Selected Lyrics of Su Shi (A Series of Readings on Chinese Classical Literature)

Author: Chen Erdong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Su Shi, styled Zi Zhan, also known as He Zhong, was known as Dongpo Jushi. Born in the twelfth month of Jingyou three (according to the Gregorian calendar, this was early 1037) in Meizhou (now Meishan County, Sichuan Province), he died in the seventh month of Jianzhong Jingguo one (1101 AD) in Changzhou (now Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province), at the age of sixty-six. He lived during a relatively "peaceful" period in the Song Dynasty. Fifty-eight years before his death, the Northern Song Dynasty unified China, ending long-term warfare and division. Twenty-six years after his death, Bianjing was breached by the Jin forces, and the Northern Song Dynasty collapsed. During his lifetime, there were peasant uprisings led by Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun in Sichuan under the reign of Emperor Zhenzong; and during the reign of Emperor Huizong, there were peasant uprisings in Zhejiang led by Fang La and in Shandong led by Song Jiang. The former occurred twenty-five years before his death, and the latter twenty years after his death, neither of which he directly encountered. The Northern Song Dynasty was once called the "Prosperous Song," in contrast to the "Glory of Tang." In reality, it was not prosperous in politics but in literature. First, we see its prosperity in industry. Perhaps readers have visited large or small museums and have seen the "Song porcelain" displayed there: small plates from the Ru kiln with celadon glaze and auspicious flower patterns, large wine jars from the Cizhou kiln with bold black-and-white designs, flower vases from the Ge kiln resembling jade, wine cups from the Jian kiln like ivory, bowls from the Ding kiln as translucent as milk, and plates from the Guang kiln with the clarity of still, green water that makes one hesitate to stir it with a finger. Today, any museum in the world that lacks Chinese porcelain—especially Song porcelain—cannot truly be called a museum. It is cherished as much as "Song edition" books by later generations. Yet at the time, it had already made immense contributions to world culture. The achievements of the porcelain and printing industries in the Northern Song Dynasty were so brilliant! Other industries such as mining, silk weaving, papermaking, and shipbuilding also developed. This was driven by agricultural growth. When the Northern Song Dynasty unified China and ended the division of the Five Dynasties, it also absorbed the experiences of the Later Zhou, Southern Tang, and Wu-Yue states, encouraging reclamation, expanding arable land, inventing and promoting the use of new agricultural tools like the "tread plow" to replace oxen, improving tea cultivation, and continuously introducing new varieties. This not only stimulated industry but also brought prosperity to transportation, trade, and urban development. Literature, breathing in sync with the times, underwent tremendous changes: the literary reform movement centered around Ouyang Xiu could not have emerged otherwise. Su Shi was a key figure in this movement. However, despite the "peace," and despite the era being called the "Prosperous Song" in history, class contradictions were quietly growing, and ethnic tensions were openly exposed: Liao and Western Xia both "marched south to graze their horses," with their always aimed at Bianjing. During Emperor Zhenzong's (Zhao Heng) first year of Jingding (1004 AD), the Liao cavalry advanced as far as the northern bank of the Yellow River. The battle of Chanzhou (now Puyang, Henan) halted them, but the peace treaty required the annual payment of 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 of silk to Liao. During Emperor Renzong's (Zhao Zhen) fourth year of Qingli (1044 AD), the treaty with Western Xia demanded the annual payment of 72,000 taels of silver, 153,000 of silk, and 30,000 catties of tea to Western Xia. Naturally, these burdens also weighed on the people, further deepening class contradictions. Wang Anshi's reforms aimed merely to alleviate these class contradictions, strengthen national power, and counter external threats. Yet, internal conflicts among the ruling class were numerous, preventing cooperation; although the new reforms were implemented for nearly a decade, there were no new cadres or popular support, and the old party's influence, though temporarily suppressed, eventually resurfaced; the progressive reforms ultimately deteriorated after Wang Anshi's dismissal as prime minister, and upon Emperor Shenzong's (Zhao Xu) death and Emperor Zhezong's (Zhao Hui) succession, the reforms were buried along with the "late emperor." Su Shi was a follower of the opposition. A literary reform movement achieved great success, while a political reform movement irrevocably failed. The Northern Song Dynasty left behind one epic and one tragedy to illustrate its uneven development.
Looking at historical figures, can we understand them this way: a group of people like Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, and Su Shi shared the same demands for literary reform, formed an alliance, and created a powerful current that won victory. But when one of them—such as Wang Anshi—tried to completely overhaul the superstructure, others refused and opposed. Can we also understand it this way: among those who refused and opposed, someone like Su Shi once swung his fists against the new reforms but received a hundredfold backlash, which came less from Wang Anshi and more from those who used the reforms to seize high-ranking positions and wealth, leading to his repeated and long-term wanderings, even to the point of being targeted for death. This ironically gave him the opportunity to get close to the people, understand their lives, and do some good for them. When those who had seized high positions replaced Wang Anshi, Su Shi even felt "regretting ten years too late" in following the public interest. Though listed in the "Yuanyou Party Register," he also faced suppression from the old party and was caught in the struggle between the new and old factions, originally "full of misfortune for the times." This "misfortune for the times" is reflected in his works, which include words from the people, their emotions, and their language. Thus, he brought literary reform beyond the confines of orthodox poetry and prose to the "ci," a genre beloved by the people, though perhaps not consciously, yet still achieving success and making contributions. Therefore, Su Shi's transformation of the ci in literary history, and Wang Anshi's reforms in political history, each had a profound and different impact on their time and later generations.