Written by Zhu Haiyan
Now the princes, studying Ouyang Xiu's life in Yingzhou, mostly focus on his poetry, and ignore his achievements in governing the state. Zhang Bida of the Qing Dynasty said in "Ouyang Wenzhong's Political Performance Examination": "The public guards Ying, and its politics cannot be enumerated. The school is built to build the West Lake to make the soil, and the people are to fill the Bailonggou water to irrigate the lake and fields. ”
In terms of governance, Ouyang Xiu has achieved "leniency, not urgency, simplicity, and not cumbersomeness." Looking at this statement, its politics can be examined and known. ”
It can be seen that Ouyang Xiu has many commendable places in political, economic, and cultural construction.
/ Ouyang Xiu (August 6, 1007 – September 8, 1072) was a politician, writer, and historian of the Northern Song Dynasty. (Image source: Internet/
To measure an official's achievements, we must not judge it from one time to another, but from the history of his tenure as an official. I think Ouyang Xiu's approach in governing the state is consistent with that in Chuzhou and Yangzhou. After he arrived in Chuzhou, he mentioned in a poem that "the husband declares kindness, to have fun with the people, and to assassinate history." He never forgot his identity and responsibility, when he learned about the geographical environment and customs of Chuzhou, "the remote things are simple, the customs are leisurely", "the people's livelihood does not see foreign affairs, but is content with the food and clothing of the acres", he adopted the policy of "recuperation and recuperation" to develop agricultural production. He wrote in "Clear Stream and Snow": "One foot of snow in front of Qingliu Pass, birds cannot fly and people will not be able to cross; one foot of snow, several feet of mud, deep mud, wheat seedlings begin to fertilize in spring." "It reflects that he cares deeply about agricultural production. When the continuous rain caused inconvenience to the people's production and life, he wrote "Prayer for Clearing" and asked the gods for protection. He is a materialist, and believes that asking for the blessing of the gods, although it may not have any effect, expresses his concern for the people, and is still very beneficial to stabilizing the people's hearts and producing with peace of mind. Fortunately, in that era, if it was a different time, his political enemies handed a letter to the Long Court, accusing him of "burning incense to worship Buddha and believing in ghosts and gods", maybe he would lose his job and go to the end!
Ouyang Xiu once called himself "the article too shou" in the lyrics. In feudal society, the way to select officials is the imperial examination, that is, to test your poetry and literary endowment. I think that if you dare to advertise yourself as a "Taishou of the article", at least you should have a considerable influence in the history of Chinese culture, and the glory of his life lies in the cultural presentation and cultural positioning, and it does not matter how many grades you have as an official or official residence. Ouyang repaired the ancient hobby, where the Zhou and Han dynasties descended the gold and stone relics, broke the compilation and fragments, picked up everything, studied the similarities and differences, and said it on the left. He was also the leader of the poetry reform movement in the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, and had high achievements in prose, poetry and literary criticism. He advocated that the writing of articles should be practical and plain and reciprocal, and opposed the superficial and obscure style since the end of the Tang Dynasty and the fifth dynasty. Su Dongpo recounted his text and said: "On the avenue is like Han Yu, on things like Lu Zhen, on things like Sima Qian, and poetry like Li Bai." ”
/Ouyang Xiu statue (picture source: Internet)/
Therefore, for an official like Ouyang Xiu, it makes sense for people to position him as a literati and study his influence on history from a cultural aspect. To be more precise, he is not only a "too conservative article", but also a "cultural too conservative", a straight-hearted rectum donkey who was frustrated in officialdom, kicked out of the capital by his colleagues, and began to plummet emotionally. When he first knew Chuzhou, he was not yet 40 years old, so he called himself a "drunkard". But in the days of rejoicing with the people, he found that he was very good at working at the grassroots level, first of all, he no longer worried about being sued, and he was free in action and in spirit. Far from the center of the political struggle, he forgot all about the intrigue of officialdom, threw himself into the arms of nature, and began the cultural construction and development that would benefit the future.
In Chuzhou, the first scenic spot he developed was Fengle Pavilion in the western suburbs of Fengshan Valley. He wrote "The Story of Fengle Pavilion", which is very detailed. Another attraction he developed was the Drunken Weng Pavilion on Yaoya Mountain. and wrote "The Story of the Drunkard Pavilion" to remember it. Ou Gong has developed many scenic spots in Chuzhou, which is to "enjoy with the people". However, "people know that they are too guarded to travel and have fun, but they don't know that people of insight are happy." ”
I know an expert in the study of Song history, he said that in the era of Song Zhenzong and Song Renzong, the two emperors published many pamphlets on statecraft, and at that time, they were all golden rules of ten thousand sentences, but as time went by, no one remembered what they said. The oracle of that year was far inferior to a pavilion built by Ouyang. History is inexorable, ruthlessly weeding out hypocritical political preaching, while also cherishing true cultural classics. Ouyang Xiu is an example of eternal immortality.
