Qing Dynasty and local documents in Northeast China. If I hadn't read his deeds in the book "Into Ji Shen" collected by Kuizhangge Library during my research at Seoul National University, how could I believe that there was such a prodigy in Shenyang during the Qianlong period! Please read this passage written by Li Chengzhong, a Korean scholar, in his book: "Guan Yu Wan Quan Weng is thirty years old, young and brave, and beautiful. Fang Qi's books are divided into flowers and stones, and there must be friends, high Buddhism and Taoism, such as Lanting sages and Zhu Xi's six escapes. If the phoenix tree comes to the moon with the wind, the crane avoids smoke and the fish swallows ink, there will be metaphysical words and elegant sentences. I didn't put it in the East China Sea in the middle, and I will see Weng in twenty-seven years. " Zhang Yukun, 57, is known as Wang Xizhi in Lanting and Ruan Ji among the Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest. In the 5,000-year history of cultural exchange between China and South China (Korea), which Korean scholar has won such praise from oriental scholars? In my humble opinion, I'm afraid no one can surpass Zhang Yukun! Li Chengzhong's real name is Li Wanxiu, also known as Zhong Cheng. This article was written in the forty-eighth year of Qianlong (1783) in September. When Emperor Qianlong went out to pay homage to his ancestral grave, North Korea sent a delegation headed by Li Fuyuan, who discussed politics left, to Shenyang to receive the driver. Li Chengzhong, the second son of Li Fuyuan, the ambassador of the DPRK mission, was admitted to the imperial examination and went to Shenyang to serve as Li Fuyuan's attache. Zhang Yukun's ancestral home was Dengzhou (now Yantai), and his ancestral home was incorporated into the Eight Banners of the Han Army in the early Qing Dynasty. Because of his father's early death, he dropped out of school to do business in order to maintain his family life. At the age of 30, he lived a rich life of "reading and classifying flowers and stones". Because Zhang Yukun had no imperial examination fame, no official position, no literary works, and no huge property, there was no record about him in the local literature of Qing Dynasty. As can be seen from the above, their social status is far from each other. Zhang Yukun was born in an ordinary Manchu family, but he was a well-fed Shenyang Manchu businessman, while Li Chengzhong was a promising young scholar and the son of an important official in a neighboring country. Therefore, it is full of opportunities for the two to get to know each other in Wanquan River in Shenyang (now along the small river in Dadong District of Shenyang). In order to know the true face of celebrities, according to the plan of Emperor Qianlong's mausoleum visit, he plans to arrive in Shenyang at the end of July and spend his 73rd birthday in this city. Therefore, the delegation of "Holy Festival and Greetings from Shenyang" sent by the DPRK left the capital Seoul on June 13. Although I was told on the way that the date of Emperor Qianlong's Mausoleum was postponed to September, I crossed the Yalu River on July 19 and arrived in Shenyang Outer City on August 1 8, and stayed in the Sanyi Hall arranged by the Qing Dynasty. Li Chengzhong and his colleague Li Junji (Li Fuyuan's nephew, real name lee chun-soo) used the ample waiting time to visit celebrities in Shenyang. However, from the first day of August to the 22nd, the Lee brothers visited four scribes in a row, and all of them were disappointed. Cha Tong was the first celebrity they visited (according to A Gui's Records of Shengjing (Volume 4 1), Cha Tong was born in Haining, Zhejiang Province, and was an official in Liaoyang). I'm afraid that within a week after they arrived in Shenyang, although they asked everyone, the result was: Cha Tong was an official in Liaoyang, not from Shenyang, and his official position was small, so he couldn't come to Shenyang to pick up the driver. Xuancong was the second celebrity they visited (according to A Gui and others' Record of Shengjing (Volume 4 1), Xuancong was the top scholar in the righteous department and a candidate for the magistrate of a county). Within a few days, the Li Chengzhong brothers went to Xuancong's home three times, and each time they hit a wall. Zhang Fengming was the third celebrity they visited (according to the record of "Shengjing Tongzhi" edited by A Gui, Volume 4 1, Zhang Fengming was from Huanggang, Hubei). However, Zhang Fengming, a member of Fengtianfu High School, refused to meet Li Chengzhong on the grounds that "there are too many officials here to meet outsiders". Zhou Jin is the fourth celebrity they visited. Because of something that day, his brother went to visit with the student named Shan. Unexpectedly, he came back and said: It was very smooth to meet Zhou Jin, but he knew nothing. "It's disappointing to let Mr. Tang Xue speak for him." Zhang Yukun was the fifth celebrity they visited on the morning of August 23rd. According to the clues provided, the senior brother found