(Text/Lu Rui) "The autumn wind is only bitter, and the world is less aware." Three more rains outside the window, in front of the lights. This five-word poem that expressed homesickness is still widely circulated in South Korea today, and even included in textbooks. However, this popular Tang poem was not written by a Tang dynasty poet, but by Cui Jhiyuan, a famous scholar of the era of unified Silla on the Korean Peninsula.
Portrait of Cui Zhiyuan
The Silla people served as officials in the Tang Dynasty
At that time, the Unified Silla Era had not yet invented the Korean alphabet, the written records still used Chinese characters, and special attention was paid to Chinese literature, while maintaining close political, economic and humanistic ties with the Tang Dynasty in its prosperous period, and constantly sending envoys and other envoys to the Tang Dynasty to study culture, systems and various new things. At that time, among the large number of international students studying in the Tang Dynasty, the number of Silla people who "forgot their fatigue and took advantage of the danger" was the largest, and Cui Zhiyuan, who crossed the sea to Tang at the age of 12, was the best of them. He studied and lived in Datang for 16 years, and not only became a famous literary giant in the history of the Korean Peninsula, but also one of the most outstanding cultural envoys in the history of friendly exchanges between China and South Korea.
Although there are not many historical records of Cui Zhiyuan's family lineage, it is certain that he was born into a famous noble family, had a close relationship with the royal family, and received a good education since childhood. In 868, Cui Zhiyuan followed the merchant ship to Tang to study, and before leaving, his father sternly warned him: "If you do not enter the army for ten years, you should not call me a son, nor should I be called a child." "At that time, the self-confident, open, and extraordinary Datang not only allowed foreigners to take the imperial examination, but also awarded official positions to the outstanding talents among them. This also greatly encouraged more foreigners to go to Tang To study, and even stayed behind to become officials.
The days of studying alone are hard but also fun and rewarding. When Cui Zhiyuan was studying in Guozijian, he immersed himself in reading poetry and asking questions, and was deeply affected by sinology. Kung Fu pays off, after 6 years of study in Chang'an, 18-year-old Cui Zhiyuan won the title of "Bingong Jinshi" in one fell swoop. According to historical data, there were at least 23 Silla people who had names to examine at that time.
Cui Zhiyuan was appointed as a lieutenant of Lishui County as he wished, and during his tenure as an official in Lishui, he learned about the sufferings and social realities of the Chinese people, and created works with different themes, and he continued to be diligent and studious in his studies, and never slackened off. Later, in order to participate in the Erudite Hongzi Department set up by the Tang Dynasty officials, he resigned from the post of county lieutenant and immersed himself in the study of learning, and was later hired as the inspector of jieduguan by making Gao Biao self-recommend to Huainan Jiedu. During this period, he still worked tirelessly, "four years of hard work, there are more than one poems", and created more than 10,000 poems. During this period, Cui Zhiyuan's literary talents were appreciated by Gao Biao and Tang Emperor, and he was awarded the position of enshrinement and the purple gold fish bag of the Imperial Attendant Lang.
However, the good times did not last long, and as Gao Biao gradually lost his position, Cui Zhiyuan was gradually left out in the cold, and it was difficult to continue to live under Gao Biao's hands. In 884, Silla entered Huainan and sent Kim In-gyu and his cousin Choi Ki-won to Huainan to take Choi Ji-won back to China. Although Cui Zhiyuan was very reluctant, but forced by helplessness, he could only decide to return to his hometown, and at the age of 28, he was ordered by Emperor Tang to return to China with the state letter as an envoy of the Tang Dynasty, and continued to serve his motherland with what he learned in the Tang Dynasty.
China and South Korea are geographically close to each other and have cultural and cultural communications
During this time under the high curtain, Cui Zhiyuan became acquainted with a group of literati and inkers from all walks of life in the Tang Dynasty, who met with poetry and had close contacts and formed a deep friendship. Exchanging poetry with each other not only immersed Cui Zhiyuan in the poetic style of the Tang Dynasty, but he also introduced Silla literature to the Tang Dynasty. At the time of parting, Cui Zhiyuan reluctantly wrote: "Good to plan the heart to meet later, Guangling Fengyue waiting for the cup." "Parting ways jumped on the paper.
After returning to his hometown as a "national messenger", Cui Zhiyuan immediately sorted out and screened his works from his life in the Tang Dynasty into the Guiyuan Pen Cultivation Collection. This 20-volume Chinese work that has been circulated in the world not only brings together a large number of poetry articles, but also records the major events and characters of the late Tang Dynasty, which has a high literary and historical value, and also plays a non-negligible role in the dissemination of Chinese culture.
During the Tang Dynasty, the most brilliant period in China's ancient history, Chinese civilization continued to radiate outward, accelerating the exchange and integration of Chinese culture with other cultures of other countries. The civilizations of various countries have learned from each other, learned from each other's strong points, complemented each other's weaknesses, and reflected each other, achieving the splendid and prosperous culture of the Tang Dynasty, and also made outstanding contributions to the exchange and development of world civilizations, writing a magnificent picture of beauty and commonality.
Today, a thousand years later, China and the ROK, as close neighbors across the sea, are geographically close, close to each other, and have cultural ties, especially in the field of culture and art, they still retain many similarities and commonalities, which provides an inexhaustible source of motivation for the two countries to continue and expand people-to-people exchanges, prompts the peoples of the two countries to continuously enhance understanding, narrow the distance between each other, and also promotes the inheritance and promotion of Asia's unique and splendid cultural achievements in the world.
Lee Yong-cheol, president of the Korea Oriental Culture University and vice president of the Korean Book Art Academic Research Association, expressed his expectations for the future cultural exchange prospects of Korea and China in a poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Zhizhuo: "I want to go to a higher level." "First of all, artists should not be satisfied with the status quo, but should be far-sighted, ambitious, and persistently strive to push the exchanges between the two countries in the field of humanities to a higher level." This kind of exchange between artists can spread to the exchanges of ordinary people, help the people of the two countries to open their hearts, and promote people-to-people exchanges and people-to-people ties. ”
In the literary circles of the Korean Peninsula, Cui Jiyuan's "Guiyuan Pen Cultivation Collection" still occupies a pivotal position to this day, and is regarded as the pioneering work of the Han Anthology on the Korean Peninsula. Even the early Joseon Dynasty scholar Sung-yong sighed: "China's article originated from Choi Ji-won. This shows the far-reaching influence of Choi Ji-won on Korean Chinese literature. The "Guiyuan Pen Cultivation Collection" has not only become one of the oldest surviving Chinese classics on the Korean Peninsula, but also a witness and symbol of the long-standing exchange of civilizations between China and South Korea. (The author is a Seoul correspondent of Reference News)