Ancient Education Ecology in Jiangsu

Author: Zhang Qianru
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Generally speaking, reading seems to be the "exclusive privilege" of the literati, unrelated to the poor and humble. However, in Jiangsu, people of humble origins who were passionate about reading are numerous throughout history.
During the Han Dynasty, Zhu Muyin, styled Wanzi, was a native of Wu. Despite his poverty, he loved reading and did not engage in business. He supported himself by selling firewood, carrying bundles of on his shoulders while walking and reciting books. His wife also carried behind him and repeatedly urged him to stop singing on the road. However, Zhu Muyin only sang more insistently. Feeling ashamed, his wife demanded a divorce. Zhu Muyin smiled and said, "I will be rich and noble at fifty. I am already forty, and you have suffered for too long. Wait until I am wealthy, and I will reward you for your efforts." His wife angrily replied, "You will surely starve to death in a ditch! How can you become wealthy?" Unable to convince her, Zhu Muyin had no choice but to let her go. Once, while walking alone and singing, Zhu Muyin, carrying, passed by a graveyard. His ex-wife, who had remarried, was visiting her husband's grave with her new family. Seeing Zhu Muyin hungry and cold, she invited him to have a meal. Later, Zhu Muyin was recommended by Yan Zhu to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to recite the Chu Ci. The emperor was delighted and appointed him as a mid-level minister. Soon after, he was appointed as the governor of Huai'an.
During the Tang Dynasty, Ma Huaisu was also famous for reading while cutting. Ma Huaisu, styled Weibai, was from Danpu and lived in Jiangdu. He studied under Li Shan and was extremely poor, cutting during the day and reading by candlelight at night. He became knowledgeable in classics and history. In the early years of the Kaiyuan era, he served as the Vice Minister of Revenue and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Changshan. He was also a scholar at the Zhaowen Academy.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Liu Fang, styled Boywen, from Pengcheng (now Xuzhou), remained devoted to classics despite his poverty. He earned a living by selling books during the day and read all night without sleep, never caring about his humble life.
During the Song Dynasty, Fan Zhongyan, styled Xiwen, lost his father at the age of two. His mother remarried to a man from Changshan Zhu, and Fan Zhongyan adopted his stepfather's surname, initially named Shuo. After learning about his origins, he cried bitterly, left his mother, and went to Yingfu to study under Qi Tongwen. During his studies, he worked tirelessly day and night, enduring exhaustion in freezing winters by splashing cold water on his face to stay awake. He often went hungry, only able to drink thin porridge. In winter, he would divide the porridge into three portions once it cooled and eat one piece each meal. Others found it unbearable, but Fan Zhongyan felt no hardship. Later, he passed the imperial examination and became a renowned literary figure and statesman in Chinese history.
Hu Songnian, styled Maolao, from Haizhou, was orphaned and poor in his youth. His mother earned a meager living by spinning and weaving to support his education. Hu Songnian was very intelligent and studied diligently, never forgetting what he had read. Later, he achieved success and held positions such as Vice Secretary of the Chancellery, Governor of Pingjiang, Minister of Personnel, and Vice Secretary of the Bureau of Military Affairs.
During the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Luo, styled Zilan, from Shangyuan (now part of Nanjing), had no surplus grain at home but owned a large collection of books. Even after going without food for several days, he never exchanged a single book for rice. On the night of the New Year's Eve, there was no sound in his home except for Zhang Luo's loud reading, growing louder and louder. A neighbor came to check on him and asked how he was spending the New Year. Zhang Luo replied, "Let me finish this passage first." The neighbor then asked if he had eaten and Zhang Luo answered, "I had dinner yesterday afternoon." The neighbor was deeply moved and returned home with a few taels of silver, saying, "This is the payment for writing someone's epitaph. Let's use it to celebrate the New Year together." Zhang Luo smiled and said, "I am not Liu Yi, so how can I seize others' flattery for epitaphs?" He refused to accept it. One day, during a heavy snowstorm, Zhang Luo was reciting loudly when a sudden gust of wind...