Why do you say that if you understand Li Shutong, you also understand fate?
Li Shutong, a legendary figure, seems to have been sketched by the brushstrokes of fate. He shines with multiple lights: the dignity of the rich second generation, the agility of artistic genius, and the ruthlessness that is misunderstood. However, the real him is far more colorful than these labels.
His name, like a bright star, shines brightly in the sky of culture. Lu Xun, Zhang Ailing, Lin Yutang, these cultural giants all have a soft spot for him, comparing his talent to an alien object. Mr. Lin Yutang praised him as a unique genius, as if his life itself was an immortal legend.
Mr. Lu Xun was ecstatic to get a calligraphy work by Li Shutong, claiming to be the luckiest man in the world. This is not only because of the artistic value of that work, but also because of the profound cultural heritage and unique personality charm represented by the name Li Shutong.
Li Shutong's life seems to be a symphony of ups and downs. The first half of his life was as enthusiastic and unrestrained as cooking oil on fire, full of love and pursuit of art and life. His talents are immense, whether in music, painting, or literature, all of which show otherworldly attainments.
However, the second half of his life was as cold and lonely as autumn water. Perhaps because he had experienced too much prosperity and vicissitudes, he began to seek inner peace and detachment. He let go of the worldly shackles, devoted himself to religious causes, and spent the rest of his life in pursuit of the Pure Land of the Soul.
In 1880, in the midst of the prosperity of Tianjin, Li Shutong was born in a family of great wealth. His father, Li Shizhen, went to the imperial examination with Li Hongzhang, and was on the list of Jinshi together, and the official was the head of the ministry, and the scenery was infinite. However, for the sake of the family's inheritance and prosperity, he chose to resign and return home and become the richest man in Tianjin. Therefore, Li Shutong has been bathed in the glory and wealth of the family since he was a child, as if he was holding a golden spoon in his hand, enjoying the innate aura of the rich second generation.
Although Uncle Li was the son-in-law of Li Shizhen when he was sixty-six years old, the wealth and status of the Li family did not affect him, the son of a concubine. Since childhood, he has been immersed in the influence of books, and at the age of eight he was able to recite the Four Books and Five Classics fluently, and at the age of thirteen, his calligraphy was already famous in Tianjin. His precociousness and intelligence made him sigh at the age of fifteen: "There is death in life, and the wealth of mountains and rivers is like frost on grass." ”
And Li Shutong's handsome and chic is even more admirable. His suave and suave nature has made countless girls fall in love with him and worship him as the male god in their hearts. When they met for the first time, Princess Yuzhen, who was ten years older than him, had respect for him, and her admiration was beyond words. And Li Shutong, with his handsome son's demeanor, shows mercy everywhere and becomes the dream lover in the hearts of many women.
At home, he is accompanied by a virtuous and virtuous wife, and outside, his relationship with the actor Yang Cuixi and the famous prostitute Bian Pingxiang is also very hot. When he went to Japan to study, he fell in love with a Japanese model, and later brought the Japanese model back to China to marry her.
Uncle Li is a peerless talent, with an outstanding IQ and a prominent family background. At the age of eighteen, he chose a beautiful grand piano without hesitation with the 300,000 yuan of dowry money prepared by his family, and embarked on the road of self-study music. His talent and hard work have made him unique in the field of music, even surpassing those professional musicians.
Li Shutong is also a pioneer of music education in China, and he pioneered the introduction of Western music theory, allowing Chinese people to appreciate the new charm of music. He also brought the piano, the king of Western music, to China, so that this elegant instrument could take root in this land. In addition, he was the first pioneer to compose music using staves, which opened up new possibilities for Chinese music composition.
Not only that, Li Shutong also personally founded China's first music journal "Music Magazine", which injected new vitality into China's music industry. And the popular "Farewell" that he wrote the lyrics has become a classic. Behind this poem, there is also a touching story.
When Li Shutong was thirty-four years old, on a cold winter night, his best friend Xu Huanyuan suddenly knocked on his door. Xu Huanyuan anxiously told Li Shutong that his family was in the middle of the road and could not support it, and he was about to leave this land, hoping to meet again in the future. Uncle Li had mixed feelings in his heart, and he hurriedly ran to the gate of the courtyard, only to see two lines of deep and shallow footprints left on the snow, and Xu Huanyuan's figure had disappeared into the vast snowy night. At that moment, Li Shutong seemed to feel the impermanence and disillusionment of life, and he understood that life is one farewell after another.
He returned to the room, his heart surging, the tip of his pen jumping, and he wrote the words of the popular "Farewell":
Outside the long pavilion, on the side of the ancient road, the grass is green, the evening breeze blows the willow flute, and the sunset is outside the mountain,
The end of the sky, the corner of the earth, the acquaintance is half scattered, a pot of turbid wine is full of joy, don't dream cold tonight,
Outside the long pavilion, on the side of the ancient road, the grass is green, ask when you will come, and don't wander when you come,
The end of the sky, the corner of the earth, the acquaintance is half scattered, life is rare to gather, only parting more,
Every word and sentence seems to be the outpouring of his soul and his unique perception of life.