the Zhang family: "The door of the house is near Wanquan River, and there are more than a dozen rooms, just sheltering from the wind and rain, so you can know the life of a poor man." An old woman in the yard told the visitors that her master was not at home. Li Chengzhong asked her to bring a pen and paper and leave a thank-you note for her host so that she could come again. The old woman went into the room to get a pen and paper. After a while, a man came out of the room. He was Bai Yanfa, of medium height, with a rather awkward posture. This is Zhang Yukun's first impression of Li Chengzhong, and he doesn't seem to have much affection. The Lee brothers, godsons in business, were invited into the inner room. "The walls are full of ancient and modern books, most of which are invisible in bookstores. A few teas are fragrant and net gratifying. " After the host and guest sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries, the guest asked the host to take out the paper and inkstone on the grounds that he was "not proficient in Chinese". Li Chengzhong wrote: "Your servant and other people in the East China Sea are new big countries. I want to meet the famous people of Shen Zhong ... Yesterday, someone showed Pan Meixuan's poems on his sleeve, which contained Mr. Pan Meixuan's postscript. It is a good article. After reading it, I can't help admiring him. Today, I came to visit him. " This passage not only shows the purpose, but also explains the reason for visiting Zhang Yukun. After reading it, Zhang Yukun repeatedly handed in his hand and wrote: "The minister is wearing cloth, not a celebrity." The guest asked, "Is Mr. Wang a member of the people's family?" The master replied that he was a subordinate and wrote: "The servant is a city person, but not a life person." When the Lee brothers saw that they were demoted to civilians, they wrote down the names of famous scholars in the early Qing Dynasty, such as Xu, Zhu Yizun and Gu, to test their knowledge. Seeing the intention of the North Korean guests, he took the initiative to ask: "There is a beautiful woman in your country, (Jing) Fan, who can recite poems at the age of eight or nine. Is it true? " Li Chengzhong was surprised and asked, "How do you know who he is?" Zhang Yukun replied, "I hid this anthology." And this answer is enough to let the guests know that the host is by no means an idle generation. Imagine that businessman Zhang Yukun not only knew that there was a poetess in North Korea who could recite poems at the age of eight or nine, but also collected her anthology. I'm afraid the reader at that time could not reach his reading level. Next, Li Chengzhong asked: "How is Xuan Cong's article written?" Zhang Yukun replied: "Stereotyped writing is just a system, and poetry is a little bit." When his younger brother Li Junji saw that Xuancong, who was a scholar, was only evaluated by Zhang Yukun as "a little mediocre in poetry", he took the opportunity to write: "I came to the palace today, and my book has made me feel humble and stingy. Although Mr. Wang should be modest, he can resign as a celebrity in Shenyang! " Zhang Yukun quickly changed the subject and asked where the two brothers lived. Li Chengzhong replied, I am a scholar, and so is my brother. Zhang Yukun thinks that the imperial examination system in North Korea is stronger than that in Qing Dynasty: "Some of them are lost in stereotyped writing, and even less impressive". He picked up a pen and wrote: "nowadays, it is very difficult to be an official." After waiting for 30 years, it is still difficult to be a county official. Although Linz was born noble, he must be brought up by a wealthy family. A retired from the forest, teaching his son to do his own business, is enough to entertain himself. Why should he praise the reputation of a scholar and live up to its name? " This passage cleverly expressed the reason why Zhang Yukun didn't take the imperial examination. For example, the aforementioned Jinshi Xuancong is like this. Therefore, Zhang Yukun chose the business godson and lived a hermit's life. At this time, Li Junji conveniently proposed to Zhang Yukun: "Mr. Wang wants a manuscript of China's poems, please play it." Zhang Yukun replied that for many years, ink and ink stones were scattered, and no manuscripts were left. Besides, even if there were, they did not dare to present them, so as not to make people laugh. Later, Zhang Yukun took out Pan Meixuan's poems and asked them how they found the book. Li Junji said that it was brought to them by a student with a single surname in Haizhou (now Haicheng). He turned to the book "Little Pictures of Children in Zhang Yukun" and pointed to the sentence in the poem "Holding a jade plate to talk about Zen". He asked: "Does your husband love this?" Zhang Yukun once said: "The Zen master had an epiphany and there was no wonderful solution." Show that you really like Zen. When the Lee brothers bid farewell to Zhang Yukun, the two sides agreed: If Zhang Yukun has time in the future, please meet at the North Korean mission; If Zhang