One
This is the Red Cliff of Huangzhou, or the Red Cliff of Dongpo. The precipitous slope of reddish-brown color presses against the vast Yangtze River, with a narrow path on the slope for overlooking and small boats on the river for gazing up at it.
The place is not large, but in a glance, it has momentum, greatness and smallness are compared, time and space are reversed, so there is also the value of meditation.
Su Dongpo has been to many places, among which not a few are far more beautiful than Huangzhou. However, this remote Huangzhou gave him great surprise and shock, he even regarded Huangzhou as the most important station of his life. All this depends on the reason and mentality why he came to Huangzhou.
He came from prison, with a very small official position, in fact, as an exile. He brought the dirty water splashed on him by the official and literary circles, he came with a mixture of hope and despair. He was escorted away from his family, without the right to choose any place other than Huangzhou, towards this small town which was still very desolate at that time.
He was very tired and disheveled. He left Bianliang, passed through Henan, crossed the Huai River, entered Hubei, and arrived in Huangzhou. The desolate Huangzhou had not prepared any accommodation for him, so he had to stay in a temple. He wiped his face, took a deep breath, and looked around at the silence, without even a friend in sight. He closed his eyes and shook his head.
Two
People sometimes perhaps foolishly think that a great writer like Su Dongpo, who has been shared by the Chinese people for thousands of years, should be the supreme pride of his era. The people around him must have cherished him carefully and looked up to him with reverence, and would not have wanted to trouble him, right?
The fact is that the more a cultural celebrity transcends his time, the less he can coexist with the specific era in which he lives. The mechanism of China's secular society is very peculiar: on the one hand, it is willing to spread and hype up the reputation of a cultural celebrity, utilizing him, exploiting him, and luring him; on the other hand, it essentially views him as an outcast, eventually rejecting him, trampling him, and destroying him. The hype-style promotion transforms into hype-style defamation, both of which originate from a self-abased and cunning mentality, and both of which are at odds with a healthy cultural atmosphere.
Su Dongpo was embroiled in a case known as the "Crow Terrace Poetry Case" before he came to Huangzhou. The specific content of this case is special, but it reflects the universal experience of cultural celebrities in Chinese society, which is worth mentioning.
To avoid wasting the reader's attention on the specific content of the case, let's first clarify the bottom line. Even from the standpoint of the imperial court, this is a completely absurd and laughable event. A group of big and small cultural bureaucrats insisted that Su Dongpo had expressed his dissatisfaction and disrespect for the government in many poems, by interpreting the words and sentences in his poems in an over-extended way, and after a long time even Emperor Zhezong was not quite convinced - he hesitated between trust and doubt, and almost reluctantly sentenced Su Dongpo to punishment.
Among the emperors of ancient China, Song Shenzong was not a bad one. In his heart, he had no intention to persecute Su Dongpo, and he deeply appreciated Su's talent. His grandmother, Empress Dowager Gongsu, even tried her best to protect Su, and he respected his grandmother. Under such circumstances, wasn't Su quite safe? However, completely disregarding the will of Emperor Shenzong and Empress Dowager, Su Dongpo, who was famous throughout the country and held the position of governor, still fell into a great disaster. This powerful and evil force is worth studying.
What shook Emperor Zhezong was that the criticisms of Su Dongpo suddenly converged. In order to maintain his image of respecting public opinion, he could no longer speak up for Su Dongpo.
So why did the criticisms of Su Dongpo converge together? I think the most concise answer is what his brother Su Zhe said: "What crime has Dongpo committed? He simply had a name that was too high."
He was too outstanding, too brilliant, and could make the surrounding ink and paper look very mediocre, making his contemporaries feel a bit inferior. As a result, some people's sour and jealous hatred arose, leading to a chaotic situation where everyone was criticizing each other. In this shameful siege, some low-quality writers took the lead.
For example, Shudong.