/Chuzhou Fengleting (picture source network)/
Ouyang Xiu came to Yangzhou in February of the eighth year of Qingli, and moved to Yingzhou in the first month of the second year, and the time was just one year. There is not much of his political achievements in Yangzhou in the historical materials, only a Pingshan Hall. But one Pingshan Hall is enough. The smoke and rain towers of Pingshan Hall and the two bright moons of the ancient city of Yangzhou have become immortal cultural symbols in the Chinese nation.
Yingzhou's rich historical and cultural accumulation once made it a place of yearning for literati and artists. Before Ouyang Xiu, Yan Shu, a great writer and great lyricist, had been an official here, building a cultural circle in Yingzhou. Yan Shu also built a Qingying Pavilion here, standing on the shore of Yingshui, to rest for himself. Later, Su Dongpo and his younger brother Su Zhe were separated from each other, and there was a sentence of "don't clear the tears and clear the Ying". The literati of Yingzhou often gather in the Qingying Pavilion, and many of them have emerged in the poetry arena. Therefore, it can be said that for Ouyang Xiu, Yingzhou is a vital stop in his life journey, and like Chuzhou, it will give him an equally crucial opportunity for literature.
When Ouyang Xiu arrived at Yingzhou Taishou as a master of the literary world, the local literati threw great enthusiasm to him, and the literary style of this side also flourished in this enthusiasm.
/Today's scenery on both sides of the Yinghe River in Fuyang (ancient Yingzhou) (picture source: network)/
Soon after arriving in Yingzhou, Ouyang Xiu built Juxing Hall to commemorate the former Yingzhou Taishou Liu Yun, Cai Qi, Yan Shu and others, plus the previous Qingying Pavilion, Huilao Hall, and Qinglian Pavilion, all of which became the places where Yingzhou literati gathered. Ou Gong went to inspect the countryside. After handling official business in Yingzhou, he came here to discuss and discuss with the wandering literati. There is no distinction between high and low positions, there is no boundary between officials and people, only the family affection of poets, literary friends, teachers and disciples.
From February 1049 to July 1050, Ouyang Xiu's tenure in Yingzhou was less than a year and a half, but for this great writer, life in Yingzhou was a romantic life full of aesthetic experience, and he wrote the West Lake "Three Bridges Poems" and "Three Quatrains of the Three Bridges of Heren" In his spare time, he walked in the small streets and alleys paved with bluestone, and he could see his works when he opened the door of a house, which made him feel very proud. Although he has a certain foundation in calligraphy, if he is in Bianjing Kaifeng, I am afraid it will be a free gift, because of political problems, some people are afraid to avoid it, you are a member of Fan Zhongyi's "friend party", I hang your calligraphy works, some people say that I am on the wrong team, what should I do? What should I do if someone beats my small report? Will it affect my official career? And in Yingzhou, there is no such thing, no one regards him as an official who has made mistakes and has been released. And the people do not regard the mistakes identified by the court as mistakes, and the rod and scale that the people weigh in their hearts is whether you are good to the people or not, and if you are good to the people, you are a good official, and if you are not good to the people, you are a bad official. In Yingzhou, the people regarded Ouyang Xiu as a bosom friend and a teacher worthy of respect. Here, he can enjoy the beauty of life to the fullest and embrace the poetry of life with his spirituality. This is a kind of great liberalization of life, a kind of harmony with nature and people, and a great freedom to be honest with each other.
