The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

The ancients often said that reading ten thousand books is like traveling ten thousand miles.

In an era when information and communication were underdeveloped, reading and traveling were the best ways to see the world and broaden your horizons.

Especially for writers who are good at writing in a realistic style, only by being exposed to the unique knowledge of ancient and modern times and witnessing the joys and sorrows of the world with their own eyes can they create excellent works.

Zhang Ji, a poet in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, is such a representative.

Zhang Ji was a realist poet. It was said that his most admired poet was Du Fu, and he once burned Du Fu's poems into ashes and ate them.

It means that after eating Du Fu's works, the ink in his stomach can also enable him to write works as excellent as Du Fu's.

Although this matter cannot be verified in history, Zhang Ji's poetry style is indeed similar to that of Du Fu.

It directly describes the ups and downs of real life, and sharply and deeply expresses the desire to own a huge house.

Speaking of Zhang Ji, he was not a famous figure in the brilliant poetry world of the Tang Dynasty, nor did he have any political achievements that would attract the attention of later generations.

But during the decades of his life, his literary talent was well-known.

Many great poets were on good terms with him and praised his works endlessly, which had a lot to do with his rich life insights and experiences.

It can be said that throughout his life, every journey through the mountains and rivers, every period of time, has created outstanding realistic poems and his own rich life journey.

"Zhang Ji was born in a very poor family. He traveled around to study when he was young. After completing his studies, he went to Chang'an to seek an opportunity to change his fate."

"Although he was intelligent and studious, he was born in a low-class family and had no one to recommend him."

"In the end, after many years, there was no success in my career and studies."

"From then on, Zhang Ji began to measure the world with his feet, thinking about the state of life while walking."

"During his travels, he saw the true joys and sufferings of the people."

"He tasted the most real ups and downs in the world. His works during this period mainly described what he saw and heard along the way."

"Although Zhang Ji saw many beautiful things during his travels, he also saw a lot of pain and suffering."

"At that time, wars broke out frequently in the Central Plains, and the people's corvée labor became heavier."

"The cattle and men were used to fight at the front, and the lives of the lower classes were miserable."

"Zhang Ji used the innocent words of a shepherd boy to expose the darkness of the time and the suffering of the people."

"Zhang Ji's similar work also describes the tragic situation of the only male in the family being forced to join the army and then dying on the battlefield, leaving his wife and posthumous child unattended."

"Zhang Ji was deeply moved when he saw the suffering of the people caused by war and political darkness."

"Zhang Ji's years of traveling around were a period when he was eager to seek fame and fortune but failed to achieve his goals. Judging from his poems, he traveled to many places."

"What he saw and heard along the way is an important asset for a realist writer."

"The various aspects of life and human nature he saw along the way also added a sense of compassion and a pursuit of peace to his writing."

"Zhang Ji left many excellent poems in different cities during his travels, and his reputation in the poetry world gradually became louder. The most famous of them is "Autumn Thoughts", a work of homesickness he wrote when he was in Luoyang."

"Seeing the autumn wind in Luoyang City, I want to write a letter with a thousand thoughts in my heart."

“Fearing that I cannot finish my words in such a hurry, I open the letter again before leaving.”

"In this poem, Autumn Thoughts, Zhang Ji writes with deep emotion the thoughts and uneasiness conveyed in a letter from home."

"This poem made Zhang Ji more famous as a poet in his hometown, although he still did not pass the imperial examinations or get a government job."

"But his fame attracted the famous poet Meng Jiao, who later introduced Zhang Ji to Han Yu."

"Han Yu, he is the noble man who changed Zhang Ji's life."

"Han Yu was a man of bold character who made many friends. He recognized Zhang Ji's talent very much."

"It is said that Han Yu also accepted Zhang Ji as his student, although Zhang Ji was a few years older than Han Yu."

"In the second year after Han Yu and Zhang Ji met, Zhang Ji was recommended by Han Yu to take the imperial examination and passed the exam."

"At this time, Zhang Ji was already over 30 years old. I thought this poor boy who had been wandering for many years would be able to work and live a stable life in the future, but I never thought that his life was still in difficult mode."

Su Shi: Zhang Ji has an important influence in the poetry world. The path a person has walked is the world he has seen.

Everyone loves the early Tang Dynasty with its moonlit night on the spring river and the prosperous Tang Dynasty with its natural talents, but few dream of the middle and late Tang Dynasty when the emperor fled nine times.

