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Courageous Confucianism is a unique quality of ancient Chinese intellectuals. Mencius' discussion on courage reveals the high level of Confucian thought.

Therefore, the courageous Confucian personality not only embodies a positive and enterprising personality spirit, but also incorporates Confucian ethical and moral concepts such as benevolence and righteousness.

The mutual adaptation of life construction and social development is a manifestation of the promotion of the spirit of life by ancient Chinese literati, and Liu Zongyuan is a typical representative of them.

Liu Zongyuan built a courageous and Confucian personality throughout his life.

In just 47 years, he has experienced all the ups and downs of life.

Promotion and demotion, comfort and turmoil, serving as an official in the court and indulging in nature, being loved and being ridiculed.

Having witnessed the corruption of the imperial court, the sufferings of the world, and the fickleness of human nature, he was extremely determined to serve his country.

Whether he was serving as an official in the court and making suggestions for the country or writing books to promote literature and Taoism after being demoted to Yongzhou and Liuzhou, he practiced the life principle of pursuing Taoism in his own way.

The tortuous experiences and difficult conditions enriched his life experience and enriched the connotation of his life.

He also reflected on the traditional political personality and intrinsic values ​​of scholars, and incorporated them into his own personality construction and literary creation.

"Liu Zongyuan was born in Chang'an in the eighth year of the Dali reign of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty. His native place was Hedong."

"Because my family has served as officials for generations, they settled in the capital Chang'an and regarded Chang'an as their second hometown."

"My father Liu Zhen was once a military recorder, the chief clerk of Chang'an, and the imperial censor of the palace. My mother, Lu, was virtuous and talented."

"As a child, Liu Zongyuan studied diligently under the guidance of his mother, and by the age of four he had already mastered many ancient poems and essays."

“When I was thirteen, I traveled with my father to Hubei, Jiangxi and other places, and met many outstanding people.”

"He showed literary talent at a young age and was well-known in the literary world."

"In the ninth year of Emperor Dezong's Zhenyuan reign, Liu Zongyuan was 21 years old. He passed the imperial examination and was praised by the emperor and the people for his talent and learning."

"After his father passed away, he went to Bingzhou to visit his uncle in the army, tour the border, and communicate with grassroots soldiers."

"In the 14th year of the Zhenyuan reign of the Tang Dynasty, the 26-year-old Liu Zongyuan passed the examination for erudition and eloquence, and served successively as the official of the Jixian Hall, the lieutenant of Lantian County, and the deputy censor of the Supervisory Censorate."

“Although his official position was not high, he actively participated in political and literary activities.”

"Liu Zongyuan was independent and did not rely on aristocrats and bureaucrats. He interacted with upright and progressive people and played a positive role."

"During this period, Liu Zongyuan created many works with unique styles and distinct viewpoints."

"In the preface to the poem "Sending off Ningguo Fan Mingfu", he particularly praised Fan Zhenzhen's philosophy of serving the people rather than pursuing personal interests."

"In 'At First Sight', he attacked the absurd superstitious ideas about natural phenomena."

"In addition, there are articles discussing legal issues, such as "Refuting the Proposal of Revenge", and works that depict the excellent qualities and outstanding skills of the citizens of Chang'an. These works have played a demonstrative role in the development of the prose movement."

"However, Liu Zongyuan was mainly focused on political activities during this period, trying to establish a career in politics."

"He joined a political group headed by Wang Shuwen that advocated reform and became an important member of it."

"In the 21st year of the Zhenyuan Period of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shi, died, and Li Song succeeded him as Emperor Shunzong."

"Wang Shuwen was subsequently appointed as a Hanlin scholar and soon held financial management positions such as assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

"The political reforms of Wang Shuwen and others later caused panic among the eunuchs and reactionary bureaucrats, who colluded with local warlords to launch a frenzied counterattack."

“They forced Emperor Shunzong to abdicate and crowned Crown Prince Li Chun as emperor, and quickly persecuted Wang Shuwen’s group.”

Wen Tianxiang: The construction of Liu Zongyuan's courageous Confucian personality can be divided into two stages before and after he was exiled to Yongzhou.

In the early days, he was an extrovert and more active in the world. When he entered officialdom, he adhered to the Confucian principles of loyalty and righteousness and was filled with an enterprising spirit.

In the later period, he was introverted. As the influence of Taoism and Buddhism deepened, he focused on inner cultivation.