This man can be called a "professional informer". While exposing Su Dongpo, he also exposed another person, who was the great benefactor who had recommended him to become an official. This great benefactor wrote him a letter, asking for his opinion and guidance on his son-in-law's studies, which is a normal exchange between friends. Unexpectedly, he forgot the kindness and wrote a mysterious letter of accusation to the emperor, saying that we are both officials, I am in the field of public opinion, and it is not appropriate for him to ask me to guide his son-in-law. The emperor saw his letter of accusation and demoted that person. This is simply a replica of the story of Dong Guo and the wolf.
It's just such a disgusting person, who colluded with He Zhengchen and others, writing articles to tell the emperor that Su Dongpo's thank-you letter to the emperor after taking office in Huzhou contained "words that mocked and criticized current events". The emperor had already read Su Dongpo's thank-you letter without finding any issues; however, Shu Rao painstakingly analyzed it for the emperor, saying that Su Dongpo was rebelling against him, and his rebellion was extremely severe, having reached the point where "ordinary people were all discussing it, loyal and righteous scholars were all indignant and regretful". The "indignation" referred to indignation towards Su Dongpo, while the "regret" referred to regret towards the emperor. How many loyal and righteous scholars were "indignant and regretful"? He said it was "none who were not", which means 100%, without a single exception. This kind of numerical statistics cannot be verified at all, but can make Emperor Shen Zong, who attaches great importance to social reputation, feel a sudden chill in his heart.
Li Ding
This is a high-ranking official who was once criticized by the public for not wearing mourning attire after his mother's death. He attacked Su Dongpo with the most ferocity. He summarized many crimes of Su Dongpo, but after careful distinction, I found that he particularly cared about Su Dongpo's humble origin in his early years, his current status in the cultural circle and social reputation. None of these can be listed as a crime, but he seemed to be unable to suppress his greatest indignation towards these points.
He said Su Dongpo "rose from the humble and lowly", "initially had no learning", "got fame at the time", "his writings, although not reasonable, were enough to stir up the common people". And so on. Su Dongpo's origin caused his discontent and he didn't mention it, but instead said that Su Dongpo was unlearned and untalented, which really surprised me. But if he hadn't said so, he wouldn't have been able to assert that Su Dongpo's social reputation was "undeserved". In short, Li Ding's attack obviously hid a most mysterious element beneath various superficial reasons: jealousy.
However, slandering Su Dongpo's scholarship and literary talent was after all too foolish. At that time, it did not add to Su Dongpo's guilt, but later became a laughing stock for thousands of years. But when jealousy runs deep, one loses control, and he can only find the part he hates the most to attack, without even considering the rationality of pretending to be reasonable.
Wang Ke
This is a domineering and hypocritical old man. He thinks he's the best in the world because of his qualifications and status, but actually his poems and articles are all about "gold, jade, brocade, and embroidery", which makes everyone secretly cover their mouths and laugh. He still feels good about himself. Now, a rising star Su Dongpo is making a name for himself in the literary world, so he must think of every way to deal with him.
One day he said to the emperor, "Su Dongpo indeed has a second heart for Your Majesty." The emperor asked, "How do you know?" He cited Su Dongpo's poem about the fir tree with the two characters "hibernating dragon" as evidence. The emperor was puzzled and said, "The poet wrote about the fir tree, what does it have to do with me?" He said, "Writing about a dragon is writing about the emperor, isn't it?" The emperor retorted, "Not necessarily, people call Zhuge Liang 'Sleeping Dragon' too!"
This Wang Gui is so low-minded, how can his writing be any good? Not to mention comparing with Su Dongpo. A few strands of white hair can sometimes pretend to be a master, cover up evil, but cannot deceive history. In the end, history did not put his name before Su Dongpo's because of age either.
Another example is Li Yi Zhi.
