Biography of Su Shi

Author: Wang Shuizhao, Cui Ming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-01-01
Features: This book has a yellowed, antique-toned cover, featuring illustrations of a bamboo cane, a seated stone, and a painting of a drunken, composed figure, as well as ink-splattered, mist-filled calligraphy. To me, it feels like a nostalgic summons. Reading it through in one sitting, I once again drew closer to Su Shi, an extraordinary genius, a model of the scholar-official's spirit, a beloved figure among the common folk, and a man of unwavering integrity, a wise heart capable of liberation, and a compassionate nature that saw goodness in all. The charm of Su Shi is a mystery, for he embodies the richness and potential of human nature, allowing traditional culture to shine anew in contemporary society through him. The cultural world Su Shi created is known as the "Su Sea." Though this is a "vast and boundless ocean," we can still "get closer to Su Shi." These four words were the title of a lecture given by Professor Wang Shuizhao at Fudan University at the end of last year, and the book written by him and his disciple Cui Ming serves as an excellent guide to getting closer to Su Shi. Writing about a subject should never follow others—it is especially so when the subject is such an extraordinary figure. Many modern biographies of Su Shi have been written, with the most influential being that by Lin Yutang, whose sharp and unrestrained prose brings to life a completely "Lin Yutang-style Su Dongpo." Another example is Zeng Zaozhuang's Biography and Critique of Su Shi, which portrays a "Su Dongpo through the eyes of a scholar." For historians, Su Shi was a politician caught between the reform and anti-reform struggles of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the eyes of the general public, "a hundred readers will see a hundred Su Dongpos." This book portrays Su Shi as "not a distant, unattainable sage, but an ordinary person living in reality, with blood and flesh, experiencing the joys and sorrows of ordinary people," and as a wise figure who embodies both worldly and transcendent qualities" (conclusion). Thus, the biography approaches Su Shi with a calm and approachable tone, in a gentle and engaging manner, drawing both closer to Su Shi and to the ordinary readers, while also offering many fresh and innovative perspectives.