Chaling, formerly known as Tea Town, was named "Chaling" because the legendary Shennong Yandiling was here. In ancient times, it was ruled by Changsha, which produced many famous poets and poets. For example, Li Qi, who suffered from civil strife at the end of Yuan Dynasty, was nicknamed "an old man with two hearts". He lived in the countryside for 30 years, wrote books, and wrote 1000 poems. He is known as the first poet in Hunan in Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Li Dongyang's father Mason Lee came from a poor family when he was young, but he was diligent and studious. He believes that calligraphy should be imitated naturally, not affectedly. He specially wrote a paper to explain the eight methods of the word "Yong", which changed from 32 potential to 84 structure. After Mason Lee failed in the imperial examination in his early years, he decided to be an official and took teaching private schools as his career. His education for his son was very strict, and he supervised the writing of calligraphy day and night, which laid the foundation for Li Dongyang to become a great poet in the future. Therefore, Li Dongyang's friend Liu Daxia later commented: "Li Dongyang's career achievements should be attributed to his father's training and education."
Influenced by such a rich cultural atmosphere of his hometown and family, Li Dongyang showed extraordinary talent from an early age. When he was 4 years old, he was with his father in Beijing. He could write Daewoo with a diameter of one foot and was regarded as a child prodigy by Beijingers. Shuntianfu officials recommended him to Jingdi. He wrote 10 Chinese characters such as "dragon, phoenix, turtle and forest" in front of Jingdi. Jingdi was very happy to see it and gave him some precious fruits and gold and silver ingots. After that, Jingdi summoned Li Dongyang twice and asked him to teach Shangshu's Justice. Jingdi was also very satisfied and allowed him to study in Shuntianfu. As an adult, Li Dongyang studied hard from Yan Zhenqing, absorbed its essence, and established his own family. People praised him: "Changsha is a big grass and a stunt in the Middle Ages! Exquisite flying, unstoppable, and pure and elegant colors, such as fine gold and beautiful jade, are in full bloom without cancer, covered with talents and without dross. "
1464 (Ming Yingzong Tianshun eight years), Li Dongyang's official career was smooth after he was admitted to imperial academy, and he served as editor, lecturer, Shao Qing of Taichang Temple, and right assistant minister of does. 1490 (Hongzhi eight years), Li Dongyang was a college student in Wenyuange. When he joined the cabinet to participate in confidential affairs, he was called a sage. In his later years, seeing that Tai Lin was in control of the state affairs, Emperor Wu was dissolute, and repeated remonstrances were ineffective. On the grounds of old age and illness, Li Dongyang resolutely resigned as the record holder and returned to his hometown for retirement.
Li Dongyang is not only famous for his calligraphy, but also a famous writer. He joined the cabinet 18 years, with a long time and a high position. He is not only knowledgeable, but also can reward his later studies and recommend his talents. Therefore, many literary scholars gathered around him and formed an influential school of poets. Li Dongyang was a leading figure in the literary world in the middle of Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the Biography of Li Dongyang in the Ming Dynasty wrote: "During Hongzhi, Prime Minister Li Dongyang was the main writer, and the world was lonely."
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Tiger style swept the country. It was formed by Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, Yang Pu and other Tiger ministers. Most of them whitewash peace, sing hymns and relax with elegant words. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, this style was opposed by the retro school represented by Li Panlong and Wang Shizhen. They advocate that "literature must be in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and poetry must flourish in the Tang Dynasty", and they advocate imitation and retro. Chaling School headed by Li Dongyang is a transitional school from Tiger style to retro school. Some of Li Dongyang's poems reflect the reality of social and folk life. When he returned to Changsha, Hunan in 1472 (the eighth year of Chenghua), he wrote in a farewell poem: "Hunan is dying and sighing all his life." Later, he described the life of the boat people in a poem called "Floating Guests": "Jiangnan people take boats as their houses, and their white hair stays in the water all the year round. Children don't know how to work when they walk, and girls go with the flow barefoot. " White-haired old people have to wander in the water for many years, even children have to drift with the tide, and the life of workers is so hard. In his hometown of Chaling, Li Dongyang chanted, "Tian Jia Lang Chun didn't return at the end of the year, and the small pool was cool and rainy. When the garden is green, the silkworm ripens first, and the wild wheat flies when it is green. " It is written that in late spring and early summer, rural women are busy and full of vitality, sewing clothes, picking mulberry and raising silkworms. Through these poems, Li Dongyang's concern for the country and people is reflected.