It is required that literature and art demonstrate a spirit of benevolence, broad-mindedness, uprightness and magnanimity, and that the idea of ​​using literature to illustrate the truth be upheld.

These two kinds of brave Confucian personalities ran through Liu Zongyuan's life. The two blended with each other and ultimately elevated his life realm to an artistic sublime level.

Combining Confucianism with the construction of life connotation is an important symbol of Liu Zongyuan's courageous Confucian personality. He is eager to promote his life spirit in the pursuit of Tao.

Liu Zongyuan was born during the period when the Tang Dynasty was declining from its heyday. Warlords were divided and eunuchs were in power. The Liu family also declined from a prominent family to a humble official family.

In order to restore the country's prosperity and the family's glory, he, who had been influenced by Confucian culture since childhood,

I have always held the ambition to serve the country and the people, to save the world and to bring prosperity to the people and leave an everlasting voice.

As soon as he entered the officialdom, he wrote a letter to support the Tai students who had boldly petitioned because they were demoted in Yangcheng for speaking out against the emperor, and expressed his affirmation of this feat.

While praising the courage of the students, he was also encouraging himself to distinguish right from wrong and not to fear power.

At this time, he had just entered the political arena and was full of hope for his future. He was eager to show his talents and practice the Confucian life ideal of self-cultivation, governing the country and pacifying the world.

Under the high pressure of the eunuchs' overwhelming power and the frequent separatist regimes, he resolutely participated in the political reform movement led by Wang Shuwen.

A series of policies were implemented that were conducive to national unity and the people's well-being, and we fought against the dark and evil forces with courage and passion.

Although the reform failed, Liu Zongyuan was demoted to a remote place.

But the heroic and enterprising spirit of sacrificing one's life for the sake of righteousness that he demonstrated was his persistent pursuit of the teachings of Confucius and Mencius.

Liu Zongyuan regarded the promotion of Confucianism as the duty of officials, and believed that being an official and upholding the Confucian doctrine should be combined into one, so that the purpose of being an official can be achieved.

Since officials must practice morality, writers must clarify morality. Therefore, he proposed the idea of ​​using literature to clarify morality.

At that time, the literary world was still dominated by ornate and elaborate parallel prose. In order to restore the ancient prose tradition of the Pre-Qin and Han dynasties, the focus of writing was shifted back from rhetoric to the ideological level.

He and Han Yu initiated the ancient prose movement, which brought a new look to the literary style of the Tang Dynasty.

He stressed that the main purpose of articles should be to clarify the truth, and advocated that articles should strengthen their ideological content, assume corresponding political responsibilities, and play their social, political and educational roles.

Elaborate literary embellishments and excessive pursuit of beautiful words will hinder the communication of the truth.

Only by vigorously promoting Confucianism and Taoism and making the whole society prosperous and peaceful can we realize the ideal of enlightening the world and saving the world.

Against the backdrop of officials being superior to the people and enslaving the people at that time, Liu Zongyuan was able to make such bold and correct remarks, which shows how advanced his thinking was.

He proposed the idea that the people should hire officials with taxes, rather than the officials constraining the people.

Because in his opinion, local officials do not engage in productive labor and rely on the people to support their food, clothing, housing and transportation.

In this case, the people pay one-tenth of their income as taxes, so officials are employed by the people and should serve the people.

This kind of people-oriented thought that transcends the times is the core of the great thought that Liu Zongyuan pursued throughout his life.

This people-oriented thought of caring for the people and focusing on the value of the common people was an important part of Liu Zongyuan's early construction of his courageous Confucian personality.

"Wang Shuwen was then demoted to Yuzhou Sihu, and Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Shaozhou governor."

"In November, Liu Zongyuan received an order on his way to Shaozhou and was further demoted to Sima of Yongzhou."

"In the winter of the first year of the Yongzhen reign of the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan and his mother lived in the Longxing Temple in Yongzhou."

"The following year, Emperor Xianzong Li Chun changed the reign title to Yuanhe and announced a general amnesty, but he also issued an edict declaring that Liu Zongyuan and eight others would not be promoted within the amnesty."

"In the same year, Liu Zongyuan's mother died, Wang Shuwen was executed by the court, and those who opposed the reform slandered Liu Zongyuan as a weirdo."

"At the same time, fires frequently occurred in Yongzhou during this period."

"In five years, Liu Zongyuan's residence was affected by fire four times. Once he escaped in a panic and saved his life."

"The long-term harsh political persecution made Liu Zongyuan miserable and depressed, and his health quickly weakened."

