When I was teaching "Ancient Chinese Literature" at the university, I once interpreted a poem by Su Shi in memory of his deceased wife: "Ten years of life and death are so vast that I cannot forget them without thinking about them. I am alone in a tomb thousands of miles away, and there is no place to express my desolation." Even if we meet, we may not know each other, but our faces are covered with dust and our temples are as frosty as frost..." In order to expand the life experience of the characters, we also tell a bit about the love history of Su Da Shi. Including the story that he raised the geisha Wang Chaoyun at home when he was 12 years old and later made him his concubine. There is also his joking poem that mocked his old friend Zhang Xian: Eighteen-year-old bride with eighty-year-old husband, pale hair and red makeup, mandarin ducks and quilts in pairs for the night, a pear tree weighing begonias.
What I want to say is that the emotional life of ancient literati was rich and dual-sided, and they were better at turning erotic things into erotic writing. Even those with high reputations such as Su Dongpo are no exception.
Unexpectedly, a classmate said on the spot: Ancient literati were all cultural hooligans.
The question is a bit embarrassing. I never thought that I would be speechless for a moment.
After I went home and thought about it carefully, I felt that the key to the problem was whether we should use modern concepts to define the ancients.
In fact, most of the current concepts of "gangster" have nothing to do with ancient literati. The only thing that can rely on it may be the relationship between men and women. Molesting women, bullying women, raping women, abandoning women after starting a relationship, etc. are now classified as "hooligan habits" or criminal behaviors. However, most of the romantic affairs of ancient literati cannot be compared with this, and simple analogies or characterizations are careless. .
Three wives and four concubines, fireworks and willow alleys, hugging left and right, attracting bees and butterflies, are very common among ancient literati. For example, Bai Juyi, the great poet of the Tang Dynasty, raised many singing girls at home in his later years. They spent their whole days nestling in the red and green, singing and dancing. Fan Su and Yang Liu in "Cherry Fan Su's mouth, Yang Liu's small waist" are the names of two singing girls. To be honest, at that time, the identities of geishas and concubines were often confused. Another example is Du Mu, a poet in the late Tang Dynasty, and Liu Yong, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty. They were both masters of prostitution and spent their days hanging out in the Qin Tower and Chu Pavilion, making friends with prostitutes. He also wrote many "lustful" love poems and lyrics, which were passed down and recited for a while. It would be unfair to conclude that these famous literati were educated hooligans, because at that time it was not illegal to take concubines and prostitutes, and it was not a shameful thing. The brothel was open to the public and no one was in charge. If he was caught, even a security detention was not enough, and Yu Wenren's face and dignity were not damaged. Negative comments can be considered "dissolute" at best.
Times are different, and many issues should be defined in terms of ancient and modern times. The concepts of "culture" and "gangster" only came together in modern times. Qin bricks and Han tiles cannot be put together.
Many talented and famous literati in ancient times were all lustful people with talent on their left hand and coquettishness on their right hand. However, in general, erotic and sensual affairs did not reduce their talents, nor did they obliterate their concern for the country and the people. , cynical spirit and ideals. As for whether the character is dignified and whether the style is decent, we should also examine it in the context of the times. As long as the behavior does not violate the etiquette, law, public order and good customs of the time, there is no blame. Even today, it cannot be said that they are "cultural hooligans".