However, in the 289-year history of the Tang Dynasty, the decadent middle and late Tang Dynasty still left us with unforgettable feelings.

A pair of bamboo shoes and a rattan stick became the poet Zhang Ji's support as he walked forward in the tangled web of the Mid-Tang Dynasty.

Bamboo shoot shoes made of bamboo shoots are simple, easy to obtain and very practical.

Zhang Ji's life was as humble yet resilient as bamboo shoots.

Zhang Ji had a rough life. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 33 but failed to become an official. He was barely able to get a job in the government at the age of 40.

He could not afford medical treatment due to low salary and remained blind for more than 10 years.

After I turned 50, my life became stable and my career started to improve slightly.

He is an outlier among poets, but he is also the epitome of literati in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. He has experienced many things, but he still remains steadfast in himself.

When the poet Zhang Ji was a child, he was a die-hard fan of Du Fu and burned all of Du Fu's poems to ashes.

Then mix the ash and honey together, take 3 spoons every morning at regular intervals.

Once, a friend went to his home to see him and saw what Zhang Ji did.

When his friends heard this, they burst into laughter and said that Zhang Ji was a fool.

Perhaps because of his crazy habit of eating ashes when he was young, Zhang Ji's poem "Autumn Thoughts" has some of the flavor of Du Fu, and stands out among many poems about autumn thoughts.

The autumn wind is seen in Luoyang city, and the desire to write is full of inspiration.

I'm afraid that I can't say it all in a hurry, and the travelers are about to open the gate again.

A letter from home was given to the messenger.

But when the messenger was about to leave, he opened the letter again, fearing that there was something he hadn't finished saying.

This seemingly ordinary little thing is full of true feelings and infinite longing for relatives and hometown.

After the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty declined, but Du Fu never realized the importance of Confucianism.

If there is no Confucian restraint between the ruler and his subjects, and the local governments do not listen to the central government, the country will not be a country.

Du Fu's devotion to Confucianism also influenced the poet Zhang Ji, who agreed with Du Fu's idea of ​​"never forgetting the emperor at every meal". Zhang Ji also firmly defended and supported the central government.

Du Fu understood human nature, cared about people's livelihood and had great sympathy for the people's hard lives. This concern for the country and the people also profoundly influenced Zhang Ji.

"After Zhang Ji passed the imperial examination, he was not appointed to any official position for five years and continued to travel around."

"In the end, he managed to get a position as the Taizhu of the Taichang Temple, a ninth-rank official, a typical low-ranking official."

"Zhang Ji has been in this position for more than ten years."

"During this period, his life did not improve at all and he remained poor."

"Coupled with his eye disease, his poems are full of helplessness and frustration about his own life."

"Zhang Ji once described his own economic situation in this way: Being an official is like a dream, while being poor and working is like living in the village."

"I finally got a job as an official at my old age, but I am still as poor as a villager."

"In 'Early Spring Leisure Tour', he described his predicament of not going out for years due to poverty and illness."

"Occasionally, when he came across a beautiful early spring scene, he could only go and see it reluctantly. His living conditions made it a luxury for him to even be able to appreciate the scenery."

"Although Zhang Ji traveled extensively in his early years, he was also a wanderer in a foreign land, but at least he still had a healthy body to travel through mountains and rivers."

"And now Zhang Ji is in a low-ranking official position, with no hope for his career."

"My meager income is not enough to support my family, and my health is getting worse and worse. It seems that I am always on a path that fate does not favor."

"Fortunately, although Zhang Ji is only a ninth-rank official at this time."

"But his influence on the poetry world at that time was quite significant. Poets like Meng Jiao, Han Yu and Bai Juyi were all his friends."

"Friends not only often expressed their praise for Zhang Ji's literary talent, but also often expressed their sincere comfort for his current predicament."

"These friendships during the low points of life were finally a little comfort to Zhang Ji, and also some of the warmth rarely seen in his works during this period."

"Whether it's the rainy weather and the long nights, or the leaking wind and rain in the dilapidated house, Han Yu can understand all the troubles and loneliness in life."

"For Zhang Ji, Han Yu was not only a noble man in his career, but also a confidant to whom he could confide his true feelings."

"In addition, many of Zhang Ji's friends also wrote poems to express their dissatisfaction and comfort for his unfulfilled ambitions, the most famous of whom were Bai Juyi and Meng Jiao."

"Meng Jiao directly expressed his dissatisfaction with Zhang Ji's situation in his "Letter to Zhang Ji."

