Lu You was a writer, historian and patriotic poet in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Lu You (November 13, 1125 - January 26, 1210), with the courtesy name Wuguan and the nickname Fangweng, was of Han nationality and was a native of Shanyin, Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang). He was the grandson of Lu Dian, the minister Youcheng. .
Lu You has been writing non-stop throughout his life and has made great achievements in poetry and literature. The language of his poems is easy to understand and the composition is rigorous. It combines Li Bai's majesty and unrestrainedness with Du Fu's melancholy and desolation. It is especially full of patriotic enthusiasm and has a profound influence on later generations. His achievements in poetry and prose are also high. Liu Kezhuang, a Song Dynasty poet, said that his poetry is "passionate and generous, and Jiaxuan cannot pass it."
You have compiled 85 volumes of "Jiannan Poetry Manuscript", containing more than 9,000 poems. There are also 50 volumes of "Collected Works of Weinan", 10 volumes of "Notes of Laoxue'an" and "Book of the Southern Tang Dynasty". His calligraphy is vigorous and unrestrained, and some of his extant ink writings include "Bitter Cold Tie" and so on.
Introduction to Lu You:
Lu You was born when the Northern Song Dynasty was destroyed. He was deeply influenced by his family's patriotism when he was young. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, he participated in the examination of the Ministry of Rites, but his official career was not smooth because he was rejected by Qin Hui, the prime minister. After Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty came to the throne, he was granted a Jinshi background and successively held the posts of chief registrar of Ningde County in Fuzhou, official of the imperial edict, general magistrate of Longxing Prefecture, etc. Because of his persistence in resisting the Jin Dynasty, he was repeatedly rejected by the Zhuhe faction.
In the seventh year of Qiandao (1171), at the invitation of Sichuan Xuanfu envoy Wang Yan, he joined the army and served in the Nanzheng shogunate. The following year, the shogunate was disbanded, and Lu You was ordered to enter Shu, where he met Fan Chengda, the Sichuan envoy. After Emperor Guangzong of the Song Dynasty succeeded to the throne, he was promoted to be a doctor in the Ministry of Rites and a reviewer of the Academy of Records. Soon after, he was dismissed from office and returned to his hometown for "mocking and chanting the wind and moon".
In the second year of Jiatai (1202), Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty ordered Lu You to go to Beijing and take charge of the compilation of Xiaozong and Guangzong's "Records of the Two Dynasties" and "History of the Three Dynasties". The official went to Baozhang Pavilion to prepare it. After the book was completed, Lu You lived in seclusion in Shanyin for a long time. He passed away in the second year of Jiading (1210) and left his last work "Shi'er".