Yukun is not at home, please invite the North Korean guests to the Guangfa Pawnshop behind the Zhang family, or go to Changyu and Changchun shops in the city to talk to him. Li Junji wrote in his diary that day: I looked everywhere for dozens of days, but I didn't see anyone. Although this son has never seen a big idea, he is also a little dirty, not so urban, and his speech is also gratifying. It is the books in his room that are eye-opening. It's a day when Brother Zhong and I feel sorry for each other. Only in frequent communication did Li Junji realize that Zhang Yukun's knowledge was "eye-opening" and only half right. On September 8, the Lee brothers and Liu Jingming, an official of the DPRK delegation, visited Zhang Yukun's home. Because Liu Jingming is a calligrapher of the Korean Mission, Zhang Yukun got his calligraphy works through the Lee brothers, so he was invited to be a guest. The North Korean guests found that the host had made careful preparations: "There are several celebrity calligraphy and paintings hanging on the east and west walls, and the imperial pen of the emperor (that is, Qianlong) is exposed on the south wall. A few inkstones, a few stoves and bowls, and the column feels clean. " On top of the master's case, there is also an antique incense burner with a summary of the Xuande period in the Ming Dynasty. Liu Jingming learned from the Lee brothers that there are many calligraphy treasures at home. "Please read the books of Mi Yuanzhang, Shen, Zhao and so on." However, this time, he replied: "Only Shenhua and Zhao are the most fake." Then he took out two-axis paintings by Shen (whose real name was Shen Zhou, No.1, a famous painter in Ming Dynasty), one was "Pale Ink Landscape" and the other was "Ziyun Brocade", for the North Korean guests to enjoy and play with. As for "Pale Ink Landscape", the Li brothers and Liu Jingming agree that it is an original work of Shen and a masterpiece of his painting. Although there are different opinions on "Amaranth Brocade", it is believed that even if it is not the original work of Shen, it is copied by a famous artist, and it is by no means a "vulgar brush amaranth Brocade". After appreciating Shen's two-axis painting, I took out another painting, The Fisherman's Figure, which is a rare finger painting with "light and ancient brushwork". When three North Korean guests saw this treasure, they were really pleasantly surprised. All eyes are fixed on this painting: a fisherman in rags, wearing a Ma Xie, holding a fish in his right hand and a fishing rod in his left hand, his eyebrows are stirring, and he still smells of mountains and rivers. Write "Luwen freehand brushwork". The Lee brothers and Liu Jingming praised "this is really a famous painting" when they watched it, and they were anxious to know the origin of the painter's prose. So they saw a story from Zhang Yukun's works: Wen Fu was a famous painter at that time, and Emperor Qianlong liked his painting style very much. One day, Emperor Qianlong called Wen Fu to the palace and gave him a scroll of the emperor's own paintings to "render". Who knows that this painting is in the hands of Wen Fu, and the stone sinks into the sea, and there is no news. Emperor Qianlong summoned Wen Fu again and asked him why he didn't return the painting. Unexpectedly, Wen Fu replied that one of the emperor's paintings was not up to standard, so it could not be rendered. Emperor Qianlong was furious and ordered the guards to beat this man out immediately, and he was not allowed to paint for others in the future. Because Wen Fu offended the emperor, no one dared to ask him to paint again. Unfortunately, he starved to death. Zhang Yukun finally showed the guests a horizontal axis: there was a man in his thirties, with fine features and beautiful shadow, sitting with a book in his hand. There is a Taihu stone sitting in front, and there are several miscellaneous flowers. In addition, the front column of the lake leans against the pool, and the lotus flowers are in full bloom, surrounded by small fish. A boy in Lianfang made Xiyan Lake. After sitting down, a boy blows fire to make tea. He has a crane fist. Looking back at those bristles, his face was faintly discernible. When three guests appreciate this painting, the more they look at it, the more they feel that the face and body of the owner in the painting are familiar, but they can't remember where they have seen this person. After they asked this question, the host smiled: "This servant is thirty years old, which is interesting." The guests also smiled. It turns out that the owner in the painting is Zhang Yukun himself. Ask the Li brothers: "How about two gentlemen writing a good poem on this topic in the multi-axis painting to increase the value of Yanshi?" Li Chengzhong said on the spot that he was particularly willing to write poems for Zhang Yukun's "Play, Play, Play" to describe their profound friendship. This is a passage quoted in front of this article, which makes Shenyang people know that after more than 200 years, the "all-purpose layman" has flourished.