"He thought that such a talented person had never seen the emperor, lived in a remote area far away from the palace and government affairs, and lived like a blind man." "But he persuaded Zhang Ji that although his ambitions were difficult to achieve at the moment, he should take good care of his health and wait for opportunities in the future."

"Bai Juyi also lamented that Zhang Ji was born at the wrong time and experienced many hardships in his "Reply to Zhang Taizhu's Letter in Late Autumn When She Was Ill."

"It shows that Zhang Ji's talent was buried, and it also expresses dissatisfaction with Zhang Ji's low official position and his inability to see a bright future."

"During the ten years of his career as a Taizhu, Zhang Ji saw the ups and downs of life and the fickleness of the world."

“Both material life and spiritual aspirations are always in a state of poverty and struggle.”

Ouyang Xiu: Before Zhang Ji entered official career, he met two most important benefactors, one was Meng Jiao and the other was Han Yu.

In the Tang Dynasty, in order to become an official, in addition to passing the imperial examination, one also needed the recommendation of high-ranking officials.

The 30-year-old Zhang Ji finally met Meng Jiao in Hezhou. This year was the proudest time for Meng Jiao.

At the age of 46, he finally passed the imperial examination and realized his dream of riding a horse at full speed and seeing all the flowers in Chang'an in one day.

Two years later, Meng Jiao introduced another important benefactor to Zhang Ji - Han Yu.

In Bianzhou, Meng Jiao introduced Zhang Ji to Han Yu. Han Yu had a keen eye for talent and he also valued Zhang Ji very much.

The following year, the 33-year-old Zhang Ji finally passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, and that year Han Yu happened to be the Jinshi examiner in Bianzhou.

Han Yu once wrote that there are many good horses, but there are few good horse trainers. But for Zhang Ji, Han Yu was the good horse trainer.

To Zhang Ji, Han Yu was both a teacher and a friend.

In Zhang Ji's difficult life, Han Yu was always there helping him find a job and get promoted.

When Han Yu was approaching the end of his life, Zhang Ji was still by his side.

The two men admired each other very much. Among the Tang poems handed down by Han Yu, there are more than 20 poems related to Zhang Ji.

Passing the imperial examination does not mean that one will have a smooth career.

After Zhang Ji passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, misfortune awaited him.

After passing the imperial examination and returning home, Zhang Ji's mother died of illness, but after the mourning period, he still did not receive any appointment from the court.

Without a job or source of income, Zhang Ji could not even afford to eat and had to borrow rice from his neighbors. His life was extremely difficult.

It wasn't until 6 years later that he finally became an official and got a job.

But with a meager salary, it is still extremely difficult to support a family.

Poverty is sometimes the biggest disease, which can cause a series of chain reactions.

Because he had no money to see a doctor, Zhang Ji's health deteriorated and he even suffered from a serious eye disease.

The ten years he spent as Taizhu were the most difficult, sad and bitter years in Zhang Ji's life.

The court's indifference to Zhang Ji made him even more heartbroken. He was even dismissed from office and lived in seclusion due to eye disease.

Plagued by illness and with so much talent but unable to display it, one can imagine how depressed Zhang Ji must have been.

As long as you can hold on through a difficult life, perhaps the sun will rise again.

"In Zhang Ji's life, perhaps he briefly experienced the joy of passing the imperial examination."

"But more often than not, they are walking in the misery of frustration and frustration."

“These exceptionally difficult experiences in his life also gave his poetry more depth and connotation.”

"Zhang Ji's rough life finally saw some improvement later, thanks to Han Yu's recommendation."

"Zhang Ji served as a doctor in the Guangwen Academy of the Imperial College, and was later promoted to the director of the Imperial College, a fourth-rank official position."

"It can be said that the former ninth-rank official has finally made it through."

"However, Zhang Ji's past experiences have long made him a person who is not easily shocked by fame or disgrace."

"He has seen life at its most difficult, and now it seems like things are turning around."

"In the ups and downs, his heart experienced twists and turns, but he finally returned to peace."

"When Zhang Ji was working at the Imperial College, Li Shidao, the governor of Pinglu, Zibo and Qing, offered him an olive branch, hoping that Zhang Ji would be employed by him."

"Li Shidao is a very popular figure, ruling a region and having a huge fortune."

"Bai Juyi was banished because he wrote a letter to the emperor demanding severe punishment for the murderer who assassinated Prime Minister Wu Yuanheng. The murderer in this case was Li Shidao, which shows that his actions had a huge influence at the time."