Li Dongyang's poems also describe the unique folk customs of Changsha and Chaling. "Jiangtou colorful flags, the ship drum. Hunan Le Shengjun remembers that Tanzhou City is May 5. " This is the jubilant scene of the people's dragon boat race in Changsha during the Dragon Boat Festival. "Liu deep mulberry leaves, family fun. Sheep fight ghosts, beat drums and burn incense to compete with the land god. " This is the custom of spring social day for Chaling farmers in Ming Dynasty, which is full of vitality. Li Dongyang is good at writing landscapes. He wrote about Lu Temple in Changsha and said:
"The dangerous peak is high on the Chu River, and the road leads to the first set. Thousands of trees, pines and cypresses are combined in two ways, and four mountains are stormy and one monk is cold. Flat sand and shallow grass are far away from the sky, and the sunset is separated from the water. Jibei Xiangnan is in front of you, and the partridge is alone. "
This poem describes the mountains, the dangerous songs of the Tao, the grandeur of the temple and the deep scenery, revealing a lonely and desolate atmosphere. It is a poem that combines the scenes in the poems chanting Lushan Mountain in previous dynasties.
Many of Li Dongyang's poems express sincere feelings and meaningful thoughts. After his good friend and fellow countryman Peng returned home frustrated, Li Dongyang wrote a song "Send Peng to Beijing" for him:
"Elegy has not stopped, and the return has yet to be played. The autumn wind is short and brown, and the night rain is cold and red. The leaves are under the leaves, and it is hard to miss people's feelings when they are dying. Mr. Yu was embarrassed when Chang 'an ate the land where he stayed for a long time. "
The poem is lyrical, expressing deep sympathy for the sinking of friends and the bleak situation of the evening scene. It is said that Peng burst into tears after reading the poem, lamented for dozens of times, and died of depression in less than a year, which shows that this poem is touching. In his poems, Li Dongyang emphasized patriarchal Du Fu, paid attention to the lightness and turbidity of poetic tone, and connected the structure with safe truth and falsehood, all of which had a good experience and had a great influence on the first seven scholars. In addition, his "100 Antique Yuefu Poems" is a historical theory based on Yuefu style poems, and it is also a precedent for the creation of ancient poems by the first seven poets. The role of Chaling Poetry School as a link between the past and the future has been valued by people since ancient times.
Li Dongyang's prose is not as famous as poetry, but it is also fluent and elegant, and its words are seldom crude, so it also has its own characteristics. He once presided over or participated in the compilation of A Compendium of a Mirror, Ming Hui Dian and A Record of Filial Piety, so Shi Ming recorded: "There are many great works in the imperial court."
Li Dongyang is an honest official. Although I live in Zaifu, I don't have much private savings. After retiring from the government, life often feels orange. Fortunately, his calligraphy is famous, and poems and documents emerge in endlessly, so Li Dongyang subsidizes his family. One day, his wife spread paper and wiped ink, waiting for him to put pen to paper, but Li Dongyang felt tired and wanted to write another day. The lady smiled and said, "If we have guests today, can we skip fish and vegetables?" He was happy to write a book, which was a story for a while. 15 16 (eleven years), Li Dongyang died at the age of 70 and was given a surname of Shi. There are 100 volumes of Huai Lu Tang Ji, which have been circulated through the ages. This book was engraved many times in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and spread widely. It was included in Sikuquanshu and was one of the most influential books at that time. Some scholars have commented on Li Dongyang: "A talented person never knows anything, is unique for a while, but is full of knowledge. Therefore, his poems are profound and bold, with many shocking words and expressions, and his statutes are strict and his thoughts are meaningful, which makes him get rid of everything and keep the ancient meaning alone. " Every night, the paper is extravagant, boring and open, and you can do whatever you want without overstepping the rules. "This is also a conclusion for the Hunan scholar.