Understood. Here's the translation of the given text: "Understood - A Decade of Dedication by an Expert in Ming History"

Author: Wang Chunyu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-09-01
Features: The famous Aq from Lu Xun's pen, as a typical figure of the Ming Dynasty, is quite prosperous whether people like him or not; his family tree boasts distinguished ancestors who have continued to thrive through the generations. If someone looks down on him because of his one-sided love for Wu Ma, or even mistakenly believes he is as cursed as the little nun claimed "cutting off lineage," they clearly don’t understand Grandpa Aq! Among his ancestors, the most renowned is undoubtedly Liu Yong, a brilliant Northern Song Dynasty poet whose works like Ode to the Sea and Rain on the Willow are celebrated as timeless masterpieces (987–1053). His original name was Sanbian, and he styled himself Qingqing. In his youth, Liu Yong went to Bianjing to take the imperial examination. Due to his talent for composing lyrics and songs for courtesans, his fame spread far and wide. He even wrote a line: "A scholar and poet, naturally a white-gowned minister." Someone once recommended him to Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty. However, Renzong had clearly already heard some negative reports about him and sneered,ing ten words as his highest directive: "This man should go fill in lyrics under the moon and in the wind." This was a devastating blow to Liu Yong. Yet, he didn’t crumble under it. Instead, he boldly styled himself "Liu Sanbian, Officially Commissioned Lyric Poet," turning failure into victory—a truly remarkable feat. In the early Ming Dynasty, there was a Confucian scholar named Sun Tong. One day, he wrapped a book in a yellow silk cloth and stormed into the government office. Zhou Chen, the governor who was in the midst of working, was taken aback. He asked Sun Tong what he was doing. After introducing himself, Sun Tong said: "I have copied the Thousand-Character Classic in regular script and respectfully request Your Excellency to present it to the court for imperial recognition, 'pleading for your guidance and promotion.'" Zhou Chen was a good official and ordered the post office to deliver it. However, when it reached the palace, Emperor Xuanzong reviewed it and issued an edict: "Sun Tong’s calligraphy is vulgar; he must practice small regular script again." The weight of this edict on Sun Tong was unimaginable. Yet, Sun Tong didn’t give up. He continued to take orders to write for others and even turned the edict into a capital, always signing his works with "Imperial Command to Practice Small Regular Script—Sun Tong." (From Deng Gong Tan Zuan by Du Mu, Volume 2) This is almost identical to Liu Yong’s story, as the saying goes, "If they’re not from the same family, they won’t enter the same door." Another Jiangnan scholar, Wu Ying, liked writing large characters. "He often visited Xu Gongwu’s residence, but when Xu Gongwu offended the authorities and was arrested for being part of a faction, the officials couldn’t find any grounds to charge him, so he was exiled as a rebel to Guangxi." He was truly unlucky. But later, he was pardoned and returned, which was a stroke of luck in misfortune. Surprisingly, Wu Ying even regarded his exile to Guangxi as a great honor, signing his large-character works with: "Imperially Assigned to Guangxi—Wu Ying." How similar this is to Liu Yong and Sun Tong! The "Change of the Earthly Mandate" (Tumu Crisis), where Emperor Yingzong was captured by the Oirat, was a major political event in the Ming Dynasty’s history. For the Ming court, it was a catastrophic failure, losing all face. But from the perspective of Aq’s ancestors, it was still a victory because it was said that the leader of the Oirat, Yesen, was the nephew of a Han Chinese. The person who came up with this theory was not someone else but Liu Xiang, a Changzhou native who served in the Imperial Secretariat’s Office for Decrees for over 40 years from the Chenghua to the Jiajing reigns. He was known alongside his colleague Liu Chong as the "Two Liu’s," both deeply versed in historical facts (History of Ming Volume 168). He solemnly claimed that after Emperor Yingzong was captured, "Yesen’s mother told her son: ‘I am from Suzhou. I followed my father to the frontier and was captured by your father, with