Oct 27, 2016
In America, we have Washington Irving, Mark Twain, Hemingway, and so on. In China, Su Dongpo, (also known referred to as Su Shi) would be mentioned when rattling off their best of the best. He was definitely a major guy not only in the Song but in the overall world of Chinese culture as well.
If you're interested to check out some of his poetry, here's an amazon link to a book of his poems translated by Burton Watson: Selected Poems of Su T'ung-P'o
TERMS FROM THIS EPISODE
Ouyang Xiu 欧阳修 1007-1072 Northern Song statesman, historian, calligrapher, literatus extraordinaire
Wang Xizhi 王羲之 Called arguably the greatest Chinese calligrapher
Zhou 周 1046 BCE - 256 BCE Ancient dynasty of China
Han 汉 206 BCE - 220 CE Ancient dynasty of China
Jin 晋 265-420 Ancient dynasty of China
Sui 隋 581-618 Ancient dynasty of China
Tang 唐 618-907 Ancient dynasty of China
Song 宋 960-1279 Ancient dynasty of China
Kaifeng 开封 Capital of the Northern Song dynasty 960-1127
Northern Song 北宋 960-1127
Huizong 徽宗 The Northern Song emperor who "lost China" to the Jürchens
Su Dongpo 苏东坡 1037 - 1101 Our subject in this episode
Su Shi 苏轼 Su Dongpo's birth name
Tang Song Ba Da Jia 唐宋八大家 "Eight Great Men of Letters of the Tang and Song Dynasty
Han Yu 韩愈 768-824 - Tang essayist and poet. Major influence in development of Chinese literature
Liu Zongyuan 柳宗元 773-819 Tang waster of prose and poetry
Su Xun 苏洵 1009-1066 - Great man of letters and Father of Su Shi and Su Zhe
Su Zhe 苏辙 1039-1112 - Brother of Su Shi, also a great man of letters
Wang Anshi 王安石 1021-1086 - Song statesman and father of far reaching reforms. Also a great literary figure in his day.
Zeng Gong 曾鞏 1019-1083 - Great prose master of the Song
Hangzhou 杭州 Capital of Zhejiang and of dynasties past. Su Dongpo served there twice
Zhejiang 浙江 Province in east China
Meishan 眉山 City south of Chengdu, birthplace of the Three Su's, Su Xun, Su Dongpo and Su Zhe.
Min River 岷江 Yangzi tributary river in Sichuan, famous for the Duijangyan irrigation system
Leshan 乐山 City in Sichuan
Ya'an 雅安 Great tea city near Chengdu in Sichuan
Chengdu 成都 Ancient capital of Shu Kingdom, now capital of Sichuan
jinshi 进士 The highest degree that allowed you to fill the top positions in government
Wang Fu 王弗 1039-1065 - First wife of Su Dongpo
Henan 河南 Province in north China where it all began
doucha 斗茶 "Tea Battles" that were popular during the Song
Wang Runzhi 王闰之 1048-1093 2nd wife of Su Dongpo
Su Di 苏堤 the Su Causeway across West Lake in Hangzhou
Xin Fa 新法 The New Policies championed by the Shenzong Emperor and Wang Anshi
Shenzong 神宗 1048-1085 - Northern Song Emperor and Wang Anshi supporter
Sima Guang 司马光 1019-1086 Conservative Song scholar and official, writer of the Zizhi Tongijan
Luoyang 洛阳 City in Henan and former ancient capital of past dynasties.
Cheng Yi 程颐 One of the pride of Luoyang, Chinese philosopher
Zizhi Tongjian, the "Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance" A monumental historical work covering Chinese history from 403 BCE to 959 CE
Wutai Poem Incident 乌台诗案 In 1079, a poem by Su Shi got him in trouble and exiled fron the capital.
