Mrs. Wei, whose real name is Shuo, is a native of Southern Tang Dynasty. Born in the eighth year of Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty (272), he died in the fifth year of Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty (349). Hedong Anyi (now Xia County, Shanxi Province) people. Female calligraphers in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Mrs. Wei's ancestral home was Wei, and she was an ordinary official in the Western Jin Dynasty. She recorded the history of ministers, while Suo Jing was only good at cursive script, which was called "a set of two unique skills". Starting from his father Wei Heng, Huang Menlang became an official, and his calligraphy was also very good. He wrote four-body calligraphy. Father Wei Zhan, Jiangzhou historian, Ting Wei, died in the official. Mrs. Wei is not very studious and likes calligraphy. She has been studying under the great calligrapher Zhong You for a long time, learning its composition, and her official script is very good. According to her self-report: "Learning to be excellent is an official, imitating Zhong You for many years." She once wrote a poem about cursive script and was entrusted to write an "urgent chapter" for the court. Although his calligraphy works have not been circulated so far, we can still get a glimpse of his style from the relevant discussions of the predecessors. Zhong You, someone once praised Mrs. Wei's calligraphy: "The ice of a broken jade pot is like a tree, and the moon of a rotten Yao platform is like a breeze." It fully affirmed the characteristics of Mrs. Wei's calligraphy, such as elegance, simplicity, fluidity and thinness. In fact, this is the inheritance of Zhong You's calligraphy style, but on the basis of Zhong You's thin and neat flying, it reveals a graceful and agile charm. Xu Wei in the Tang Dynasty said: "Mrs. Wei's books are like flower arranging dancers, with low lotus;" Another example is the beauty on the stage, and the fairy is the shadow; Red lotus reflects water and governs clouds. "Comparing her calligraphy with three groups of beautiful images, we can see that Mrs. Wei's calligraphy is full of aesthetic feeling and has a feminine style unique to women, which is quite different from that of Zhong You. This is Mrs Wei's development and creation based on her own temperament and learning from Zhong You. Therefore, Mrs. Wei is listed as a famous calligrapher, below the top grade, that is, first-class and third-class Li Sizhen of the Tang Dynasty also held the same opinion, pointing out that Mrs. Wei was "excellent in integrity". The famous calligraphy theorists in the Tang Dynasty even listed Mrs. Wei's calligraphy as a wonderful work, second only to several first-class products with the highest quality. Zhang Yanyuan, an art historian, has a relatively low evaluation of Mrs. Wei. He classified Mrs. Wei as a second-class first-class product. But at the same time, he said, "Li's wife, Wei Shi, is a sect in China. "From the above comments, we can completely see the important position of Mrs. Wei in the book circle at that time.
Mrs. Wei not only made outstanding achievements in the practice of calligraphy art, but also made great achievements in the theory of calligraphy art, made a comprehensive and in-depth discussion, wrote a volume of "Pen Tu", comprehensively and in-depth consulted relevant calligraphy theory, and put forward her own views. In her book, she first pointed out that the beauty of calligraphy is "not using a pen first". Advocating learning calligraphy should be traced back to the source, learning from the ancients, and opposing practice makes perfect, learning without support, learning without use, learning without success. Mrs. Wei also suggested that when studying and creating, we should pay attention to the varieties and origins of pens, ink, paper and inkstones, and emphasize that if workers want to do well, they must first sharpen their tools. It is also emphasized that attention should be paid to writing, and different writing styles should adopt different writing methods. Through concrete analysis, it is said, "Those who are impatient in write slowly are those who are impatient in write slowly. The pen is close but not tight, and the heart is uneven. The first pen will fail; If the pen is in a hurry, the one who intends to write first wins. " Beyond the simple discussion of writing with a pen, this paper makes a profound discussion on the relationship between pen and meaning in calligraphy art and the cultivation of calligraphers. Mrs. Wei also has an incisive discussion on using a pen when writing different fonts. She thinks that there are six ways to use a pen, namely, seal script "flying over the eaves", composition "dangerous and horrible", eight-part essay "graceful and restrained" and