The economy of the Northern Song Dynasty was unprecedentedly prosperous, and the national policy of 重文轻武 has been advocated, so the Song Dynasty literature and art attainments have reached the peak. In the late Northern Song Dynasty, political struggles frequently occurred in the court. All ministers keep their own ideas, so the defeated party will naturally be relegated, far away from the center of power and sent to the periphery to become a little official who has no interest. However, most of the people who were demoted were rich and talented people, so when they were unhappy, they would chant poems and compose songs to chant the will. This produced the relegation literature. For example, Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Qin Guan all suffered persecution because of party disputes. They lived in other places, but they also left many famous articles because of a blessing in disguise.
1. The origin of the relegation literature
This literary type is the inevitable product of the ancient political formation in my country, and it has been produced as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period. For example, the "Li Sao" by Qu Yuan, a scholar-official, this is what it did not receive much attention from the state. The relegation can also be divided into two types, one is that he was sentenced for a crime, and the other is that he failed in the struggle and was exiled for no reason . According to textual research, Birch's poems in the Book of Songs were the earliest generation of relegation literature. Sima Qian combined Qu Yuan and Jia Yi in the "Records of the Historian", making them a milestone in tragic officials and the earliest representatives of relegation literature.
1. Reasons for party disputes
The Northern Song Dynasty was a dynasty that was more tolerant to literati, and even formulated a policy that literati had no death penalty. So this allows the literati group to speak freely, and at the same time it will become inflated. And the division of parties is gradually revealed. During the Qingli years, the problem of redundant officials, redundant soldiers, and redundant expenses continued to intensify. The reformers headed by Wang Anshi and the conservatives headed by Sima Guang began to argue fiercely.
From the Song Shenzong to the Song Huizong period, partisan disputes become more intense , no one is willing to give in. The officials stand in their own teams, and I will appear on the stage after you sing. And the ruler is uncertain about it, often after one side gains power, they will continue to attack and persecute the other side's forces. After the other party gains power, it will launch a frantic counterattack and revenge.
Disputes between different factions caused officials to be demoted, which is different from the exile after ordinary officials violated the criminal law. Officials who are often affected have a certain political attitude, outlook on life and literary stand , which is a collision between the academic differences and positions of the literati class.
Therefore, the failure of the court battle will inevitably cause the frustration of officials. has a strong cultural tendency . Therefore, the prosperity of literature in the Song Dynasty is closely related to the relegation caused by party disputes. During this period, a large number of people were relegated. For example, 司马光, Cheng Yi also celebrated the fourth spring of the calendar, and banished 滕子京 in Baling County.
2. The emergence of literary works
After the implementation of Wang Anshi’s new law, he officially stepped onto the peak of power. The Sima Guang Group, which competed against it, was all liquidated. He himself was sent to Luoyang to spend time at home. Because it was difficult to bear the huge psychological gap for a while, he wrote in his article "Shut up and talk about things."
It can be seen that his state of mind has reached a state of almost despair. He has chosen to wait for the opportunity and never forget the great desire to "relieve the people's poverty". Since then, he has been at home with peace of mind to write books, explain the scriptures, and write many well-known articles such as "Books in the Garden" and "Summer Western Books". and also continue to improve "资治通鉴" , can be described as a work.
Sima Guang is in a high position, but his life is relatively stable, and there is no wind or rain. His comrades are different. Fan Zhongyan suffered three exiles. He himself jokingly called "三光 elderly " and "The Story of Yueyang Tower" was also made when he was demoted. " First worry and worry about the world, and happy and happy afterwards " In fact, his expression is crypticHe wanted to return to Kyoto and pray for the people’s political demands.
At that time, Fan Zhongyan was downcast, but his mentality was still the same. Mei Shengyu wrote "灵乌FU" to praise his spirit. And Fan Zhongyan also wrote an "Lingwu Fu" that echoes it in the distance, in which the poem " Ning Ming and death, silent and life " has become the faith of countless officials who have been demoted.
With the continuous emergence of Fan Zhongyan's works, countless people who have troubled careers regard him as a role model and imitate his practices. Although he has not regretted his nine deaths, he has created works to illustrate his wishes to the world. Since then, the relegation literature of the Northern Song Dynasty has been out of control. Some continue to express their ambitions, and some love landscapes, so the uninhibited and pastoral literature of the Northern Song Dynasty was formed.
2. Representatives of relegation literature
mentioned the Northern Song Dynasty party disputes, the Wutai poem case is a key point. It symbolizes the gradual expansion of the rule from politicization to the cultural direction, and marks the rise from the suppression of conservatives to the persecution of the body. The mention of the Wutai poem case will inevitably remind people of a generation of famous writers, Su Shi. He and his younger brother Su Che, both traditional conservatives, insisted not to associate with Wang Anshi, and were naturally excluded.