"But this kind of life also made him closer to the people, understand their pain and feelings, and deeply realize the unreasonable phenomena in society and the ugly faces of the powerful."

"During the Yongzhou period, Liu Zongyuan paid attention to the development of the prose movement and guided intellectuals in the southern region to learn prose."

"In addition to studying and writing, he often travels to see the scenery."

"For example, when he first arrived in Yongzhou, he built a window corridor to the west of his residence in Longxing Temple, the West Pavilion, and built the West Pavilion to the west of the temple."

"During this period, Liu Zongyuan made friends with Yuan Keji and others who were exiled to Yongzhou due to political persecution. Sometimes he and his friends would go on long hikes and adventures."

"In the fourth year of the Yuanhe reign of the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan wrote "The Record of the Banquet and Tour to the West Mountain" in the West Pavilion of the Fahua Temple as a memorial."

"Although Liu Zongyuan served as the Sima of Yongzhou, his actual power was very small, so Liu Zongyuan had the opportunity to study ancient and modern classics extensively."

"He critically absorbed the knowledge contained therein, which greatly improved his level of understanding and literary accomplishment."

"He created a large number of theoretical works and literary works, criticizing the dark reality, spreading progressive ideas, and advocating prose innovation."

"After Liu Zongyuan bought land and settled down by the Ran River, he renamed it Yu River and wrote "Eight Yu Poems" and "Preface to Yu River Poems" to commemorate it."

"In the ninth year of Tang Yuanhe, Liu Zongyuan had lived in Yongzhou for nearly ten years, during which time his social cognition, theory and writing level improved and continued to struggle."

"In the tenth year of Tang Yuanhe, Liu Zongyuan unexpectedly received an imperial edict from the emperor, summoning him back to Beijing."

Xin Qiji: Liu Zongyuan's early construction of his courageous Confucian personality ended with the failure of the Yongzhen Reform.

Although the reform failed, the fearless spirit he displayed in his persistent pursuit of Tao and promotion of the spirit of life has always guided him to face reality calmly and objectively, and to resolve difficulties with wit and composure.

Liu Zongyuan lived in the middle Tang Dynasty, when the literary world changed from the majestic and powerful style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty to a bland and peaceful style.

He loved reading articles from the Han Dynasty and greatly appreciated their magnificent style. The magnificent here refers to the purpose and momentum of the article.

Beauty is more reflected in the techniques and words of the article, pursuing a realm of freshness, elegance, sharpness, and purity. Magnificence means beauty in magnificence and magnificence in beauty, presenting an aesthetic style that combines vigor, elegance, and natural freshness.

This aesthetic style reflects Liu Zongyuan's inner sincerity and ideal pursuit.

Many of his works with a magnificent style present a strong and powerful appearance, and his literary techniques are varied, as if they contain an endless inner vitality.

In these works, one can feel his inner majesty and his ideals in life.

Liu Zongyuan's pursuit of magnificent aesthetic taste demonstrates the desire of some knowledgeable people in the middle Tang Dynasty to realize their life ideals and reach their ideal state.

This is not only because these beautiful scenes are located in the wild land of Yongzhou and are extremely difficult to discover, but also because they provide the author with creative materials that inspire his literary talent.

The deeper reason is that the author uses these beautiful landscapes to adjust his soul and find the true meaning of life, thus completing the reconstruction of his spiritual world.

The aesthetic experience generated by the entire tour process can be divided into three levels. The first is the physiological level of comfort.

Mountains, rivers, birds and animals each perform their own performances, and all senses such as hearing, vision and imagination are mobilized to share the leisurely and contented feeling of the flow of life.

Secondly, there is the psychological pleasure. The sound of mountain springs is as clear and pleasant as the sound of beautiful jades colliding.

Liu Zongyuan couldn't help but feel moved, and a feeling of joy instantly spread throughout his body.

From physiology to psychology, the relationship between man and nature has become closer.

Finally, the author reaches a state of unity between man and nature on the spiritual level. Climbing up the West Mountain of Yongzhou, the author sees the colors and hears the sounds, and truly reaches the state of life where he travels with nature.

The superstitious atmosphere in Liuzhou was extremely serious. Liu Zongyuan was extremely opposed to these practices and educated them ideologically, so that the local people stopped killing livestock indiscriminately.

In addition, due to superstition, the people of Liuzhou dare not dig wells and can only draw water from remote places, which is time-consuming, laborious and very dangerous.

