The re-acquaintance of the Song Dynasty

1. The founding situation of the Song Dynasty

1. The general trend of the world is divided into north and south

In the Zhao and Song dynasties, I think it can basically be summed up simply by the eight words "born in adversity and long in adversity".

In the middle of the 20th century, there has been criticism of the overall national strength of the Zhao and Song dynasties as "poor and weak", and Mr. Qian Mu's "Outline of National History" lamented that the Song Dynasty was "poor and difficult to treat" and "weak and weak", and many textbooks later followed this statement. To a certain extent, this generalization reflects the historical characteristics of the Song Dynasty of "being born in adversity and growing up in adversity".

In the history of the Song Dynasty, there was indeed a situation of "poverty" and "weakness". In the Song people's statement, "poverty" is usually from the perspective of people's livelihood rather than from the country's financial expenditure; "Weak" refers to the weakness of the DPRK in the foreign competition. The two refer not to the same level; The emphasis and criticism of related phenomena reflect the persistence of problems and the sense of distress of the people.

The historical period in which the Song Dynasty lived always faced very severe external pressure. The Zhao and Song dynasties were not a unified dynasty in the strict sense, in the words of the Song people, "the general trend of the world is divided into north and south", in fact, it is another period of "northern and southern dynasties" in Chinese history, and the north has always had Khitan, Dangxiang, Jurchen, Mongolia and other ethnic regimes coexisting with it. The territory of the Song Dynasty was the smallest of all the major Chinese dynasties; When it came to the Southern Song Dynasty, the Huaihe River-Dasanguan line was used as the border between Song and Jin, which was even more peaceful.

The 10th to 13th centuries were another important stage in the history of China. In this historical period, relative to the Song Dynasty, the Liao established by the Khitan nation, the Xia established by the Dangxiang nation, and the Jin established by the Jurchen nation were no longer subordinate ethnic regimes in the surrounding areas, but had grown into minority dynasties that could compete with the Zhao and Song dynasties in political, military, and economic aspects for a long time.

The core position and leading role of the Central Plains Dynasty are no longer reflected in the leadership of the great cause of unification, but in the far-reaching influence of the political system, social economy, ideology and culture. If we look at the north-south confrontation from the 10th to the 13th centuries from the perspective of the Eurasian continent, we will see a rather different scenario: the Central Plains Dynasty, which was regarded as a marginal region, was actually in the middle zone and junction on the Eurasian continent, where many ethnic groups intermingled and mixed. The northern peoples of the Khitan, Jurchen and Mongolia were precisely the core forces connecting the northern and southern continental belts and galloping through the east-west transportation routes at that time. Such an external environment brought heavy pressure and stimulation to the history of the Song Dynasty, and also brought a profound impact.

It is under this overall pattern that since the Tang Dynasty, the focus of foreign trade exchanges in the Central Plains has gradually shifted to the southeast coast, and the "Maritime Silk Road" that we often talk about has appeared. In fact, from the archaeological discoveries, we can clearly see that the main trade products of the "Maritime Silk Road" are no longer silk, but a large number of porcelain, as well as some gold and silverware, iron and even books. The "Nanhai No. 1" unearthed from the waters of Yangjiang in Guangdong Province a few years ago is an example in this regard.

2. The overall pattern of internal and external troubles

The history of the Song Dynasty presents many seemingly contradictory phenomena, and from this point of view, it can also be said that there is a very open space for research in this period. We have not only seen the brilliant achievements in the economy, culture, and system building in the two Song and Song dynasties in the past three hundred years, but also painfully felt the desolation of the end of the dynasty. In such an era, on the one hand, there was an emperor like Song Huizong, who loved art, and deliberately pursued and exaggerated the "peaceful and prosperous era"; On the other hand, this period was not a period of 300 years of peace, but was always accompanied by the challenges of the external environment.