This is another special case. As a small official in Anhui's Lingbi County, he heard that Su Dongpo had written an article for a local garden with words advising people not to be too eager to become officials, and he actually wrote a letter to the emperor to accuse and expose him. In his letter, he analyzed that this idea would make people lack ambition and also affect the selection of scholars. It seems that this Li Yizhi, apart from being unscrupulous, also has a big problem with his intelligence. Look at how he can't even find a decent excuse for his accusations. However, in the absence of a rational court, even the most absurd charges can be established, thus becoming an encouragement to all the "Li Yizhis" scattered throughout the country.
Why do people of such low status also squeeze in to attack Su Dongpo? Mr. Li Yibing, a contemporary researcher on Su Dongpo, said it well: "He also comes to join in, no other reason, just a humble and unknown minor official, if he can participate in a big event that brings down a famous person, it will make himself more important."
In a sense, his goal was partially achieved. For example, I am writing this article today and mentioning the name Li Yizhi only because he participated in the attack on Su Dongpo; otherwise, there would be no reason for him to be printed in publications of the same era.
Some of my young friends, based on their multi-faceted observation of the worldly psychology of today, think that someone like Li Yi might not be doing it to leave a name in history, but rather out of a kind of "smashing windows" mischievous psychology. At night, a group of kids stand in front of a building pointing and gesturing, looking for which family's window is lit up, then pick up a stone and throw it over, not talking about any purpose, just trying to show off among a few friends.
I think my young friends have made Li Yizhe too modern and urbanized. Li Yizhe's behavior is mainly driven by political opportunism, hearing that Su Dongpo has some trouble, he makes the trouble bigger, anyway, he won't take moral responsibility internally, nor legal responsibility externally, happy to kick someone when they're down, and sail with the wind. Such a person doesn't have the guts to be like Shu Tong, Li Ding and Wang Ke, who first attacked a cultural celebrity, maybe two days ago they were still bragging about having met Su Dongpo somewhere, forcing Su Dongpo to become their friend or even teacher.
Here is the translation:
For example, I really didn't want to write this name, but thinking again, there's no reason to avoid it, so I'll just write it out - Shen Kuo. This famous scientist who occupies a significant position in ancient Chinese scientific history also hurt Su Dongpo due to jealousy and criticized his poetry for having a tendency to mock the government. If he and Su Dongpo were political enemies, that would be one thing, but the problem is they used to be good friends, and the poem he mentioned was actually written by Su Dongpo when they parted ways as a memento. This really doesn't taste right. Historians have analyzed that this probably has something to do with the emperor praising Su Dongpo in front of Shen Kuo, which made Shen Kuo feel a silent comparison in his heart. Another possibility is that he knew Wang Anshi and Su Dongpo had different political views, and he took Wang Anshi's side. But Wang Anshi was after all a cultured master who valued character, and although he appreciated Shen Kuo, ultimately felt that Shen Kuo was not someone to be close to. Of course, this doesn't affect our recognition of Shen Kuo's scientific achievements.
There are still some besiegers, I think, and listing a few of them is almost enough. The reason why Su Dongpo suddenly fell into trouble can be roughly seen, and we have also seen a group of typical Chinese critics who transcend time and space. It would be very difficult for any one of them to single-handedly bring down Su Dongpo, but in the absence of a strong anti-slander and anti-framing mechanism in society, an individual's tentative and adventurous behavior will easily attract a crowd of onlookers, thus forming a public opinion through seven mouths and eight tongues.
Su Dongpo was initially very dismissive. Someone secretly told him that his poem had been reported and exposed, he was first stunned, and then humorously said: "From now on, my poems will not worry about the emperor not seeing them." But the development of the situation became more and more unhumorous. On August 27, 1079, the imperial court sent someone to the state government in Huzhou to arrest Su Dongpo. Su Dongpo had heard the news beforehand, but was at a loss for what to do.
A scholar is after all a scholar. He had no idea what crime he had committed, but judging from the fierce and stern look of the arrivals, he estimated that he would be put to death. He was frightened and hid in the back room, not daring to come out. Friends said, hiding is not a solution, they are already waiting at the front door, even if you hide, you can't hide.