"At that time, Li Shidao was trying to win over and bribe talented people everywhere in an attempt to expand his power."

"Such an invitation is like putting one's feet in heaven and hell."

"On the one hand, if you submit to Li Shidao, then you will definitely receive gold, silver and treasures."

"On the other hand, if I offend Li Shidao, my fate may be the same as Wu Yuanheng's."

"Faced with this dilemma, Zhang Ji's response was to write a poem that seemed to be about love between a man and a woman, 'Song of a Chaste Wife', which became one of Zhang Ji's representative works."

"This is a poem written by a married woman who rejected the pursuit of another man. It is actually the process of Zhang Ji's euphemistic rejection of Li Shidao."

"Zhang Ji's life experience over the past few decades has long made him not care about material things. He has seen all kinds of hardships and suffered all kinds of setbacks along the way. Naturally, he would not be attracted by Li Shidao's sugar-coated bullets."

"At the same time, his poem 'Song of the Chaste Wife' was a subtle way of rejecting Li Shidao by writing about the relationship between men and women. It did not directly offend Li Shidao. It was probably his way of dealing with things after he had seen a lot."

"If Zhang Ji's life were summed up in one word, it would probably be poverty."

"When I was young, I wandered around in poverty. When I was middle-aged, I experienced the ups and downs of officialdom in poverty. When I was old, I retired to the mountains and rivers in poverty."

"Yet, although he was poor financially, in some ways he was very rich spiritually."

"He has read thousands of books, traveled thousands of miles, gone through the ups and downs of life, and seen the ups and downs of life."

“It allows him to write more authentic, more profound work.”

"This made his colleagues at the time and later generations who read his poems marvel at the various aspects of life he portrayed in his writing."

Xin Qiji: The difficult and embarrassing life did not crush Zhang Ji, but instead made Zhang Ji have more insights and thoughts about the real people's livelihood.

Wearing bamboo sandals and leaning on a rattan stick, it took Zhang Ji 10 years to get out of the mud. In his later years, Zhang Ji reached the peak of his career.

At the age of 50, Zhang Ji was transferred to the Imperial College as an assistant professor. After his eye disease had just recovered, he was appointed as a secretary a few years later.

At the age of 55, he was recommended by Han Yu as a doctor of the Imperial College, and was transferred to the Deputy Director of the Water Department, and then to the Director of the Ministry of Rites.

In his later years, Zhang Ji held increasingly high positions, but he remained conscientious and provided support to the younger generations.

In his later years, Zhang Ji, because of his great literary reputation, was poached in the workplace. The governor Li Shidao wanted to pay a large sum of money to recruit Zhang Ji as his aide.

This was a slap in the face of boss Zhang Ji, but it was also an affirmation of Zhang Ji's abilities.

In the late Tang Dynasty, the central government's power shrank drastically and it could no longer control the local areas. The military governors in various places commanded their own troops.

At that time, many important officials of the court, including some literati, joined the military governors in order to make a living.

Li Shidao, the governor of Zibo and Qingzhou, was extremely powerful at one time.

He assassinated Prime Minister Wu Yuanheng, won over important officials and literati in the court, and was quite arrogant.

Li Shidao wanted to win over Zhang Ji to serve him. As Han Yu's most senior disciple, Zhang Ji wholeheartedly supported the central government and naturally opposed the separatist rule of the feudal lords.

But Li Shidao was extremely powerful, and if he refused flatly, he might lose his life.

Zhang Ji adopted a more tactful approach. He wrote a poem to Li Shidao and politely declined his invitation.

On the surface, it is a love poem, telling the story of a young woman who refuses to be flirted with.

If you meet the right person at the wrong time, you will end up being strangers to each other.

Although I have feelings for you, I'm sorry, I'm already married.

But behind it is a poem that expresses the poet's persistence in not serving two masters.

Most men of letters are proud and most of them uphold the integrity of serving only one master throughout their lives.

During the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the entire country seemed to be sick, and the poets of this period were particularly tormented.

In such an environment, it is very difficult to uphold one's own personality and protect oneself.

Unstable work, low wages, no money for medical treatment, and poverty were once the portrayal of Zhang Ji, a poet in the mid-Tang Dynasty.

He struggled in difficult situations and wailed in the times.

Wang Anshi once commented that his poems seem ordinary but are most extraordinary, and that they are easy to achieve but are actually difficult.

But Zhang Ji's life was also like this, every step was not easy. (End of this chapter)