flying white characters "Geng Jie and Te Li". If "every word is like its shape", then ". It should be said that Mrs. Wei's exposition on the use of pens still has some merits today. In essence, she raised the question of calligraphers mastering different writing styles. As for strokes, Mrs. Wei put forward seven standards for seven different strokes. Teacher Wei's vivid and appropriate description of seven basic strokes is a good way for beginners to get started. In addition, Mrs. Wei also put forward the theoretical principles of beginners' calligraphy in Bi Tu, such as "you must write big books first, not small ones" and "good scholars don't write, good writers don't learn", which is also valuable experience. On the basis of the above discussion, Mrs. Wei summed up her overall understanding of calligraphy art and put forward the theory of "strength and strength": "If you write a little ink painting, you must do your best to send it." "Well written is skinny, and poorly written is fleshy. The skinny and fleshy one is called Jin Shu; The fleshy bones are called ink pigs. The strong and the strong are holy, and the weak are sick. " This is essentially the result of Mrs. Wei's life-long practice of calligraphy art, which represents her overall understanding of the theory of calligraphy art, points out the direction and road for later calligraphers, becomes an important content and evaluation standard in China calligraphy theory, and has a great influence on the development of calligraphy theory and practice in past dynasties. Although Mrs. Wei's "brush drawing" refers to and draws lessons from some predecessors' expositions, on the basis of inheritance, Mrs. Wei's development and creation are indispensable.
Female poetess: Li Qingzhao
Kiss Princess: Princess Wencheng
Princess Wencheng (625-680), the daughter of the imperial clan in the Tang Dynasty, was of Han nationality. She is smart and beautiful. Influenced by her family since childhood, she studied culture, learned books and was considerate, and believed in Buddhism.
Songtsan Gampo is a hero in Tibetan history, rising in Yalong River Valley (now Yarlung Zangbo River) in the middle reaches of Tibetan River. He unified Tibetan areas, became Zanpu (meaning "monarch") of Tibetans, and established the Tubo Dynasty. In the 14th year of Zhenguan in Tang Dynasty (640), Lu Dongzan, a minister, was sent to Chang 'an to donate 5,200 yuan to cure the treasure and propose to the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizong promised to marry Princess Wencheng.
In the 7th century, the Tibetan king Songzan Gambo shocked the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the Tang Dynasty had the most advanced economy and culture in the world. Emperor Taizong advocated that "one marriage is equivalent to 654.38 million soldiers." Princess Wencheng, 16 years old, knowledgeable, simple and generous, volunteered to be Mrs. Songzan Gambu, 25 years old. According to legend, Lu Dongzan led a proposal delegation to Chang 'an, Tang Dou, bringing a lot of gold and jewels. Unexpectedly, Tianzhu, Dashi, Zhong Gesar and Wang Ting also sent messengers to propose marriage, hoping to welcome the virtuous Princess Wencheng back to be his concubine. Therefore, both Emperor Taizong and Li Shimin were embarrassed. In order to be fair and reasonable, he decided to let the marriage envoys compete for wisdom. Whoever wins can welcome the princess. This is the "six great marriage envoys" in history (also known as "six difficult marriage envoys" and "five marriage envoys"). The murals depicting this story have been well preserved in Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace in Lhasa.
In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan (64 1), Princess Wencheng left Chang 'an for Tubo, accompanied by Li Daozong, the cousin of King Jiangxia and Lu Dongzan, the wedding envoy of Tubo. Songzan Gambu personally greeted him in Baihai (now Maduo, Qinghai), paid an audience with Li Daozong and paid his son-in-law a gift. Then she returned to Luoyang (now Lhasa) with Princess Wencheng. Princess Wencheng has lived in Tubo for nearly 40 years and has always been respected.
According to books such as The Hereditary Mirror of Tubo Dynasty, when Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, the team was very large, and the dowry of Emperor Taizong was very rich. There are "siddhattha gotama, treasures, jade bookcases, 360 volumes of classics and various jade ornaments". He also presented all kinds of cooking foods, brocade quilts with various patterns, 300 divination classics, 60 books on distinguishing good from evil, architecture and technology, 65,438+000 therapeutic prescriptions, 4 medical works, 5 diagnostic methods and 6 medical instruments. It also carries all kinds of grains and turnip seeds.