The sluggish military strength of the Song Dynasty has always been criticized. Some scholars have pointed out: "Looking at the important battles of the two Song and Liao, Western Xia, Jin, and Mengyuan wars, if measured by the two basic forms of offensive and defensive wars and the purpose of the wars between the two sides, the military defeats of the Song basically occurred in the offensive campaigns launched by the Song, while the Song achieved good results in defensive battles against attacks from Liao, Western Xia, Jin, and Mongolia in the territory." "The weakest and most untested aspect of the entire strategic structure of the Song Dynasty was the abrupt shift from peace to strategy." This kind of military passivity is closely related to the basic national policy of "guarding the internal and external affairs" and "strengthening the cadres and weak branches" since Song Taizong: the focus is on preventing internal chaos and passive defense externally.

Related to this, the relationship between the civil and military forces in the Song and Song dynasties, especially the policy of "emphasizing literature over military force", has become a topic of concern. This issue should be understood in a specific historical context. The so-called "martial arts" should not be general and chaotic, and if we can observe them separately from the levels of military strategy, force, and martial arts, our feelings will be very different. As we all know, in the face of a powerful northern regime, the Song people knew that "today's situation, the country is established by soldiers", and the Song Dynasty could not ignore force if it wanted to establish a country; Song Taizu and Song Taizong's vigilance and restrictions on the commanders of the forbidden army were not a manifestation of "light force", but in view of the lessons of the five dynasties, they were clear about the interests and disadvantages of military generals to the regime, and their thoughts on managing the army were mainly used to prevent mutiny.

For a long time, the Song court had both the side of entrapment, utilization, marriage, and generous treatment of military generals, as well as suspicion that went deep into the bone marrow. The court's appointing orientation can be said to be advocating literature and suppressing martial arts. This policy not only had an important impact on the government but also on the people, and even formed a social trend of "emphasizing literature over military force." The people, scholars, and soldiers of the Song Dynasty who fought in the frontier supported such an era with their backbones. These heroes also have their spiritual sustenance and interest in life. Taking Yue Fei's "Man Jianghong" and Han Shizhong's "Linjiang Immortal" as examples, we can clearly feel that they have both the generosity and tragedy of the fierce in the battle, as well as the sigh and leisure of the past. During this period, multiple and complex life situations presented in all aspects.

To say that the Song Dynasty was "born in adversity and grew up in adversity" is not just from the perspective of war and political confrontation. From the temperature curve of the Yellow River Basin, we will notice that the turn of the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty was in a significant trough period. If the frost-free period in the Yellow River basin was drastically shortened and the agricultural harvest was reduced, this would have an adverse impact on the financial lifeline of the imperial court. On the other hand, the nomadic people who have been active in the northern grasslands for a long time live in search of water and grassland, and when the traditional areas of residence continue to be cold and arid, they will migrate to warmer places, and this great migration will lead to friction, conflict and even war between nomads and agricultural peoples. In the era of cold weapons, the cavalry of the nomads was very strong in combat and would pose a serious threat to the Central Plains Dynasty. This is the side of "time".

Let's look at the "location" side. After the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yellow River was relatively peaceful for a long time, and in the Tang Dynasty, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and large-scale farmland reclamation led to serious soil erosion. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Yellow River frequently broke its mouth, and the Song Dynasty continued such a situation. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the Yellow River swung northward, and once seized the estuary of the sea and entered the sea; At the turn of the Song Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, due to human factors, the Yellow River once seized the mouth of the Huai River into the sea. The vast area between the two was once a yellow flood zone, and the main agricultural producing areas suffered greatly.

