"The Japanese people originally worshipped foreigners.
This inheritance of thousands of years is not easy to reform.
Originally, if the machines and science imported from Europe and the United States, and the civilization and thoughts of China and India were removed from the Japanese civilization, there was something left..."
This is the Japanese analyzed by military educator Jiang Baili during the Republic of China period.
(Jiang Baili and his family)
How many years have passed, and his views are still unbreakable. From Meiji Restoration to World War I and World War II, and even to the rise after the war, Japan's "worship of foreigners" and learning of the national character of the strong has never changed.
Following Mr. Jiang's insights, people can't help but think of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and the worship of China by the Japanese envoy .
and Abe Shinzo Abe Nakamaro, who has a great ancestor relationship, is a typical example. Tang Dynasty Poetry Immortal Li Bai once wrote poems to him with affection.
, and Abe himself, in the end, lived a lifetime in the China he loved, and became a good story in the history of friendship between the two countries.
Guo Moruo said that China and Japan have "two thousand years of jade and silk, one hundred years of war", so that they can be sure. The article Abe written today is here.
This article will briefly tell you: Abe's life experience, his background in China, what official he was in the Tang Dynasty, and what people he met;
Why are Li Bai and other great poets of the Tang Dynasty praised him very much;
What did he experience in China, and why did he live in China...
1. The first Japanese person who was admitted to the Tang Dynasty Jinshi
What are the characteristics of the Japanese? There were records during the Three Kingdoms:
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Biography of the Japanese in the Japanese" lists several Japanese personalities:
- Sit up together, father and son, man and woman are no different;
- Sexual alcoholism;
- Polygamous wife;
- Women are not lustful or jealous;
- Few lawsuits;
- Don't steal
...
...
Japan at this time, there were no samurai and no samurai, and it was weak and backward, and was studious and humble, so what the Chinese saw at that time were positive images.
According to history, there were official contacts between China and Japan, Han Dynasty .
When Emperor Yang of Sui, they sent diplomatic envoys to each other.
From the fourth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, that is, 630, to the first year of Qianning in the Tang Dynasty, that is, 894, in more than 1,260 years, Japan sent envoys to Tang Dynasty .
The Japanese learned a lot of culture from China and copied it back to Japan for use. The Dahua reform imitated the rules and regulations of the Tang Dynasty.
From the late Tang Dynasty, Chinese cultural classics were passed down to Japan, which was already a grand view.
(Japanese temple)
17th year of Zhenguan, that is, in 875, the "Biography of Japanese Nationalities" compiled by Fujiwara recorded Chinese books in Japan, with 1,579 volumes and 16,790 volumes of .
"Records of the Grand Historian", " Han Shu ", " Later Han Shu ", " Three Kingdoms ", etc., are later generations in Japan. Among them, the heroes of historical figures are still popular in today's animation games. How to manage, organize and disseminate these heavy Sinology books transmitted to Japan is a professional science.
Note that the Japanese speak Japanese and learn Chinese. The translation and use of the middle is a process with extremely high technical content.
For example, writing Chinese poems and parallel prose is no less difficult than writing Shakespeare's novels in foreign languages.
Therefore, the Tang Dynasty's similar books, rhyme books, , dictionaries, catalog ideas and other reference books on Sinology culture need to be specially compiled and studied.
This requires continuous talent, and the Japanese need to send outstanding talents to China to study.
Abe Zhongmalu was sent to Chang'an, China as an international student and a good seedling in such an era.
Abe was born in the Nara period in Japan. He was the second year of Emperor Wenwu in Japan and the fifteenth year of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang Dynasty, that is, 698 AD.
His father is a middle-level bureaucrat in Japan. He is the five Daesu of the Central Affairs Office, and is called Abe Shieldou.
(State in Nara City, Japan)
The father respects Sinology very much and educates his children to learn Chinese characters since childhood.
Abe is also smart and quiet, has a good personality to study, and his family gave him a good education. So, early on, he will write a singular song.
and songs, similar to the Japanese short sentences of Chinese Han Yuefu poetry.
Japan Yuanzheng Empress Linggui in the second year, Tang Xuanzong Kaiyuan 4th year, in 716 AD, Japan selected the 9th batch of envoys to send Tang, and 18-year-old Abe was honored to be selected.
At the same time, he was also given a valuable amount of property as fund for studying abroad.
The following year, this group of missions sent to Tang ridden the wind and waves and came from Osaka to Chang'an . The
mission has a total of 557 people, and has received preferential treatment from China and is engaged in different learning activities in China.
(a reward item sent to the Tang envoy)
Abe, who is sensitive and studious, was granted the highest education management institution of the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an Imperial College, and studied "Classics and Arts" in Imperial College .
However, at this time, Abe already had his own Chinese name, Chaoheng (or Chao Heng), whose courtesy name is Juqing .