whom I had you. I remember living in China and serving as a subject to the emperor. A subject has no right to kill the sovereign. I knelt and cried, begging him. Yesen agreed, and Emperor Yingzong was returned.’" (Jin Feng Ji Lue by Huangfu Lu) You see, "A flick of the eye, and a hen turns into a duck"—in an instant, Yesen became the nephew of the Chinese, and the supreme ruler Emperor Yingzong, naturally, became his maternal uncle! This reminds one of Lu Xun’s critique in the 1930s of the popular folk tale claiming that Emperor Qianlong was the son of Chen Yuanlong, the Grand Secretary of Haining. (Note: Feng Lüytang even self-funded the publication of a book titled: "This Manchurian ‘enlightened ruler’ overthrew the revolution without firing a single arrow, relying solely on his reproductive organs—a truly convenient trick." (Floral Border Literature·On the Windy Moon). Clearly, the delusions about Yesen’s mother and Emperor Qianlong’s father were all monstrous offspring of spiritual nihilism. Chen Hao, a Nanjing native during the Zhengde era, served as a governor and wrote the Jinling People’s Chronicle in six volumes. He was a capable official and scholar (History of Ming Volumes 187 and 97). However, he was quite fond of drinking. His father worried that his son’s love for alcohol would hinder his official duties and wrote him a letter urging him to quit. Respecting his father’s command, Chen Hao used his salary to commission a craftsman to make a large wine bowl that could hold over two pounds of wine. Inside the bowl, he inscribed eight large characters: "Father’s Command to Quit Drinking—Drink Only Three Cups." The story became a laughingstock among scholars (Strange Stories from Past and Present by Feng Menglong, Volume 2). Through these anecdotes, we can clearly see that although Chen Hao continued to drink freely, by inscribing his father’s command in the wine bowl, he had already achieved a spiritual victory over his addiction, allowing him to drink in peace. Ancients were like this, and moderns are no exception. But "times change, and so do circumstances," Aq’s spiritual victory method must "follow the feeling" and bear the imprint of the era. In the ultra-"leftist" years, many righteous scholars and innocent civilians suffered persecution, living as if each day was a year. How did they endure? Many drew strength from Aq’s spirit to sustain themselves. During the "Cultural Revolution," I was sent to a "cow shed" and endured great humiliation. Yet, one fellow inmate still had the leisure to compose poetry, with two lines reading: "Don’t say the cow shed is small, how often in life can one enjoy such leisure?" No wonder Gong Liu once angrily wrote in an article: "If the Chinese lack a bit of Aq’s spirit, can they even survive?" Even the late wheat expert Jin Xibao, when interviewed by CCTV on his centennial, frankly admitted: "I admire Aq!" Clearly, in those nightmare years, behind the shelter of Aq’s spirit was a tearful smile, a painful swallowing of broken teeth and blood. Thinking back on it today, it makes one wonder if those were truly the mortal world or the underworld. How delightful! History has finally reached this point. Since the world is so bizarre, like a kaleidoscope, Aq’s inheritors must be smarter and more carefree than their predecessors. For example: A certain writer, during the "Cultural Revolution," joined the writing group of the "Gang of Four," twisting words and rusting his soul. But now, he has transformed into a cultural patriarch, claiming to be a soul purifier, placing himself on the imagined peak of culture and morality, at ease and content, seemingly forever the "unconquered East" (a character from Jin Yong’s novels). Another extremely talented popular fiction writer, after proclaiming "I’m a ruffian, who fears whom?" to himself, wrote articles criticizing those who called his works "thug literature," only to end up on the losing side? Such cases abound. It seems Aq isn’t immortal, but he’s certainly ancient. Is this a blessing or a curse for the Chinese? I humbly ask the readers for their opinion: I eagerly await your wisdom. Mr. Jin Shengtan once said: "Claiming a person can live to 10,000 years is pure nonsense. But as a spiritual phenomenon, Aq’s immortality is undeniable. Whether it’s good or bad, future generations will judge." March 19, 2005, Pages 57-60