Under the unfavorable situation of "time and place", the economy of the Song Dynasty still made great progress. United Kingdom historian Mark Elvin argues that during this period in the Middle Ages in China, there was an "economic revolution." Many scholars in China have similar discussions, such as the so-called "green revolution" in this period from the perspective of the development of traditional agriculture; From the point of view of the formation of a business network for the masses, there is a "business revolution"; Judging from the emergence of the world's earliest paper money, that is, "Jiaozi", there has been a "monetary revolution"; In addition, from the perspective of changes in urban form and urban appearance, there is also an "urban revolution"; Judging from the prevalence of printing and the promotion of the dissemination of knowledge, there was an "information revolution" during this period; Related to this, there is also the so-called "scientific and technological revolution" brought about by the improvement of gunpowder and compass technology. Personally, I don't think it's appropriate to call it "revolutionary", because these developments are not subversive changes, but evolution on the basis of long-term accumulation, but this period did take place in terms of economic and cultural progress.

3. "Discipline Guidelines" and "Calling for Harmony"

The Song Dynasty was not the most powerful period in Chinese history, but it was a prosperous period of civilization development. In terms of the breadth of the territory, what the Song Dynasty accomplished, compared with its predecessors, was not a unity in the true sense; However, the depth and control of its internal rule are difficult to compare with those of the previous dynasties. Since the Song Dynasty, there has been no serious division and division in Chinese history. This is directly related to the "law of the ancestors" of the Song Dynasty, which focused on preventing malpractices.

The political situation in the Song Dynasty advocated stability and fine-tuning, and "stability first" was the core goal of imperial court politics. Researchers generally believe that the Song dynasty was "the most enlightened among the Chinese dynasties", and the Song court did not intervene too much in folk culture, economic undertakings, and social life. "Discipline Outline" and "Summoning Peace" are the two key axes of Zhao and Song Dynasty's ruling policies and measures. "Discipline Outline" (or "Outline of Discipline") is actually the legal system, laws and regulations, and systems; The so-called "harmony", in the minds of the Song people, is a kind of sympathetic between heaven and earth, yin and yang, natural operation of harmony and harmony. The interaction of these two axes formed the political tone of the time.

Let's try to take the imperial examination (tribute) system as an example to see the specific practice of the Song Dynasty's "Discipline Outline" and "Calling Harmony" to complement each other. The imperial examination appeared in the Sui Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty was relatively mature; The Song Dynasty examination system was more rigorous and more open-minded. At that time, technical operation methods such as sealing (obfuscating names) and transcribing were developed. The seal is to seal the name, place of origin, etc. filled in the examination paper, and only after the marking is completed and the admission ranking is decided, can the seal be opened, the name can be checked, and the results will be announced, so as to prevent the examiner from cheating for personal gain. Later, the candidates' test papers were transcribed separately, and the examiner only looked at the copy when marking the papers; In order to avoid transcription errors, it is necessary to find some people to check it. Blurring names and transcriptions is undoubtedly a concrete embodiment of the strictness of the system, allowing us to see the practice of sparing no expense at that time; In addition, the system is designed so tightly that it aims for a certain degree of justice. This practice makes the imperial examination system relatively fair, so that young students from ordinary people have more opportunities for promotion. The Song people once said: "Only the name is fair, and the lonely cold should seek this." In other words, people who come from relatively poor backgrounds and have no family background should strive to take the road of the imperial examination and seek the opportunity to advance.

Can practices such as "obfuscating names" bring "justice"? There is an example of the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty: in the third year of the Yuan Dynasty (1088), Su Shi was appointed as the chief examiner of the imperial examination. This year, Li in the "Six Gentlemen of Sumen" happened to participate in the imperial examination. Because the writing styles are familiar with each other, everyone feels that Su Shi is sure to select Li's essay from among the candidates. But when the examiner finished judging the paper and dismantled the list, Li was not on the list. This made Su Shi and Huang Tingjian, who was also an examiner, feel very regretful, and they wrote poems to see him off. The strictness of the system makes it difficult for the examining officer to operate even if he has the heart to take care of it.