Just as he was about to come out, he hesitated again: what clothes should he wear when he came out? He had already committed a crime, could he still wear official robes? His friend said, "What crime is that? Still wear the official robes."
Su Dongpo finally came out wearing official attire, the imperial envoy sent by the court pretended to be solemn and silent for half a day, intentionally creating an atmosphere that was suffocating. Su Dongpo became increasingly flustered, saying: "I probably offended the court, it seems I will have to die after all, please allow me to return home and bid farewell to my family."
The official said, "It's not that serious." Then he ordered two attendants to tie Su Dongpo with ropes and drive him away like a chicken or dog. His family rushed over, wailing in grief, while the citizens of Huzhou City wept along the roadside.
Long-distance escort, like a demonstration all the way. Unfortunately, at that time there were almost no media outlets, and the people along the way did not recognize this as Su Dongpo. In a poor and ignorant land, a rope bound a world-class great poet, step by step. Su Dongpo was demonstrating, the whole nation was losing face.
All the encounters still don't know half of the cause. Su Dongpo was afraid of implicating relatives and friends, and several times thought of throwing himself into the water to die while passing through Taihu Lake and the Yangtze River, but it didn't happen due to strict guarding.
It is also very likely that the Jianghu will be submerged, and what will be lost is a particularly brilliant Chinese civilization. The fragility of civilization lies here, one step different and everything will change completely. And it was a group of petty people who forced the representatives of civilization to this critical point.
A small group of people can achieve such great things, which can only be attributed to China's unique national conditions.
The little people led the great masters, and the great masters led history. The little people shook the rope with ease, and thus the great masters and history all became embodiments of guilt. A Chinese cultural history has for a long time tied many cultural masters to the defendant's seat, while the judges and plaintiffs were mostly a group of petty-minded people.
What crime is this? Let's investigate and see!
How to review? Fight!
An official was once imprisoned in the same jail, his cell only a wall away from Su Dongpo's, and he wrote a poem that said:
Yu Lian guards Wu Xing in the distant north.
Insults and humiliation all night, unbearable to hear.
He scolded all night until other prisoners couldn't stand it anymore, and the person he was scolding was actually Su Dongpo!
Allow me to pause my pen here. I believe all cultural conscience will shudder at this point. How many people like Su Dongpo, who are lovely, noble and charming, have there been in China over the past few thousand years? However, being lovely, noble and charming often does not constitute social appeal or self-defense capabilities. What is truly formidable is evil, baseness, and crudeness, which almost always emerge victorious, conquer all, and are invincible. Now, Su Dongpo has been grasped by these forces and the more he is lovely, noble, and charming, the more he is being manipulated.
A gentle and elegant literary giant, like a clear breeze in the forest or white clouds in a deep valley, faced with this completely unfamiliar language system and behavioral system, cannot make any decent argument. He must have become very clumsy, unable to mobilize even the most basic words, unable to complete simple logical reasoning. His response in prison was absolutely no better than that of an ordinary thief.
So the interrogators were both angry and delighted: it turned out that such a big name was actually a nobody! Were your usual eloquent words eaten by dogs? Looking at this bear-like appearance, can you still write poetry and lyrics? It's purely plagiarism!
Then it's a turn of beating, the poet wailed with a pure silver throat, wailing until hoarse. This was originally a place that only needed to wail, you wrote such beautiful poems and it's already absurd, shouldn't you be beaten? Beaten, beaten until you're "lightly made up", beaten until you "ride the wind back home", beaten until you "secretly go out hunting"!
At first, Su Dongpo still tried to use some normal logic to refute a few sentences. The interrogator insisted that his poem had the meaning of satirizing the imperial court, and he said: "I dare not have such a heart, I don't know who has such a heart, and created this kind of meaning." All slanderers like to dress themselves up as discoverers of some kind of "malicious intention", Su Dongpo pointed out that they are not discoverers but manufacturers, and should be borne by themselves.
