Reading History with Experience: Correct Historical Experience and Learning

Author: Jin Zhiwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Clearness comes from clarity, filth from filth. The famous Northern Song Dynasty philosopher Zhou Dunyi said in "On the Love of Lotus" that, "Among the flowers of land and water, there are many lovely ones. The Jin Dynasty's Tao Yuanming alone loved chrysanthemums. Since the Tang Dynasty, the world has greatly loved peonies; I alone love the lotus for its ability to emerge from muddy water without being stained, to be washed by clear ripples without becoming, to be straight and hollow, to spread no branches, to send its fragrance further and become clearer, to stand tall and clean, and to be admired from afar but not to be touched." From then on, "emerging from muddy water without being stained, being washed by clear ripples without becoming" not only became an exquisite verse praising the noble character of the lotus but also made the lotus a symbol of noble character. In Chinese history, corrupt officials were indeed many, but there were no honest officials at all. On the contrary, some feudal officials truly managed to remain untainted by the mud, remaining clean and incorruptible even after years in the officialdom, deserving special respect. Wu Yinzhi during the reign of Emperor An of Jin was a person who drank from the without becoming greedy, holding high positions yet remaining incorruptible. Wu Yinzhi, styled Chumo, loved reading poetry and books from a young age and admired Confucian governance. He set high standards for himself from a young age and maintained a clean character. He once served as the Governor of Guangzhou and the Commandant of Pingyue. Although he had a certain salary, his family lived in poverty, often eating only once a day and cooking beans only in the evening. Despite this, he never accepted food given by others or took anything that was not morally right. Later, he held various high-ranking positions but still maintained his frugal qualities. He never used servants; his wife had to go out and carry firewood, and he cooked meals himself. The salary and rewards he received were never kept for himself but were instead distributed to relatives and clansmen. As a result, his life became extremely difficult, to the point that he had no blankets to cover himself in winter and sometimes had to stay home wrapped in cotton rags because he lacked clothes. Therefore, his life was even poorer than that of impoverished commoners. At that time, Guangzhou was a remote but wealthy region, producing rare treasures and jewels. Serving as an official there, one could bring back a little and enjoy it endlessly. However, the area was known for its miasma, which affected outsiders more easily than locals, so most people were reluctant to serve there. Only those who were extremely poor and wanted to get rich quickly were willing to become officials in Guangzhou. As a result, the governors of Guangzhou were often there to extort the people, making the local administration more corrupt than elsewhere. The politics of the Wei and Jin periods was already very chaotic, and most governors of Guangzhou were corrupt. Emperor An of Jin, determined to change this situation, specially appointed Wu Yinzhi, who was known for his incorruptibility, as the Governor of Guangzhou. Thus, Wu Yinzhi was ordered to take up his post in Guangzhou. Before he arrived, he passed a spring named Shimen, twenty miles away from the seat of government. He saw a spring and one of his companions told him that this spring was called the "Greed Spring." Legend had it that whoever drank from the Greed Spring would develop an insatiable desire for wealth. Wu Yinzhi laughed and dismounted, saying to those around him, "I don't believe such tales. If one does not see things that can incite greed, one's mind will not be disturbed. On my way here, I have seen many rare treasures and jewels, and now I know why..."