It is precisely because of the tightening of the system that the imperial examination can be successfully opened to more people. Ouyang Xiu called the imperial examination system in the Song Dynasty "ruthless as creation, and fair as weighing." This statement may be overestimated, but it can be seen that people at that time expected the imperial examination to be like a trade-off, regardless of personal feelings, and the public was the most upright. In an ideal state, the spirit of establishing a "discipline outline" to meet the call for "harmony" permeates the system process; The adherence to the system has become the guarantee of "calling for harmony". In the early and middle Northern Song Dynasty, some "Hanjun" scholars were able to rise on the political stage under this background, showing the courage to dare to do things in the world.

4. The place of the Song Dynasty in ancient Chinese history

As for the position of the Song Dynasty in the long river of ancient Chinese history, some masters of Chinese culture since modern times have made clear evaluations.

In the early 20th century, the Enlightenment thinker Mr. Yan Fu once said:

The ancients liked to read the first four histories ("Historical Records", "Book of Han", "Book of the Later Han", "Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms"), and also used their words. If you study the changes in people's hearts and political customs, the history of the Zhao and Song dynasties is the most suitable to study. Therefore, China has become a phenomenon today, and it is not for good or evil, but for the Song people, and it can be asserted.

Mr. Chen Yinke, a famous historian, outlined the development of Chinese culture, saying:

The culture of the Chinese nation has evolved over thousands of years and was created in the Zhao and Song dynasties. After fading, it will eventually recover.

Mr. Qian Mu, a master of Chinese culture, compared the social changes in various historical stages and pointed out:

On the changes in China's ancient and modern society, the most important thing is in the Song Dynasty. Before the Song Dynasty, it could be roughly called ancient China; After the Song Dynasty, it was for the descendants of China. As far as the Song Dynasty is concerned, the political, economic, and social life have changed compared with the previous generations.

The statements of several gentlemen, although from different perspectives, all focus on the changes of this era, including changes in people's hearts, political customs, cultural prosperity and decline, and changes in ancient and modern society. It also reminds us to pay attention to the characteristics of the times in this period, and to the changes that have occurred in the process of long-term evolution.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, overseas Chinese studies have made great progress, and European, American and Japan scholars have published some research works and popular historical books on the Song Dynasty. For example, in the fifth volume of the Cambridge Chinese History Series, the Song Dynasty emphasizes that the Song Dynasty was the beginning of the modern era in the field of political and cultural affairs. In the "History of China" series of Kodansha in Japan, the Song Dynasty section was written by Mr. Takeshi Kojima with the title "The Rush of Chinese Thought and Religion." The book "The Age of Confucian Rule: The Transformation of the Song Dynasty" in the "Harvard History of China" series, by Dieter · of the University of Würzburg, Germany Professor Dieter Kuhn, who argues that the most important concern in Song's "transformation" is "the era of Confucian rule". Although the content of these writings covers a wide range and can be called "polyphony", the discussion of the Song Dynasty is relatively focused on the ideological and cultural aspects.

On the whole, the Song Dynasty was in an important transition period in Chinese history, facing many new problems and challenges from within and around the country, and it was not a period of strong national power in ancient history. However, during the two Song and Song Dynasty and three hundred years, the mainland's economic and cultural development was at the forefront of the world, and it was one of the most advanced and civilized countries at that time. The outstanding achievements of the Song Dynasty in material civilization and spiritual civilization, its unique achievements in the system, and its contribution and influence to the development of human civilization make it worthy of being a glorious stage of civilization prosperity in history.

2. The cultural atmosphere of the Song Dynasty

1. Popularization, secularization, and human culture

From the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, on the one hand, there was a very clear continuity in social form, culture and scholarship, and on the other hand, of course, there were obvious differences in trends. Ge Zhaoguang once said in his book "Taoism and Chinese Culture" that Tang culture was "the pinnacle of classical culture", while Song culture was "the promiscuity of modern culture". The difference between the two, if summed up in a simpler way, is that there is a trend of "popularization, secularization, and human culture". The so-called "transformation" is not a "completion tense", but a "continuous tense", which refers to a trend, which to a large extent shaped the characteristics of Song Dynasty society and culture.