However, Su Dongpo's thinking brought even more violent insults and torture. When the accusers and case handlers are completely combined and colluded, it can only be like this.
Finally, Su Dongpo could no longer bear it. He couldn't bear the continuous interrogation day and night. He thought that closing his eyes and taking a deep breath was the only way out, which was to confess. So, in his previous poems, "the bitter plum by the road" was actually saying that he was not valued by the imperial court; the word "small people" was mocking the bigwigs of the current dynasty. Especially when Su Dongpo was an official in Hangzhou, he went to watch the Qiantang tide with great enthusiasm and wrote a poem "Wu children grow up playing in the sea", which was said to be satirizing the emperor's water conservancy projects!
This bold association, even Su Dongpo, a romantic poet, found it difficult to jump over, so when he confessed, he didn't find it easy to "get there in one step". The interrogator was good at wasting time and slowly forcing him to confess, and the sentence that often appeared in the case records was: "Gradually hiding, not speaking the truth, re-examining before confessing." Su Dongpo made a full confession, and at the same time, he also knew that he would surely die.
He was thinking of death all the time. He felt that he had implicated his family and owed an apology to his old wife, and especially missed his younger brother. He asked a kind jailer to bring two poems to Su Shi, which included the following sentences: "Where is the green mountain where I can bury my bones? In future years, the rain will hurt my spirit at night. With you as brothers for generations, we have not yet finished our unfinished cause."
The place where he was buried, he hoped it would be West Lake in Hangzhou.
It wasn't something else, it was a poem that pushed him to the path of death. I don't know if he resented poetry in those days behind iron bars. Unexpectedly, at this moment, vaguely, a kind of scattered cultural conscience began to gather - his readers slowly raised their heads, wanting to say a few words that would do justice to their own hearts.
Many people dare not speak out, but there are still brave ones; most of his friends avoid him, but there are still chivalrous men.
The people of Hangzhou remembered his good deeds when he was an official in the local area, and after he was imprisoned, they openly performed rituals to ward off evil spirits and prayed for divine protection for him.
Jail officer Liang Cheng knew he was a great literary talent and took good care of his life when the interrogators left, even preparing hot water for washing feet every night.
His friends in the court, Fan Zhen and Zhang Fangping, were not afraid of being implicated, wrote a letter to the emperor, saying that he was "the most talented person in the world" in literature, hoping for leniency.
His political enemy Wang Anshi's brother Wang Anli also spoke out, saying to the emperor, "Since ancient times, magnanimous rulers have not punished people for their words." If Su Dongpo were severely punished, "I fear that later generations will say that Your Majesty is unable to tolerate talent."
The most touching thing was the Empress Dowager we mentioned earlier, who was dying. Emperor Zhezong wanted to grant amnesty to all prisoners to pray for her longevity, but she said: "There is no need to pardon the villains of the world, just release Su Dongpo and that's enough!"
The most straightforward one was Wu Chong, the left prime minister of the dynasty. Once he and the emperor talked about Cao Cao, the emperor did not have a high evaluation of Cao Cao. Wu Chong immediately spoke up: "Cao Cao had such a heavy suspicious heart yet could tolerate Zuo Xuan, how can Your Majesty not tolerate one Su Dongpo?"
To these people, whether they are prison guards or empress dowagers, we must express our deepest gratitude. Intentionally or unintentionally, they have been verifying the appeal of culture. Even that basin of foot-washing water is filled with cultural fervor.
According to Wang Gong's "Jia Shen Za Ji", Li Ding, who led the frame-up, investigation and interrogation of Su Dongpo, was elated every day. One day, he waited with all officials outside the gate of Chongzheng Hall for the early court session, telling everyone about the situation of interrogating Su Dongpo. He said: "Su Dongpo is really a rare talent, and his poems and essays from ten or twenty years ago can still be remembered clearly when questioned!"