/Fuyang "Yingzhou West Lake" beautiful scenery (picture source: network)/
Sometimes, he consciously or unconsciously feels that he has changed, as if he is like Tao Yuanming, who is secluded in the Jin Dynasty, very envious of the chrysanthemums under the east fence, the graceful charm of the West Lake, and the smoke and water of the weeping willows of the Yinghe River. He regards Yingzhou as a pastoral retreat, and he longs to return to Yingzhou in the year of returning to his hometown, where he can not only enjoy the five willows in front of the door, but also stroll the three paths in the back garden. In more than one year in Yingzhou, he left more than 50 poems, which can be called "Zhiying poems". Most of them are works of family affection and affection in the fields and water. Of course, there are also many works that care about the suffering of the people, such as "The Work of Bachelor Feng Answering Zihua to Pacify Jiangnan Jianji" is an example. Bachelor Zihua, that is, Han Jiang, and Ouyang Xiu are the same as the Ministry of Rites. In the last years of Qingli, Han Jiang sent Jiangnan to pacify the envoys with the head of the household department, and went to Anhui and other places to inspect the people's affairs. He wrote poems to Ouyang Xiu to describe the hardships of the people and asked for advice on how to govern. Ouyang Xiu replied with poetry. There are sentences in the poem: "The people have been sick for a long time, and it is difficult to say a word", "In the past, they were safe and rich, but now they are forced to be poor", "Shepherd sheep and go to wolves, not for unkind", "Home to household, hungry and cold", all of which are true words and truths that report worries but not good news, and the purpose is to let the court truly understand the real folk truth. As a local official at the level of secretary of the prefectural and municipal party committee, it is rare in ancient times to go against the officialdom practice of "reporting good news but not bad news." Fortunately, Han Jiang, the minister of the Imperial Mission, was open-minded, and did not label him as an agent to expand negative energy, and as a practical starting point for solving the problem, he reduced financial resources, rescued the people, and dealt with corrupt and lawless officials seriously.
Ouyang Xiu's poem "Seeing and Answering Shengyu Again" also expresses his concern and deep affection for the peasants, such as the poem "The son cries his wife and misses the lunch, and the rice is Ning chooses the straw and the plant", if it is not for going deep into the countryside, going deep into the peasants, and entering the peasants' families, it is impossible to get these heart-to-heart and blood-seeing. Sheng Yu, also known as Mei Yaochen, was Ouyang Xiu's best friend. Probably Mei Yaochen asked him how long it would be to be an official in Yingzhou, and he replied at the end of this poem: "Ask me what is the matter with residence, Fang Chun is suffering from drought and worrying about the people's plow." He always cares about the suffering of the people, which is what a mind and realm for the scholars and doctors in the feudal era. In his poems such as "Praying for Rain and Dawning on the Lake" and "Happy Rain", he revealed his great love for farmers.
/Fuyang "Yingzhou West Lake" beautiful scenery (picture source: network)/
Early one morning in July 1050, Ouyang Xiu changed his name from Yingzhou to Ying Tianfu and the secretary of Nanjing. Ying Tianfu is now Shangqiu, Henan. The officials and gentry of Yingzhou sent him to the wharf of the Yinghe River before bidding farewell to him. This should have been a sad parting, and there would be a lot of sad sentences of farewell like a bridge and a willow, but Ouyang Xiu talked and laughed all the way, and repeatedly said to the people who saw him off, I will be back soon, my mother is still in Yingzhou, and this is my home. When he left Yingzhou, he did not have a sense of displacement, but he was full of deep attachment to Yingzhou.
After arriving in Yingtian, he said in the "Book with Zhang Zhifang": "The road is unimpeded, the line has reached Chen, it rains all the time, and the boat is not hot." Since crossing the boundary ditch, the soil is thin, the mulberry is dry and depressed, and the real land of Yingzhen is known, which is beneficial. "Who knows, after leaving Yingzhou, the historical drama between him and Yingzhou has just entered the climax.
His brilliant poem "Siying" began to be inked and written. In his poems to Mei Yaochen, he wrote the sentence "When you buy a field and clear the Ying, you will be accompanied by your son to plow the hoe"; in "The Poem of Answering Du Xianggong's Favor to Sitang" and many later poems, he has revealed a strong "Siying" emotion. For example, "Whoever is a guest who sends a voice to Qingying, will never live up to the fishing rod in this life"; I have bought a field to clear the Ying, and I want to use it as a fishing rock";" Arita Qingying, Shang Ke Sangma";" What will I do when the king returns, plow with a hoe and plow Ruyin"; In the end, when the roll is carried with the pillow, the room is built to buy the field and clear the tail";" Buy books and return by boat, build a room on the waterfront"; You don't see the village on the east bank of Yingshui, and the mountain fowl and wild birds often swallow"; When will I buy Yingdongtian and return to the wild water";" Buy the land in the north of Huaishan, and hang the rod in the east of Yingshui";" Eventually, I should drive a diesel car to the west of Yingshui"; The deer car finally drove itself and returned to Yingdongtian";" It should not be too late, and return to the Yingwei field"; As soon as Sumei closed the nine springs, I began to hear that Dongying broadcast a new chapter";" If you are looking for me today next year, Yingshui asks the old farmer";" Yingren is no wonder that he returned late, and the new Xiangjun begged for his body";" Who said that Yingshui is like Xiaoxiang, and a smile meets Le Weiyang";" After three years of disbanding, I have already cultivated the head of Yingshuitou"; If there is no fat fish and crab in Yingshui, the old fairy country will be drunk in the end"; But you should think about Yingmeng, and pass through Muling Pass first";" Yingtian is not in the spring, and the Ande diesel car is still driving";" Junjun heaven and earth do not violate things, and return to the side of the song Yingshui"; Self-pity and reflection are no different from the sorrow of a traveler"; A total of a boat of floating wild water, Jiaopi is surrounded by flowers";" gargle the envy of the water, vibrate the clothes and sigh the dust" and so on.