In the first year of Yonghui (650), Princess Wencheng lived in Tibet after the death of Songzan Gambo. She loves Tibetan compatriots and is deeply loved by the people. She designed and helped build Jokhang Temple and Jokhang Temple. Under her influence, the technologies of milling, weaving, pottery making, paper making and wine making of the Han nationality were spread to Tubo one after another; She brought poems, agricultural books, Buddhist scriptures, historical books, medical books, calendars and other classics, which promoted the economic and cultural development of Tubo and strengthened the friendly relations between the Chinese and Tibetan people. The golden Buddha statue of Sakyamuni she brought is still worshipped by the Tibetan people.
In the first year of Yonglong (680), Princess Wencheng died, and the Tubo Dynasty held a grand funeral for her. The Tang Dynasty sent envoys to pay tribute to Tubo. Up to now, Lhasa still preserves the statues made by Tibetans to commemorate her, which has a history of 1300 years.
There is also Princess Wencheng Temple in Yushu County, Qinghai Province. The statue of Princess Wencheng in the center of the temple sits on the lotus seat of the lion, which is 8 meters high, vivid and finely carved. Incense is constantly burning here all year round, butter lamps are brightly lit day and night, and Tibetan and Chinese people who come to worship are in an endless stream. According to legend, Princess Wencheng stayed here for a long time on her way to Lhasa and was warmly welcomed by local Tibetan leaders and the masses. Deeply moved, she decided to stay and teach local people agriculture and textile technology. Princess Wencheng Temple has been listed as a national cultural relic protection unit.
In the history of China, there are many cases in which princesses or imperial daughters married the king of Tibet. During the period of Emperor Taizong, Princess Wencheng married Tubo far away, which was a model of this kind of marriage. Under her influence, the friendship between the Chinese and Tibetan peoples has developed greatly, so it is not an exaggeration to call Princess Wencheng the most successful female diplomat.
Tubo is now Tibet, and there was no contact with China before the Tang Dynasty. It is said that the Tubo people are descendants of Xianbei, the king of the Southern Liang Dynasty, who lost his country and moved to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In order to commemorate the ancestors, it was named "Bald Hair" and later changed to "Tubo" according to its similar pronunciation. Tubo people live a nomadic life, raising yaks, horses, pigs and camels, and some also grow highland barley and buckwheat. In the 7th century AD, he abandoned Zong Nong Zan and succeeded Tubo Zanpa (King of Tubo). People also call him Songzan Gambu. He is a brave and brave leader. He led the army to unify many tribes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and established a powerful kingdom centered on some cities, which is today's Lhasa. As a high-altitude area-the roof of the world-Tibetan culture has all the characteristics of high-altitude areas. Tibetans are beautiful in simplicity, grandeur and broadness, absorbing other cultures and creating their own 34 Tibetan Chinese characters. Xigaze, which means "the best manor" in Tibetan; "Lhasa" means "holy land" or "Buddhist country" in Tibetan; Norbulingka, meaning "baby garden"; The birthplace of Tibet, the holy mountain and the holy lake, has been recognized as the center of the world by Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, Bonism, a local religion in Tibet, and ancient Jainism. B?rge Ring on the sacred mountain and the sacred lake is recognized as a sacred mountain in the world, and it seems to be crowned with a silver "pyramid".
In the twelfth year of Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan reign, Songzan Gambu led the Tibetan army to attack Songzhou, a major town in the Tang Dynasty, which is now Songpan County, Sichuan Province. Under the rule of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, the country was rich and powerful, and the army was strong. Hou was sent to lead an army to crusade. Defeated Tubo at the gates of Songzhou. Songzan Gambu had to bow down and admire the strength of the Tang Dynasty. While he was writing an apology letter, he also proposed to Tang Ting.