Li Shutong not only loves poetry, but also has a soft spot for dialogue and plots. He indulged in the magic of the stage, played and played, and became the founder of Chinese drama. He bravely founded China's first drama club, Chunliu Society, leading the trend of drama art. What's even more amazing is that he also dressed as a woman in person, and reversed the Hua Dan, the female character is exquisite, which can be called a classic in the history of Chinese drama.
However, Li Shutong's artistic achievements are not limited to drama. His calligraphy and painting attainments are even more extreme. He is the originator of Chinese oil painting, ushering in a new era of Chinese oil painting, and he is also the first person to comic in China, revealing the various conditions of society with humor and irony. Feng Zitong's painting teacher, his artistic vision is unique and he dares to innovate. Even more admirable, he was also the first to use nude models in classroom painting teaching, an open-minded and pioneering spirit that undoubtedly required great pressure and challenges more than a hundred years ago.
Li Shutong's calligraphy can be called unique in the world, his handwriting contains the modesty and heaviness of Confucianism, the natural freedom of Taoism and the quiet and profound of historians, simple but not simple, both simple and simple, but also without losing the charm of the bones. Mr. Lu Xun once obtained a copy of Li Shutong's calligraphy from a friend, and he was ecstatic and exclaimed: "It is truly a wonderful work, natural and incomparable." ”
Li Shutong's life is like a legend, he is naturally beautiful and talented, he has all the glory and wealth in the eyes of the world, and has extraordinary artistic talent, and it seems that all good things come together in him. However, in the envious eyes of everyone, he made an unexpected choice. At the age of thirty-nine, he resolutely gave all his wealth to his friends and went to the Hupao Temple in Hangzhou alone, embarking on the path of escaping into the empty door.
This move shocked the world, and also shocked his Japanese wife. She hurried from Shanghai to Hangzhou, hoping to persuade her husband to change his mind. However, Li Shutong's mind was decided, and he didn't even let his wife and children enter the temple door. Outside the temple, his wife asked him with teary eyes, "Please tell me, what is love?"
After a long time, a faint but firm answer came from the temple: "Love is compassion." This sentence made his wife burst into tears, and she continued to ask, "Why does compassion hurt me alone?"
Li Shutong's choice may be difficult for the world to understand, but his interpretation of love is thought-provoking. He used his actions to interpret the true meaning of love - compassion. His love is not limited to personal feelings, but also compassion and care for all things in the world. He spent his life practicing this philosophy and became a true wise man.
The world is incredulous about Uncle Li's decision to choose to escape into the empty door when he is not confused. But let's put aside the worldly perspective for the time being, because in this chaotic world, it is difficult to have the best of both worlds, both the prosperity of the red dust and the pure land of the soul. So, Li Shutong, the peerless and peerless handsome son, quietly walked into the river of time and incarnated as Master Hongyi in a robe and mango shoes.
Feng Zikai once depicted his mentor Li Shutong in a vivid picture. He said that life is like a three-story building.
The first layer is material prosperity, which is related to our food, clothing, housing and transportation, which is where most people's lives are.
The second floor, which is the spiritual home, is full of literature and art, and only a few literati and artists can reach it.
And the third layer at the top, which is a pure soul world, is a profound inquiry into the meaning of life, where Li Shutong and Master Hongyi found their home.
If we think about it, isn't our life a journey of continuous climbing and self-transcendence? How far our steps can go and how broad our state of mind can be determines which level of realm we can eventually reach. There is no absolute right or wrong in life, only different choices at different stages, and each choice is a unique interpretation of life.
In 1942, Li Shutong, a 62-year-old cultural giant, quietly came to the end of his life. His life is like a magnificent epic, full of love and awe for life. On his deathbed, he specially instructed his disciples to put a basin of water next to each of the four corners of the shelf where his ashes were cremated. This is not a casual act, but his last compassion for life, a respect and care for small lives. Just because he is unwilling to let the passing insects be burned or even lose their lives in the flames, this kind of awe and compassion for life undoubtedly shows his deep inner world.
Li Shutong's death has immersed the whole world in grief. However, at the last moment of his life, what he left to the world was a painting of ink treasure, just four words: "Sadness and joy". These four words are like a bright pearl, shining with the wisdom and philosophy of life. They exquisitely interpret the ups and downs, joys and sorrows of life, so that people can feel the truth and beauty of life in the midst of grief. When later generations saw these four words, they wept one after another.
"Sadness" is the emotion of the impermanence of life and the mourning for the shortness of life.
"Xin" is a praise for the beauty of life and a search for the meaning of life.
Sadness and joy, like the two poles of yin and yang, are intertwined with each other, constituting the richness and colorfulness of life. Uncle Li used these four words to paint a vivid picture of life for us, allowing us to constantly pursue the meaning and value of life in the taste of life.