He thought that for such a sensational case, there would be many officials interested. But strangely, after he said those words to entice others to ask questions, no one responded, no one asked any questions, and outside the Chongzheng Hall was complete silence.
He was a bit flustered, pretending to be moved, sighed several times, and responded with silence.
This silence is not resistance, nor is it public opinion, but it does convey a sense of nobility. In contrast, many slanderers often attract some irresponsible commotion around them, which helps to fuel the slander.
Under these circumstances, the emperor released Su Dongpo and demoted him to Huangzhou. The importance of Huangzhou to Su Dongpo is self-evident.
Three
I really like reading Mr. Lin Yutang's "Biography of Su Dongpo", but I also feel that he wrote Su Dongpo's experience and mentality in Huangzhou too ideally. In fact, as far as I know, Su Dongpo was still very miserable in Huangzhou, and the beautiful poetry is a kind of struggle and transcendence.
Su Dongpo's life in Huangzhou was described very clearly in a letter he wrote to Li Duanbo.
The letter says:
Since I offended him, I have been secluded and closed off, drifting in a small boat with grass sandals, wandering between mountains and waters, often being pushed and scolded by drunkards, but I am glad that gradually no one recognizes me. In my whole life, not a single friend or relative has mentioned me, even when they write to me, I don't respond, and I consider myself fortunate to have escaped.
When I first read this passage, I was shocked. Everyone knows that Su Dongpo, a normally cheerful celebrity, has many friends. Day after day of socializing, and endless rounds of singing and toasting, had almost become the basic content of his life. He lived half for his friends. But once something happened, not only did they not send him letters, but they also didn't even respond to his letters.
They all knew that Su Dongpo was wronged, and now that things have largely passed, they are still unwilling to write a few words of comfort, even just asking about his daily life. Those letters written by Su Dongpo with beautiful and unparalleled brushstrokes that shine in the history of Chinese calligraphy, were painstakingly brought out from Huangzhou, but could not exchange for even a little bit of friendly information.
I believe these friends are not bad people, but precisely because they are not bad people, it makes me sigh deeply.
In short, the original world has disappeared in a flash, and so a generation of celebrities is also mixed among woodcutters and fishermen without being recognized. Originally, this might have brought ease, but he felt that there were still countless eyes watching himself from afar, and could only be terrified in loneliness. Even with this letter of no great importance, he specially noted not to show it to others.
In daily life, before meeting with family members, I usually sleep during the day and go out alone at night; even if I see a light wine, I will drink a cup, but I never drink too much, fearing that I will lose my words after getting drunk.
Was he really afraid? Yes and no. He was afraid of trouble, but not afraid to die for righteousness, for the people, even for the court, for the emperor. Having gone through the "Hutai Poetry Case", he understood that a person who has been framed will not be able to speak out even if they are dead.
You can't find the goal of grandiose words, you can't grasp the reason for a calm death. You want to be an unhesitant hero, but somehow you've been dressed up as a clown; you want to be an unyielding martyr, but after all the fuss, you've become a deeply repentant prisoner.
Unable to wash away, nowhere to defend oneself, and even more so, unable to express one's own protest or make a statement. This is indeed very close to Mr. Bo Yang's "Soy Sauce Jar Culture", once you jump in, no matter how hard you try, you can't get clean.
Su Dongpo was afraid of this, and no high-quality cultural person would not be afraid. However, he still had a fearless side in his heart, or the disaster made him even more fearless.
In his letter to Li Chang, he said:
Although we are old and poor, the truth is that our hearts are filled with loyalty and righteousness. We would rather die than compromise on these principles... Even if we face difficulties in our time, when we encounter situations where we can honor our lord and benefit the people, we forget about our own bodies and do it, leaving fortune and disaster to the will of heaven.
