I recently read " History of the Song Dynasty ", and it was said that " Shu people were not good at becoming officials", which made me feel. Indeed, I know very little about the great politicians from Sichuan during the Song Dynasty!
Among the Shu people, there are many literary, historical and philosophical people, but according to history According to records, there were nearly a hundred prime ministers in the Northern Song Dynasty, and only a few were from Sichuan. It was not impossible, but bad.
Shu was a land of abundance, and the Chengdu Plain had a pleasant climate and abundant products. It is rich and has a large population. More than ten ethnic groups, including Han, Tibetan and Qiang, have flourished here and created unique living customs and religious beliefs . Shu culture has been an important part of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation since ancient times. On the other hand, Shu is located on the southwest border with inconvenient transportation. It is not easy for Shu people to leave Sichuan, and there is a certain geographical gap between them and the orthodox culture of the Central Plains. Therefore, it has formed a unique and brilliant situation to a certain extent. In history, the territory has had many autonomous and semi-autonomous political structures, such as the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period.
Life here is very comfortable, and there is no need to go to the Central Plains to make a living. In addition, since the early Song Dynasty, the political arena has been rejecting the "Shu faction". At the same time, Shu people are fond of chivalrous spirit. Famous masters such as Chen Zi'ang and Li Bai are all famous for their "chivalrous spirit", emphasizing "loyalty", not bowing to power, and rich in political courage. Li Bai's "An Neng can bend his eyebrows and bend his waist to serve the powerful, which makes me unhappy" is the best explanation. The great writer Su Shi gained political status due to his prosperous literary reputation, but After decades of working in politics, his official career has always been difficult to navigate. Wang Anshi was in power, Su Shi opposed the new law to sicken the people, and even opposed his authoritarian style; Sima Guang was in power, and Su Shi fought for the lives of the people, even if he was punished by the Prime Minister. It seems that Shu people still don't bother to learn the rules of political survival, let alone practice them.
During the Song Dynasty, it was not easy for Shu people to become officials. I have two superficial understandings: Shu has beautiful mountains and rivers, simple folk customs, and is its own sect, so there is no need to work for a future; Shu people are willful heroes, have profound cultural literacy, and sit in the southwest and dominate the world!