Taixue was the highest national institution at that time, and most of the students studying here were the children of fifth-rank bureaucrats.
(Abe in the TV series "The Legend of the Demon Cat")
Chao Heng not only studied with Guiyou, but also had tuition and living expenses, all of which were funded by the Tang Dynasty government. It can be seen that Tang has dedicated its support to Japan.
After graduating from the Imperial Academy, Chao Heng took the Tang Dynasty imperial examination, and was awarded the imperial examination, Jinshi and .
This is the first foreigner who came to China to study in and passed the Jinshi . It is also the only Jinshi rank among the Japanese missionary sent to Tang.
2. The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty tried to retain Japanese students
As Wang Wei ’s poem said, this handsome guy from Japan, “despite his family, became an Imperial Academy, asked about etiquette in Lao Dan , and learned poetry in Zixia.” After graduation, he "Mu Hua refused to go" and was arranged by the Tang Mansion to be a proofreader in the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Department of Economic Affairs, equivalent to the current National Library.
Chao Heng’s work in it is responsible for the proofreading, sorting, and profiling of the books in the four libraries, including classics, history, and collections of classics, history, and literature.
10 years ago, this Japanese student has been favored by Chinese literati and poets.
Kaiyuan Jinshi Chu Guangxi , wrote a poem to call him a handsome guy. After becoming an official in China, he did not delay traveling around the mountains and rivers, and lived happily:
"I am extremely beautiful in life, and I am in and out of the Chunfang, and I go to Pengshan, and beside the Yishui River."
Tang Dynasty Kaiyuan, that is, from 727 to 730 AD, Chao Heng was awarded the title of "Left Secretariat", and he was in the same position as the poet Wang Wei, who provided advice and consultation for the emperor's decision-making. After
, he was called "left supplementary" and his official position was promoted to the next level, from the seventh rank, but his nature was similar, and he was in charge of the court's satirical advice.
(different routes for sending Tang envoys to China in different periods)
In the 22nd year of Kaiyuan, that is, in 734 AD, the 10th batch of Japanese envoys sent Tang envoys to China, and the 9th batch of delegations returned to China after their studies.
: Chao Heng has been in Chang'an for 18 years and he misses his parents very much. Friends from the delegation who came with
all expressed their desire to return to China.
Chao Heng asked the court to return, but Emperor Xuanzong of Tang liked him more and personally tried to keep him.
This made Chao Heng both worried and happy.
What I worry about is that I cannot go back to China to visit my parents, and I don’t know when I will have the chance to return to China in the future. Should I stay in a foreign land and be a stranger in my life?
What I am happy about is that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty personally tried to keep him, which really gave him a lot of face. He was afraid of being in China in the future and would not have to worry about success.
In the end, this Japanese darling stayed.
He wrote a poem to express his sadness:
"I am obsessed with my name, but I am not fully loyal and filial. I have no day to repay my kindness, and when will I return to my country?"
Chao Heng has been in Chang'an for more than ten years. His knowledge and character have been recognized by all over the country, and his official position has been promoted.
to Tianbao in the second year, that is, in 743, he has become the "Yi Wangyou" under the fifth grade.
Yi Wang , namely Li Sui, the twelfth prince of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty;
Yi Wang You is a accompanying Li Sui to accompany Li Sui to play, live and study. He satirizes the prince's morality and is both a teacher and a friend.
Chang'an during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was a world-renowned poetry city.
Xuanzong I like poetry and prose, so I often gather a large number of literati and poets around me.
Many officials are both bureaucrats and poets. Li Bai, Du Fu , Wang Wei and other imperial poets were born in this great era.
When Chao Heng accompanied the Crown Prince, Li Bai was an official in the capital and served as a "Hanlin Attendant" ( is an official who is specifically responsible for writing edicts for the emperor, expressing edicts, and political commentary articles, and waiting for edicts at any time) .
Li Bai and Chao Heng got to know each other.
The two are about the same age. Li Bai is about 3 years younger than Chao Heng, and they are friendly and friendly.
However, Li Bai was calm and unrestrained. After only staying in Chang'an for a year, he wandered around again because he could not bear the slander of the eunuch Gao Lishi.
3. Li Bai cried Chao Heng
twelve years of Tianbao. In 753 AD, Chao Heng was promoted again to serve as secretary and Weiweiqing . He was from the third rank and was in charge of the country's classics and books and national equipment.
In this year, the 11th batch of Japanese missions sent to China.
There were more than 220 people this time. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ordered Chao Heng to be responsible for the reception and accompany the whole tour.
In the mission, there were old classmates who came to China to study at the same time as Chao Heng in the 9th batch. Now he is the deputy envoy of the 11th batch.
30 years ago, the old classmates were very happy and told each other about their affairs, and Chao Heng felt homesickness again.