1. Su Dongpo has been relegated three times
Mr. Dongpo is a pure person. He yearns for freedom and is able to face gains and losses more calmly. Although he was politically frustrated, repeatedly degraded and suppressed his character, he did not change his original intention. He put this emotion in the mountains and rivers, and transferred it to drinking, poetry, calligraphy and painting. From Huangzhou to Baiyue, from Huizhou to Hainan, although he is farther and farther away from the court, he is getting closer and closer to himself. In each term, he can create outstanding sentences and made outstanding contributions to the development of Song Dynasty literature.
When he arrived in Huangzhou, Su Shi did not feel down and sad, but had the pleasure of escape from birth. In his poem " First Arrival in Huangzhou", Dang even expressed his strong curiosity and satisfaction with new things. But perhaps because of the Wutai Poetry case that caused him great harm, he wrote "Last year's Imperial Palace, the move left four walls" in the second half.
He has mentioned "fear" many times in his other works, such as "Dinghuiyuan Ouchu" and "Second Yun First Part" . Although a long time has passed, the political persecution scared this pure man. The famous "Huangzhou Cold Food Posts" was also made after he had lingering fears. After
, Su Shi was unforgettable about this incident, which also made him understand the advantages of writing freely. So he wrote cautiously. In "An Answer to the Book of Qin Taixu", he once said, "I have come back from offending and stop writing words." After that, Su Shi repeatedly reviewed himself, he will be relegated and deposed and blamed on his "wandering broad". After adjusting his mentality, he continued to indulge in the landscape and created the masterpiece "Nostalgia in the Red Cliff".
A few years later, he was exiled to the wild south of Lingnan. But his purity and ease of life have not changed. He himself said, " ask Lingnan should not be good, but he said, this peace of mind is my town ", for his position in this uncivilized barbarian place full of miasma, he showed a different peace than ordinary people.
And then I went to Zhanzhou, Hainan, a more remote area. It is the real end of the world, but Su Shi still has his original intention at the corner of the sea. "A misty rain and life, neither wind nor rain nor sunny", At this time, instead of surrendering himself, he paid attention to the local civilized education.
Su Dongpo’s relegation journey can also be said to be his literary creation journey. Although it caused persecution, it was also a blessing in disguise. From a famous politician to a real literary master. During this period, his works include "Moving to Lingao Pavilion", "Visit to Wuchang Hanxi Xishan Temple", "Fish Manzi" and so on. It was the party disputes in the Song Dynasty that made his literature splendid, but his persecution of literati was ultimately inevitable.
2. Huang Tingjian became the mainstay
Huang Tingjian, as a literati with the same name as Su Shi, is located in the "Four Houses of the Song Dynasty" and has close contacts. The experience of the two is also very similar, both of them have experienced great ups and downs. He has been subjected to extremely cruel persecution since Shaosheng, first in Fuzhou, then in Qianzhou, and then in Hubei, where he was constantly transferred.
In the process of exile, he kept copying "The Mainstay" to encourage young people to make continuous progress. Therefore, is also called "the mainstay". This also shows his firm belief in Confucianism, but after being repeatedly suppressed, he also became cryptic and vocal. In his "Shu Mo Cliff Stele" created by Yongzhou, he can see the old man's hope for the future of the political situation and his loss after being relegated to Yizhou.
On his migratory road of relegation, he is also constantly creating and expressing his ideas. For example, the beginning of "Zhuzhi Ci" is " Mo Yanyuan outside the ghost gate, brothers in the whole world ". The helplessness and sentimentality after being relegated are vividly demonstrated in this sentence. This old-fashioned literary giant is still suffering from political frustration.
waited until he really got used to this kind of drifting life, and in he saw the humiliation and humiliation that belonged to his age, and he was at ease. In "Jizhu Pavilion", he said, "I was born at will, and the rapids do not flow." The heart is very different from when he first came out of Beijing.
In the end, he also ended his life in exile, and also left many famous articles. For example, "Brothers with Wang Zifei", "Shui Tiao Song Tou Yao Cao Yi He Bi", "Qing Ming" and so on. In addition to reciting poems and writing fu, he also studied calligraphy masterpieces "Bo Yi Shu Qi Tombstone" and "Jing Fubo Shrine Poems".
It is worth mentioning that although Wang Anshi, the reformer, continued to suppress his opponents after he came to power, , but the reformists were not allowed in ancient times, and he was eventually expelled from the center of power and grew old in frustration. . At the same time, his literary attainments are also very high. The creations of "Deng Feilai Feng", "Yuan Ri", "Boboat Guazhou" and "Plum Blossom" have been passed down for generations and have also been included in modern Chinese textbooks.
3. Conclusion:
The large-scale officials in the Northern Song Dynasty that were demoted due to party disputes were mainly due to the weakness and instability of the rulers. When writers encounter life crisis, they naturally express their feelings and transfer their emotions through works. Therefore, the literary achievements of the Song Dynasty can hardly be matched by later generations. "After Yashan, there is no more China" actually said that this kind of literary prosperity no longer exists. The persecution of the Su family as a whole has created many famous stories over the ages. Perhaps they did not have such a painful experience, nor could they create popular poems.
References:
1. "Song History"
2. "The Book of Songs"
3. "The Complete Works of Huang Tingjian"
4. "Su Dongpo Collection"