After some consideration, Emperor Taizong decided to agree to his request. Princess Wencheng is dignified and plump, and has read many poems since she was a child. Although she had doubts about the distant Tubo, she was full of novel yearning and agreed. After more than two months' preparation, in the dead of winter in the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, Li Daozong, the minister of Wangli Department of Jiangxia County, led a large-scale farewell party to escort Princess Wencheng to Tubo and Qinqin.
The reason why we set out in the dead of winter is that it takes more than a month to get from Chang 'an to Tibet via Longnan and Qinghai, and there are several fast-flowing rivers along the way. In the dead of winter, the river is gentle, which is convenient for the farewell party. This team not only carries a generous dowry, but also a large number of books, musical instruments, silk and grain. In addition to Princess Wencheng's maid-in-waiting, there are a group of people, musicians and agricultural technicians, almost like a "cultural visiting group" and an "agricultural team". What are these people doing? Because Tubo had defeated Tuyuhun at that time, Yiran became a southwest power; Emperor Taizong was far-sighted and thought that only by strengthening the netting of Tubo could the stability of the southwest frontier of Datang be guaranteed, so he tried every means to help them economically and culturally, so that Tubo could appreciate and follow Datang imperceptibly. In fact, Princess Wencheng shoulders the political task of harmonious diplomacy and marrying away from home, and this farewell team is also to help her accomplish this mission.
After more than a month's arduous trek, facing the snow and spring, Princess Wencheng and her party arrived at Heyuan, the birthplace of the Yellow River. Here, there are lush water plants and flocks of cattle and sheep, which makes people feel relaxed and happy. Princess Wencheng, who was worried about the poor terrain of Tubo along the way, was relieved at this moment, so the farewell party took a short rest here for a few days.
At this time, Songzan Gambu personally led a team to meet the bride and groom and arrived at Heyuan. When Songzan Gambu and his party saw Li Daozong, the envoy of the Tang Dynasty, they bowed their heads and held a wedding ceremony. He has decided to take Datang as the Tubo Kingdom. Li Daozong invited Princess Wencheng to meet Songzan Gambu. The Tubo king galloping on the plateau, seeing the golden branches and jade leaves of Middle-earth, immediately fell for her. I saw Princess Wencheng dressed in gorgeous costumes, dignified and elegant, completely different from the primitive and simple Tubo woman. The Songzan Ganbu seen by Princess Wencheng is dark and rough. Although it was shaped by the scorching sun and strong wind on the plateau, it is very heroic with his tall and strong figure and heroic spirit revealed in his brow. Princess Wencheng is very happy that she married a good husband.
With dignity and prestige, the procession to send in-laws and weddings poured into the city of Rosome. Under the auspices of Li Daozong, Songzan Gambo and Princess Wencheng held a grand wedding in accordance with the etiquette of the Han nationality. People in Luosuo cities sang and danced to celebrate their Zanpu and his wife. Songzan Gambule said to his subordinates, "My family is my father, and there has never been a precedent of intermarriage in China. Today, I have the honor to marry the princess of the Tang Dynasty. I want to build a gorgeous palace and let the princess leave it to future generations. "
Soon, a beautiful palace, Potala Palace, was built, and the palace was magnificent. The pavilion is exquisite and elegant, and a rippling pond is dug, and beautiful flowers and trees of various colors are planted. All the organizational systems are modeled after the imperial palace in the Tang Dynasty, which is used to place Princess Wencheng and comfort her homesickness. In order to have more * * * language with Princess Wencheng, Songzan Gambu took off his accustomed leather coat and put on a silk Tang suit sewn by Princess Wencheng herself. He also tried to learn Chinese from Princess Wencheng. An alien couple, with harmonious feelings, love and respect, started their new life.
According to the traditional custom, the Tubo people paint their cheeks with ochre clay every day, saying that it can ward off evil spirits. Although it looks ugly and uncomfortable, because it is a traditional custom, no one raises any objection. Most Tubo people just follow the rules. After Princess Wencheng arrived in Tubo, she carefully understood and pondered this habit, thinking that it was unreasonable, harmful to health and indeed a vulgar habit, so she gently put forward her own views to Songzan Gambu. Songzan Gambu felt that what she said was very reasonable and immediately ordered the abolition of this custom. At first, some nostalgic Tubo people were not used to it, and gradually found it convenient and beautiful to keep their true colors, and everyone was willing to accept it. They even thanked Princess Wencheng for breaking the rules for them.