When the deputy envoy completed his mission to visit China and was about to return to China, Chao Heng once again made a request to the court that he wanted to go back to Japan to see.
This time, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang could not bear to sever his relationship and agreed to his request.
However, he treated Chao Heng as an official of the Tang Dynasty to give the order, and gave him the identity, which was also the envoy of the Tang Dynasty .
(Abe painted by the Japanese)
This made Chao Heng extremely excited.
At this time, he was 56 years old.
When he came to China, he was 18 years old and was a member of the Tang delegation. Now he was 56 years old when he returned. He was a high-ranking official of the Tang Dynasty. This contrasting impact of the changing world and the great changes in time made him unable to calm down for a long time.
"The general is resigning from his country, not a talented servant, loves the wise ruler in heaven, remembers kindness relatives overseas... A sword in his life will be left to make friends with others."
(Abe homesick picture painted by the Japanese)
However, on the way back to Japan, the ship of the mission encountered a storm on the sea in the Ryukyu area. After the stranded
, more than 170 people on the same boat were killed by the indigenous people. Only Chao Heng and more than ten others survived.
After a year of ups and downs, in the 14th year of Tianbao, in June 755, Chao Heng and others traveled in a mess and returned to Chang'an for a lifetime.
In Chang'an, the imperial court had long heard of the bad news that the mission had suffered storms and unfortunately suffered. Li Bai, who was demoted to Jiangnan, learned that Chao Heng was killed and was deeply saddened. He wrote a poem " Crying Chao Qingheng " in tears:
"Japanese Chao Qing left the imperial capital, and the sails were circling the hut.
The bright moon did not return and sunk the blue sea, and the white clouds and autumn colors filled the clove wu."
As the saying goes, "Blessings are unparalleled, but misfortunes never come alone." Chao Heng's journey to return home started his Huagaiyun mode.
In the autumn of the year he returned to Chang'an, An Lushan rebelled, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled west, and Chao Heng fled with the emperor all the way.
html only returned to Xi'an after more than 2002 years.Chao Heng relied on his old career and sorted out the books that had suffered disaster for the emperor.
At this time, Japan also changed its emperor.
In the second year of Qianyuan in the Tang Dynasty, in 759 AD, Japan sent another envoy to the Tang Dynasty.
This time, the envoy sent the Tang Dynasty to take Chao Heng back to Japan.
However, when they told Chao Heng the news, perhaps out of fear of the last disaster, or because of their old age, Chao Heng decisively refused to return to China this time.
Perhaps, when he made this decision, he had decided to live for the rest of his life in China.
During the first year of the Tang Dynasty, around 761, Chao Heng was appointed as the attendant of the Zuo Sanqi, following the third rank; later promoted to the southern governor of Zhennan, and was appointed as the third rank; later promoted to the founding Duke of Beihai County, and was granted a fief of 3,000 households...
In the fifth year of the Dali period of the Tang Dynasty, in the first month of 770 AD, Chao Heng died in Chang'an at the age of 73.
(Monument to Abe in Xingqing Park, Xi'an)
is to commend Chao Heng's achievements, and Tang Daizong posthumously awarded him as the governor of Luzhou who was from the second rank.
And Japan has never treated this Japanese who dedicated his youth to China.
79, the tenth year of Emperor Guangren's treasure turtle in Japan, and the 14th year of the Dali period of the Tang Dynasty, the court once again gave his Japanese family members silk and other items. More than 50 years later, the Japanese court once again remembered Chao Heng's achievements and presented him with two official titles, praising this international student:
"The peak of the poem is high, the sea of learning Yang Yi, the position is rising, and the English voice has been broadcast" .
(The back of the monument is Li Bai's poem)
In 1978, Japan erected a monument for Chao Heng. On September 17, his hometown, , Nara City, held the unveiling ceremony of the Chao Heng's stele.
Soon, a Tang column-style " Abe Zhongma Lu Monument " was also built in Qingxing Park, a tomb site in Chao Heng in Xi'an. After
, Nara City, Japan wrote the historical play "Poems of the Countryside" for him, and Xi'an also staged the Chinese Yue opera "Abe Nakama Lu"...
One person writes a legend, and one person represents a time.
Chao Heng is a classic representative of China-Japan friendly exchanges in history. His significance is just as Guo Moruo said: "The history of the Tang Dynasty has been edited for thousands of generations, and friendship has broken through the nine heavens." (end)
References:
"Chao Heng's performance as secretary-general in the Tang Dynasty", Zhang Baiying, "University Library Work", 1987-10-01;
"Dispatch of the Tang Dynasty's International Student Abe Zhongma Lu and the Poets of the Tang Dynasty", Bu Zhaohui, "Journal of Guangxi University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) 》, 2010-10-20
"Abe Nakamaro and China", Liu Jiang, "Cultural Translation Series", 1993-08-29