Huangzhou 黄州 Former name of Huanggang, now a district of that city
Hubei 湖北 Central province in China, capital is at Wuhan
Huanggang 黄冈 City just east of Wuhan in Hubei Province
Dongpo 东坡 Eastern slope
Dongpo Jushi 东坡居士 Dongpo, the retired scholar or Buddhist.
Chibi Fu 赤壁赋 Ode to Red Cliffs, famous poem by Su Shi
Hou Chibi Fu 后赤壁赋 The Later Ode to Red Cliffs, famous poem by Su Shi
Nian Nujiao Chibi Huaigu 念奴娇赤壁怀古 Remembering Chibi, Su Shi's third poem in this series about Red Cliffs
Zhuge Liang 诸葛亮 Great Shu-Han strategist during Three Kingdoms Period
Lu Su 鲁肃 Politician and general who worked for Sun Quan
Zhou Yu 周瑜 One of Sun Quan's main generals
Cheng Pu 程普 Another of Sun Quan's main generals
Sun Quan 孙权 Emperor of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms
Liu Bei 刘备 Emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms
Cao Cao 曹操 King of Wei, one of the Three Kingdoms
Fu 赋 One of the three main types of Chinese Poetry, like rhymed prose
Ci 词 One of the three main types of Chinese Poetry, like lyric poetry
Han Shi Tie 寒食帖 Su Shi's most famous calligraphic work, now hanging in the National Palace Museum in Taipei
Huang Tingjian 黄庭坚 1045-1105 artist, scholar, official, a great Northern Song Master
Mi Fu 米芾 1051-1107 Great Song painter and calligrapher
Cai Xiang 蔡襄 1012-1067 One of the great calligraphers of the Northern Song
Song Si Jia 宋四家 the Four Great Calligraphers of the Song
Han Shi 寒食 is the holiday that occurs right before Qingming in April
Yan Zhenqing 颜真卿 708-785 Great calligrapher of the Tang and one of the greatest of all time
Zhezong 哲宗 Northern Song emperor, Reigned 1085-1100
Empress Dowager Gao 高太皇后 1032-1093 Empress of Northern Song emperor Yingzong, regent for Zhezong during his minority.
Dongpo Rou 东坡肉 Dongpo Pork
Zuo Zongtang 左宗棠 Hunan-born general from the Qing, the man who brought us General Tso's Chicken
Lou Wai Lou 楼外楼 Not the best restaurant in Hangzhou but one of the most famous. Been around over one hundred fifty years
Ni Zan, the late Yuan-early Ming painter.
Xu Wei, the Ming painter
Yuan Mei, the Qing dynasty scholar and artist.
Yuanyou era 元祐 Conservative era in Emperor Zhezong's reign that lasted 1086 to 1093
Huizhou 惠州 City in Guangdong where Su Dongpo served a stint
Hainan 海南 Island province off the coast of Guangdong
Danzhou 儋州 Coastal city in Hainan just west of Haikou
Haikou 海口 Capital city of Hainan
Dongpo Shuyuan 东坡书院
Wang Zhaoyun 王朝云 1062-1095 - 3rd wife of Su Dongpo
Changzhou 常州 City in Jiangsu
Jiangsu 江苏 Coastal province just north of Zhejiang
Cai Jing 蔡京 Long serving chancellor to Emperor Huizong
Cai Tao 蔡绦 Son of Cai Jing who had the audacity to say something nice about Su Dongpo
Shi 诗 The word meaning all Chinese poetry but also a specific kind as well.
Su Men Si Xueshi 苏门四学士 The Four Scholars at Su Shi's Gate
Zhang Lei 张耒 1054-1114 One of the four scholars famous for being part of Su Shi's gang
Chao Buzhi 晁补之 One of the four scholars famous for being part of Su Shi's gang
Qin Guan 秦观 1049-1100 - Northern Song writer and poet. Also one of the four scholars famous for being part of Su Shi's gang
Jin 金朝 The Jin Dynasty of the Jürchens 1115-1234