After life settled down, the Han musicians brought by Princess Wencheng began to perform their duties. They worked very hard to play the most popular music in Tang Palace for Songzan Gambo and Princess Wencheng. The music is soothing and beautiful, so that Songzan Ganbu seems to smell the fairy sound. He was full of praise for musicians and music, and selected a group of boys and girls with smart qualifications to learn from Han musicians, so that Han music gradually spread throughout Tubo and flowed into the hearts of Tubo people.
Later, the scribes also began to work. They helped to sort out the relevant documents of Tubo, recorded the important conversations between Songzan and ministers, and made Tubo politics go out of the primitive and move towards normalization. While Songzan Gambu was delighted, he ordered the ministers and nobles to sincerely worship the scribes as teachers, learn Chinese culture and study the poetry books they brought. Then, a group of aristocratic children traveled thousands of miles to Chang 'an, entered the countries of the Tang Dynasty, studied poetry and books, and brought the Han culture back to Tubo.
Agricultural technicians don't preach anything. They just sow the grain seeds brought from the central plains on the fertile soil of the plateau, and then carefully irrigate, fertilize and weed. In the harvest season, the robust and amazing high yield of crops made the Tubo people stare big eyes. At that time, Tubo people also planted some crops such as highland barley and buckwheat, but due to poor management, they often only planted them, so the yield was extremely low. They have to admire the superb planting techniques of Han agricultural technicians. Inspired by Songzan Gambu and Princess Wencheng, agricultural technicians began to teach agricultural technology to Tubo people in a planned way, so that they could harvest a lot of food while nomadic. Especially after the technology of planting mulberry and raising silkworms was passed on to them, Tubo gradually got homemade silks with soft luster and rich colors, which greatly beautified the life of Tubo people and made them overjoyed. They are all very grateful for the benefits that Princess Wencheng brought to them after she entered Tubo.
Princess Wencheng treated Songzan Gambu with tenderness, which made Tubo Shenshen Wang, who grew up in a wild land, feel the self-restraint and warmth of Han women. He not only cherished Princess Wencheng, but also tried his best to adopt some of her suggestions. With her knowledge and insight, Princess Wencheng carefully observed the Tibetan people's feelings, and then put forward various reasonable suggestions to help her husband govern this vast country with fierce and simple folk customs. Princess Wencheng is not the kind of woman who has a strong desire for power. She participated in governing the country, but never asked Songzan Gambu to give her an official position. She only put forward her own views on the major political decisions of Tubo countries, and did not forcibly interfere. Therefore, Songtsan Gambo and ministers are very satisfied with her, and often ask her about the political system of the Tang Palace as a reference for their administration. The majority of Tubo people regard her as a god.
In the twenty-second year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong sent Wang Shixuan to Tibet, on the one hand, to negotiate relations between the two countries, and on the other hand, to meet Princess Wencheng, who was married by Roy. Wang Xuance led the mission team with a large number of silk cultural relics on the road, and when passing through Tianzhu, it was unfortunately looted by Tianzhu people. Except for Wang Xuance who escaped with a small number of troops, most of the troops and articles were robbed. Wang Xuance arrived in Tubo in a mess, paid a visit to Songzan Gambu and told the story of the robbery. Songzan Gambu believed that Tianzhu was deliberately provocative and destroyed his relationship with the Tang Dynasty, so he sent troops to crusade against Tianzhu, destroyed their capital, captured Tianzhu prince, captured a large number of livestock, and saved the entourage of the Tang Dynasty envoys, which was a relief to the Tang Dynasty envoys.
In the twenty-third year of Zhenguan, Taizong Li Shimin died, and Tang Gaozong was the heir to the Prince. The new emperor of Tang Dynasty conferred Songzan Gambu as a captain of Xu and the king of Xihai County, and sent special envoys to send a large number of gold, silver, silks, poetry books and grain seeds, and specially sent ornaments and cosmetics to Princess Wencheng to show encouragement and care for her merits.