Such sincere bravery, such a carefree spirit, coming from the pen of Su Dongpo, who has been naive for most of his life, is completely believable. But where can he write this great article on the way of life? There is no place, no opportunity, no audience, and no judge, only a big vat that dyes right and wrong, loyalty and treachery, good and evil into one color. So Su Dongpo had just written the above few sentences, thought for a moment, and immediately added another sentence: "Burn this letter after reading."
This is a truly spiritual loneliness and desolation. For a cultured person, there is nothing more painful than this. That famous "Bō Suàn Zǐ", with extremely beautiful scenery, fully expressed this kind of spiritual ordeal:
The moon is low in the sparse t'ung trees, the clepsydra's dripping has stopped, and men are quiet for the first time. Who sees the solitary figure going back and forth? A lone wild goose's shadow flits about. Startled, it turns its head, but there is no one to notice its sorrow. It picks at the cold branches, unwilling to settle, on a desolate sandy islet.
It was this unspeakable loneliness that thoroughly washed away the clamor of life, seeking out the wordless mountains and waters, seeking out the distant ancients. Seeking dialogue in places where conversation is impossible, so the dialogue must also become extraordinary.
A soul like Su Dongpo's will eventually burst forth with a grand miracle, astonishing the world.
However, now he even writes poetry and essays, but will not pursue social sensation. He reflects on the past in solitude, thinking that his biggest problem before was being too showy with his talents and lacking self-awareness.
He thought, a piece of wood with knots is pleasing to people, a stone with patterns is pleasing to people. In fact, the places that can be used to please people are precisely where their flaws lie, and their proper uses are not here. I, Su Dongpo, have been thinking for over 30 years about how to get others to praise me, but most of the time it's my weaknesses that are being praised. For example, from a young age, I studied for the imperial examination and wrote policy essays and strategy essays, and later on, I was even more enthusiastic about discussing historical rights and wrongs and speaking frankly about what was right and wrong. After becoming an official, I thought I really understood this stuff and proudly showed off, but in reality, did I really understand? It wasn't until I faced death that I realized I was showing off my ignorance. This has been the biggest problem for over 30 years. Now I finally understand, the me who went to Huangzhou is an enlightened me, different from the Su Dongpo of before. (See "Letter in Response to Li Duanbo")
》）
Su Dongpo's self-reflection is not a psychological adjustment towards being obedient, but rather an extremely sincere self-analysis aimed at finding his true self. He is ruthlessly stripping away every alien element from himself, even if these elements had once brought him official positions, honors and fame.
He gradually returned to purity and spirituality. In this process, Buddhism helped him a lot, making him accustomed to simplicity and serenity. The hard material life also made him personally cultivate the land, savoring the original meaning of nature and life.
All this made Su Dongpo experience a thorough transformation, and his artistic talent gained a distillation and sublimation. He truly matured - like many great men of the past and present, he matured after a disaster, matured in the rebirth after extinction, matured in a remote and desolate place, matured at a time when almost no one was by his side.
Fortunately, he was not yet old. During his stay in Huangzhou, he was between 44 and 48 years old, which is the most important period for a man. He still had great prospects ahead of him. In Chinese history, many people became aware too late in their twilight years, just when they were about to enjoy the benefits brought by maturity, but their footsteps were already faltering. Compared with them, Su Dongpo was truly blessed.
Maturity is a bright but not dazzling light, a mellow and not cloying sound, a composure that no longer needs to observe others' words and expressions, a grandeur that has finally stopped explaining and pleading with those around, a smile that ignores the noise, a calmness that has washed away bias, a solidity that does not need to be loudly proclaimed, a height that is not steep. The turbulent passion has fermented, the sharp mountain wind has subsided, the rapid stream has converged into a lake, and as a result...
The prelude to the eternal masterpiece has sounded, a mysterious heavenly light shines on Huangzhou, and "Nian Nu Jiao - Chi Bi Huai Gu" and the former and latter "Chi Bi Fu" are about to emerge.
