Su Dongpo: The Life and Times: Part One
PART ONE:
Most of this biographical information on Su Dongpo comes from the book The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Dongpo, by Lin Yutang. Lin Yutang wrote this book after having had read Su Dongpo’s journals, his 1700 poems, and 800 private letters. Historians have a lot biographical information on Su, more than any other ancient Chinese poet.
Su Dongpo grew up under one of the best, if not the best, Song dynasty emperor, with a galaxy of brilliant scholars and artists around the palace. But then the nation fell into disgrace during the reign of an 18 year old inexperienced and incompetent emperor, Much of Su’s adult life occurred during national degeneration, party strife, misrule by petty politicians, and total disappearance of the talented from the Song court.
Legend has it that in January 1106 a comet appeared, and a flash of lightning broke a tablet in two on the east wall of a palace. This tablet, the Yuanyu , was the name of Su’s political group, and the one in opposition to Wang Anshi. The tablet had the names of 309 people, with Su at the top. Those on the tablet were black-listed by those in opposition. Depending upon which way the political winds were blowing, after this event Su Dongpo’s poetry went from being banned, with fines to those in possession of one of his poems of several thousand dollars, to being sought after, even by the current emperor.
Su was a natural born poet: “The happiest moments of my life are when, at the time of writing, my brush can express all the intricacies of my thoughts. There is no greater pleasure to this earthly life than this.” He often had to write after a dinner party with people looking on. So his ability to improvise quickly was highly developed. Su was also a painter and calligrapher of the first order, a recognized authority in medicine, dabbled in alchemy, invented Chinese culinary dishes, engineered several public work projects, and champion of the common man.
MEISHAN: Childhood and Youth
Su’s birthplace and hometown was in Meishan, near Chengdu, in the modern day province of Sichuan. With his father Su Shun, and younger brother, Su Cheh (Ziyou), the three became famous as three of the “Eight Great Prose Master of the Tang and Song Dynasties”. Born on December 19 in our year 1036 AD, he came from an upper middle class home with a medium-sized courtyard, pond and vegetable garden, fruit trees, surrounded by a grove a hundreds of bamboo trees.
There were two maidservants and wet nurse for both he and his younger brother. Their grandfather of 63 years also lived with them. His mother’s maiden and surname was Cheng, a clan of wealthy and landed aristocrats. She too was very well educated. One of his uncles achieved an official position in Su’s early childhood. He had memories of the family preparing dinners for official guests. So Su grew up around a lot of books in the family library. His maternal grandfather also was an official of fairly high rank in the capital.
Su Dongpo entered school at the age of six. His Daoist teacher had over 100 students. Su was top of his class. By the age ten he was writing extraordinary lines of poetry. At the age of eleven, he entered secondary school to prepare for the imperial examinations.
It was a requirement to read all of the ancient classics, which had to be recalled by memory, as well as study history, poetry and selected prose. Su hand copied all of the classics and histories, which eventually lead to the mastery of calligraphy and the knowledge necessary to survive in the palace. Su’s frequent use of a famous phrase, or of an allusion, without indicating the source, would prove to the listener and reader that his command of the language, history and culture was first rate. Accomplished Chinese scholars and intellectuals found that literary, historical and cultural suggestions and associations were always more effective and impressive than an explicit statement.
Su’s father had traveled to the capital to sit for the imperials examinations. He came back after failing in the exams. At this time they required conformity to certain standards, command of facts, and only a little bit of originality. Since an official career was the only road to honor, success, and almost the only profession outside teaching to a scholar, the father was despondent.
THE EXAMINATIONS
In order to avoid “catch marriages” both brothers were married before they traveled to the capital to take the exams. Too often successful candidates would be caught by capital and imperial families for their eligible daughters. The Sus wanted to have the opportunity to choose the wives for each of their sons.
Su Dongpo was 18 years old when he married Wang Fu, who lived in Qingshen, about 15 miles to the north of their home. She was aged 15. His brother married a year later at the age of 16 to a girl two years his junior. From the Chinese point of view, arranged marriages were simpler, more efficient, less wasteful of time. After his brother’s marriage all three Sus set off for the capital with the two wives. The father also hoped to gain a position.
The overland journey took them two months. In May of 1056 they arrived and stayed at a Buddhist temple awaiting the tests which would begin in the autumn. If one passed these tests, one would qualify for the next level of exams in the next spring, under the personal supervision of the emperor. Both brothers were a part of the 13, out of a total of 45, from Meichow that qualified for the spring exams.
While waiting for spring, Su submitted his works to the top scholar of the land and head examiner, Ouyang Xiu. This began a fruitful relationship with the man considered, at that time, to be the top intellectual of the land. Other distinguished scholars were also examiners and judges.
The candidates had to be at the palace by dawn and could not leave until the exams were over. They were shut up into cubicles under palace guard. Their submissions were recopied by scribes before given to the judges to provide anonymity. The judges were then shut up until all of the exams were graded, usually for two or three months.
Areas tested included history and principles of government, the classics, and the last section on lyrical poetry and political essays supervised by the emperor.
Both brothers passed with high honors. Su Dongpo had written about simplicity and leniency in the administration of a country. Xiu Ouyang was so impressed by the paper that he thought that it must have been written by one of his closest friends, and therefore had to rate it as being number two, out of 388 candidates.
On April 14, 1057, at the age of 20, Su Dongpo was awarded the qinshi. At once he was a nationally recognized scholar. Just as he was to begin his official career, his mother died, and by Confucian customs he, his father and younger brother, were obliged to observe a 27 month long mourning period. All three Sus quickly returned home. This period of time was a happy one for Su and his brother living with their young wives.
Notes:
Song Dynasty: (960-1127 Southern Song)
Ouyang Xiu: (1007-1072): Famous Song Dynasty poet and statesman. Su Dongpo’s imperial examination examiner and supporter.
Qinshi: Imperial exam