Songzan Gambu wrote to thank him and faithfully said, "The son of heaven has just acceded to the throne. If his adjutant is disloyal, they should be diligent soldiers to go to the country to get rid of it. " And present fifteen kinds of jewels, please stay in front of Taizong's tomb to show your grief. Songzan Gambu's loyalty moved Tang Gaozong, made him a guest king, and gave him three thousand colored silks. After the Tubo emissary arrived in Chang 'an, it was an eye-opener. Tang Gaozong was happy, so he asked him about the techniques of brewing, rice milling, paper making, ink making and stone making. Tang Gaozong agreed. The relationship between Tang Dynasty and Tubo, based on the contact with Princess Wencheng, reached the peak of harmony.
With the efforts of Songzan Gambu and Princess Wencheng, and the proper planning of Tubo Prime Minister Dalun, Tubo has made rapid development in military, political, economic and cultural aspects, so it can dominate the western regions and become a powerful barrier to the westward advancement of the Tang Dynasty.
Unfortunately, soon after, Songzan Gambu died, and his grandson inherited Zampa. Because Zampa is young, Lu Dongzan is in charge of state affairs and Princess Wencheng is in charge of family affairs. At this time, everything is going well. However, Lu Dongzan died soon, and his son, Qin Ling, spoke loudly about it. At this point, the relationship between Tubo and neighboring Gu Hun deteriorated, and everyone wrote to Tang Ting to judge right and wrong, but Tang Gaozong refused to make a ruling. Qin Mausoleum couldn't help it. He got up and defeated Gu Hun. Unexpectedly, this move violated the majesty of Tang Ting. Tang Gaozong believes that before he made a judgment, Tubo was good at using force, and he simply ignored Tang China. Therefore, in the first year of Xianheng, he sent Xue to crusade against Tubo.
Who knows that Xue's army was defeated by the Tubo army in Dafeichuan area. From then on, the Tubo people no longer took the anger of Datang and attacked the border of Datang year after year. The Tang court sent an army commander to guard the Taohe River to prevent the harassment of the Tubo army. The two sides fell into a hostile situation, and Tubo became the biggest enemy that the Tang Dynasty could never solve.
From the early spring of the fifteenth year of Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan reign, Princess Wencheng married Songzan Gambu until the first year of Xianheng when Xue led his troops to conquer Tubo. In the past 30 years, Princess Wencheng's erudition has had a great influence on Tibetan civilization, which not only consolidated the frontier defense in the Tang Dynasty, but also spread the culture of the Han nationality to the western regions. This is the masterpiece of Emperor Taizong. Unfortunately, Tang Gaozong failed to make good use of it in the end, and it was easy to start a war.
In the first year of Yonglong in Tang Gaozong, Princess Wencheng died of illness in some cities. Tang Tingte sent envoys to pay homage, but failed to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries. However, the admiration of Princess Wencheng by Tibetan officials and people did not decrease because of her estrangement from the Tang Dynasty. Her death led to the decline of all Tubo people.
After the death of Princess Wencheng, the Tubo people set up temples and shrines for her in various places to commemorate her. Some local craftsmen who came with her also received generous courtesy. After their death, they were also buried on both sides of Princess Wencheng's tomb. Up to now, Princess Wencheng and these friendly messengers are still regarded as gods by Tibetans!
Empress of the first generation: Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian (17, February 624-16, February 705), Han nationality. The only female emperor in the history of China (there was a female emperor Chen Shuozhen during the uprising in Tang Gaozong), the oldest emperor in succession (acceded to the throne at the age of 67) and one of the oldest emperors (82). Tang Gaozong was the empress (655-683), Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong were the empress dowager (683-690), and later he became the Emperor of Wu Zhou (690-705). Change the Tang Dynasty to Zhou Dynasty, build Luoyang as its capital, and name it "Shendu". History is called "Wu Zhou" and he abdicated in 705. Wu Zetian is also a poetess and politician.