Cultural Celebrity--Su Shi

 

 

Su Shi in China, is Shakespeare in Europe. His greatness was all-time shown in daily life of people. He was born in Meishan in what is now Sichuan province. His brother Su Zhe (蘇轍) and his father Su Xun (蘇洵) were both famous literati. In 1057, he and his brother passed the civil service examinations to attain the degree of jinshi, a prerequisite to holding high government office at that time. Throughout the next twenty years, he held a variety of government positions throughout China; most notably in Hangzhou, where he was responsible for constructing a pedestrian causeway across the West Lake that still bears his name.

Su Shi was a rare master in Chinese literature history, and one of the most popular figures in history. He was the believers of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. He was also the yoga lover. He was an unlucky person in official community. He used to be demoted. He acted as many local administrators such as Hangzhou, Xuzhou, Chanzhou, Huangzhou and so on. His father and younger brother were also both the masters in literature. He was even killed by Emperor just for Wutaishi Case. He was often at odds with a political faction headed by Wang Anshi. This faction's rise to power eventually resulted in Su being exiled twice to remote places; first (1080-1084) to Huangzhou (now in Hubei province), and the second time (1094-1100) to Huizhou (now in Guangdong province) and Hainan island. In Huangzhou, he lived at a farm called Dongpo (the "Eastern Slope"), from which he took his literary name. He died in Changzhou, Jiangsu province.

In Character, he was very broad-minded and generous. His poem and ci all showed his great talent in art and expression. His poem and ci are most welcome among people, nowadays among the young people. In Chinese history, Sudongpo was a literature landmark and a symbol of Chinese literature and culture in ancient times. His works represent the top level of literature creation.