In order to change this situation, Liu Zongyuan hired migrant workers to dig wells, using practical actions to prove that digging wells was beneficial and harmless, and Liuzhou changed its superstitious atmosphere.

At the same time, Liu Zongyuan also focused on the development of culture and education, and regarded them as the foundation for becoming an adult and a talent.

Moreover, the uncivilized and superstitious nature of the people of Liuzhou is, to a certain extent, also related to their backward cultural education.

With his own efforts, Liu Zongyuan pushed Liuzhou's cultural education to an unprecedented height, demonstrating his increasingly rich wisdom and constantly improving life realm.

Although Liu Zongyuan's life was short, he was full of positive and enterprising spirit. Whether he was demoted to Yongzhou or Liuzhou, he tried his best to place his life ideals with a forward-looking attitude.

Even though there is a sense of frustration and loss in it, the brave and Confucian personality hidden deep in his heart always guides him to move forward in an attitude that transcends his own existence.

His understanding and emotion about the beauty of life are preserved in the poems and essays he left behind. Through his observation and examination of national politics, social current affairs, daily life, natural landscapes, etc., he gradually realized the true meaning of life and the significance of existence.

His mind is focused and his body is relaxed; he is one with nature and enriches his life with the broad spirit of nature, displaying a transcendent courage. This is his uniqueness in the history of Chinese thought.

"Due to the Wang Shuwen incident, among the eight exiled Simas, except for the deceased who has been transferred, the other five were recalled to the capital this time."

“Although some ruling ministers suggested recalling them on the grounds of their talent, Liu Zongyuan was vilified by senior bureaucrats upon his arrival in Chang’an.”

"In the third month of spring, Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi and others left Chang'an with disappointment, and parted ways after traveling together to Hengyang."

"When Liu Zongyuan first arrived in Liuzhou, he was impressed by the backwardness of Liuzhou's customs and habits compared to those in the Central Plains, the poverty of the people, the poor social order, and the far-reaching influence of superstition."

"We are determined to enact laws to change the face of Liuzhou and guide local residents to develop production and improve their lives."

"Through the joint efforts of the local people, social order in Liuzhou has gradually stabilized, and work such as reclaiming wasteland, repairing streets, and planting trees has been carried out smoothly."

"Liu Zongyuan also founded a school in Liuzhou to provide local youth with opportunities to learn culture."

"The enthusiasm, dedication and moral courtesy of the people of Liuzhou have been widely established. Liuzhou, which was once regarded as a barbaric place by the people of the Central Plains, has now become prosperous."

"One of Liu Zongyuan's noteworthy achievements during his tenure in Liuzhou was helping many slaves to redeem themselves."

"During the Tang Dynasty, bureaucrats, wealthy families and large landowners generally owned many slaves and servants, and they exploited them harshly."

"Due to natural disasters, man-made disasters, heavy taxes and other reasons, poor people are often forced to sell their children or even become slaves themselves."

"It is particularly serious in the south, where poor families cannot pay rent or repay debts, so they mortgage their children to landlords or loan sharks."

"If you fail to redeem it within the time limit, the principal and interest will accumulate, and you will become a lifelong slave."

"Liu Zongyuan devised a system to calculate the wages of slaves based on their working hours. If the wages they received offset the debts they owed, they could redeem their freedom."

“This method was implemented in Liuzhou and nearby areas. In just one year, about a thousand slaves regained their freedom.”

"Liu Zongyuan was already ill in Yongzhou, and after arriving in Liuzhou, his health deteriorated further due to depression and overwork."

"In the 47th year of the Yuanhe reign of the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan died of illness in Liuzhou at the age of only ."

"The death of Liu Zongyuan made the people of Liuzhou feel deeply saddened, and they built a tomb for him the following year."

"Three years later, people built a temple for him in Luochi area to commemorate him forever."

Fan Zhongyan: Liu Zongyuan had a short life and was demoted and frustrated many times, but his attitude towards life was detached.

Liu Zongyuan was born in the capital city of Chang'an. His ancestors had been officials for generations, and the Hedong Liu family was one of the most prestigious families.

Liu Zongyuan was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and experienced a prosperity that ordinary people would never see in their entire lives.

Speaking of the young Liu Zongyuan, he was a man of extraordinary talent. At the age of 21, he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi on his first try, which greatly boosted his reputation.

From then on, Liu Zongyuan entered the circle of upper-level officials.