/Fuyang "Yingzhou West Lake" scenery (picture source: Internet)/
Since Ouyang Xiu left Yingzhou in July 1050, and then knew Bozhou, Qingzhou, and Caizhou for 21 years, he wrote a large number of "Siying" works. At this time, Ouyang Xiu was sickly, and the sinister nature of his career made him disheartened. Most of the "Siying" poems he wrote are the good memories left by Yingzhou. The poem reflects a kind of sadness and understanding after the vicissitudes of life, "wealth and floating clouds, looking up to the twenty springs of the year", whether it is a prosperous feast or a peaceful career has become a thing of the past, in the loneliness of his later years he thinks about the aftertaste with a quiet and peaceful attitude.
During these 21 years, Ouyang Xiu returned to Yingzhou several times. First, on March 17, 1052, Ouyang Xiu died of his mother's illness, and he returned to Yingzhou from Yingtian to mourn. I originally planned to buy land and bury it in a place with thick soil and sweet water in 40 miles of Yingxi, and a little back to the high hills. But later decided to be buried in his hometown in Jiangxi. In July 1053, Ouyang Xiu was buried in Shaxi in Jizhou, Jiangxi Province from Yingzhou's mother Zheng. It's winter, and it's back to Yingzhou. By June 1054, he had left a large number of poems in Ying.
In July 1071, Ouyang Xiu changed his knowledge from Qingzhou to Caizhou. This is the last stop on Ouyang Xiushi's journey. At this time, he learned that the emperor had approved his retirement and returned to Yingzhou to live in old age. He was in a particularly happy mood, and immediately wrote the poem "Remembering Jiaopi":
Jiaopi lotus shines on the water,
I didn't get to ten miles to smell the flowers.
Jiaopi August new wine ripe,
The autumn fish is as fat as jade.
willow cicadas on both sides of the Qing River,
Until Jiao Pi did not get off the ship.
Laughing at the fisherman and sprinkling his family,
The beetle may not cost money.
Tomorrow the king will return with grace,
The white-headed sang about the peaceful year.
/ Ouyang Xiu, one of the eight masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, statue (picture source, network)/
Judging from the poem, he was in a particularly happy mood at this time, sweeping away the dull atmosphere in the previous "Siying" poems. Jiaopi is 40 miles southwest of Yingzhou City, and now belongs to Funan County. Anyway, Ouyang Xiu, who retired from Zhishi, has a sense of returning to his heart like an arrow, although he is too shou of Zhizhou, because he once served as the deputy prime minister, he enjoys the treatment of the second-class members of the DPRK and China, but all this does not matter to him, he is fortunate that from the dirty officialdom finally went to the mountain village Shui Guo and ordinary alleys, and went to a broader social space, so as to accept the call of the countryside and the singing and crying of the people. The clear Yingshui may have a greater baptism in his old age.
He walked towards Yingzhou, where he would wait for the arrival of a literary genius. (To be continued)
Introduction of Zhu Haiyan
Zhu Haiyan, a native of Lixin, Anhui Province, enlisted in the army in 1976 and served as a soldier, platoon commander, deputy instructor, and cultural officer of the division's Political Department in the Seventh Division of the Railway Corps.
In 1983, he was transferred to the "Railway Soldier" newspaper, and in February 1984, he was transferred to the "People's Railway" newspaper and served as a reporter, chief reporter and chief reporter. In 1998, he served as editor-in-chief, president and editor-in-chief of China Railway Construction News, and a senior reporter. In March 2010, he was transferred to the Engineering Management Center of the Ministry of Railways as the deputy director at the bureau level, specializing in the writing of railway construction reports.
The winners of the 6th Fan Changjiang Journalism Award are the "four batches" of talents in the national propaganda system, leading figures in China's press and publishing circles, and senior experts directly controlled and contacted by the central government. He has won the China Journalism Award eight times, won the first and second prizes of provincial and ministerial news awards more than 90 times, and won the "Five One Project" award of the Central Propaganda Department for his long-form reportage "There is War in the North". He has published 40 collections of various works, with a total word count of 20 million words. He enjoys the allowance of the State Council and is a member of the Chinese Writers Association.
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