He was determined to eliminate the darkness and corruption in politics and restore peace and order to the Tang Dynasty.

Liu Zongyuan's political stance destined him to not be a conventional official; he became an important figure of the reformists.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, he placed important positions with people like Wang Shuwen, and Liu Zongyuan was promoted to the position of Deputy Director of the Ministry of Rites because of his similar political views.

After Wang Shuwen and others took charge of the government, they actively promoted innovation and adopted a series of reform measures.

This was the most glorious moment in Liu Zongyuan's life. He and his colleagues vigorously promoted reform measures, hoping to lead the Tang Dynasty into a new situation.

The good times did not last long. With the abdication of Emperor Shunzong of Tang due to illness, the reform, which lasted less than two hundred days, was eliminated from the stage of history due to the joint counterattack of eunuchs and bureaucratic forces. Liu Zongyuan also began his life of demotion.

Being demoted to Yongzhou can be said to be the most important event in Liu Zongyuan's life.

Not only was he a powerless official, he didn't even have a decent residence or office, and could only live in the Longxing Temple in Yongzhou.

Unlike many officials who were demoted, Liu Zongyuan did not beg for mercy or accept his fate.

In a cold and silent environment, the fisherman is not afraid of the cold weather or the heavy snow. He seems to have forgotten everything and concentrates on fishing.

In the snow and on the river, he was lonely, yet so aloof, so awe-inspiring and inviolable.

This fisherman fishing alone in the cold river is probably Liu Zongyuan’s self-image.

Liu Zongyuan stayed in Yongzhou for ten years and finally received the imperial edict to return to Beijing.

Although I don’t know what the future holds, there is at least some hope, so this poem is filled with a sense of joy like a dead tree coming back to life in spring.

Things are unpredictable. Liu Zongyuan would never have imagined that what was waiting for him was another exile.

Due to being excluded by powerful officials, Liu Zongyuan was sent to the more remote Liuzhou, Guangxi to serve as governor.

At that time, Liuzhou was overgrown with weeds, full of miasma, and looked desolate.

Fortunately, the governor was a position with real power. After taking office, Liu Zongyuan immediately devoted himself to his work and did a lot of good things for the local people.

Liu Zongyuan personally led the workers to conduct a survey and used scientific methods to dig a well in the north of the city that is still in use today.

In order to guide the people to engage in agricultural and forestry production, he personally planted tangerine trees in the northwest of the city and wrote a poem to express his aspirations.

In addition, Liu Zongyuan also vigorously guided the development of animal husbandry and sideline industries, shipbuilding and road construction, and house construction, which enabled Liuzhou's cityscape and economy to achieve unprecedented development.

At the same time, he also established schools and gave lectures in person to promote progressive literary ideas and other scientific knowledge.

Because Liu Zongyuan attached great importance to culture and education, a group of intellectuals who were proficient in poetry and books and had a deep understanding of rites and music emerged in Liuzhou.

In Liuzhou, Liu Zongyuan spent the last four years of his life and died at the age of 47.

In order to commemorate this official who had made outstanding achievements and was deeply loved by them, local people built a tomb and Liu Hou Temple for him.

In the star-studded and colorful Tang Dynasty poetry world, Liu Zongyuan is one of the few poems left.

However, he used his unique life experience and thoughts, drew on the artistic experience of his predecessors, and exerted his own creative talent.

He created a unique artistic style and became an outstanding representative of a school at that time.

The ideological content of his poems is close to that of Tao Yuanming's poems, with simple and natural language, elegant style and profound meaning.

Before Liu Zongyuan, although there were some works describing landscapes and gardens by Tang Dynasty literati, they all focused on objective description.

Based on his long-term life experience in the Xiaoxiang Mountains and Rivers, Liu Zongyuan took mountains and rivers as an important subject of reflection and carefully created a series of poetic and picturesque travel notes on mountains and rivers.

In short, Liu Zongyuan's description of the mountains and rivers of Yongzhou has achieved a state of unity between man and nature.

This is a reflection of his special life of exile and unfortunate experiences, thus forming a situational atmosphere that is different from that of his predecessors and successors.

Whether it is a concise note or a long work, it is full of a humanistic attitude of yearning for nature and reveals a profound and great realm.

Although Liu Zongyuan was depressed and frustrated throughout his life, he left many excellent works for later generations and was listed as one of the Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties.

At the end of his life, he used his last talent to illuminate the desolate Liuzhou, which is really admirable. (End of this chapter)