The so-called civilianization means that ordinary people have more opportunities for survival and development than before, and receive more attention from society. In this historical period, unlike the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the early years of the Tang Dynasty, people's identity background was relatively weakened, and the political ecology of the aristocracy and the gate valve system basically ceased to exist. Some scholars of the past believe that the Tang Dynasty was an aristocratic society and the Song Dynasty was a commoner society, and I prefer to use the expression "towards commoners". Secularization, mainly refers to the orientation of focusing on worldly life. With the rise of folk beliefs, Buddhism has undergone a process of "Middle Earthization", and traditional religions such as Buddhism and Taoism have gradually adapted to the needs of real society and secularized their teachings. Human culture refers to being more concerned about the value of "people" themselves, the social value orientation is relatively rational, and paying attention to people's upbringing and growth.

2. The growth of the Shu scholars

These trends are reflected in many ways. First of all, from the perspective of the growth of the scholar class, as mentioned earlier, the imperial examination system for selecting officials in the Song Dynasty was more fair and open than that in the Tang Dynasty, giving many "handsome people" from civilian backgrounds the opportunity to rise. Like Lu Mengzheng, who was the prime minister when Song Taizong, used to study in Luoyang Longmen Lishe Academy when he was young, and wanted to buy melons in hot weather, but he was shy in his pocket and couldn't pay a few pennies, so he could only pick up melons that the melon sellers had unintentionally left behind. Later, after he won the high school championship in the imperial examination and became the prime minister, he bought a piece of land in the original place where he picked up melons, built a pavilion, and built a plaque "melon pavilion" to show that he did not forget the poverty of the year, and also to inspire the poor students. Fan Zhongyan lost his father and mother when he was young, and when he was young, he also lived by eating porridge and pickles in the monastery, known as "broken tooth painting porridge", and later he was also admitted to the Jinshi and served as the governor (deputy prime minister), promoting the Qingli New Deal.

The imperial examination system led to a certain degree of mobility between social classes, and a new social order was established. Those who live in government do not have the guarantee of generational succession; However, the qualifications and abilities of the common people who lack family background have been more recognized in society, those who stand out in the competition have been able to enter the official career, and the overall quality and structure of the civil service team have improved. Fan Zhongyan's "The Story of Yueyang Tower" said: "Don't be happy with things, don't be sad with yourself; The height of the temple is worried about the people; Far away from the rivers and lakes, you are worried about it. It is a worry about advancing and a worry about retreating. But when will it be? It must be said, 'The worries of the world are worried, and the joy of the world is happy'." Wang Anshi criticized the current dynasty in the "Words and Deeds of Emperor Shangrenzong", "the internal cannot be free from the worries of the society, and the external cannot be without fear of Yidi, the world's financial resources are becoming poorer and poorer, and customs are declining day by day." Zhang Jun warned: "The ministers are too worried, thinking that after a few years, the people's strength will be exhausted, the financial resources will be lacking, the soldiers will be old, the people's hearts will be separated, the loyal ministers and martyrs will be destroyed, and internal and external troubles will still arise, what will Your Majesty do?" And so on, not only because of their personal moral sentiments, but also because in the hearts of these scholars, the "world" is the world of China, the world of the ministers, and the world of all surnames, not the world of the emperor himself. For this "world", the scholars have a deep concern and a sense of responsibility from the bottom of their hearts. And a large number of those who failed in the imperial examination actually bear the responsibility of cultural enlightenment and popularization.

Compared with the talents of the previous dynasties, the two Song scholars had more comprehensive abilities in articles, scriptures, political affairs and other aspects. Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui during the Tang Dynasty, Yao Chong and Song Jing during the Tang Dynasty, these people were outstanding politicians, but few writings were circulated in the world; The talented Li Bai and Du Fu have no chance to enter the political arena. The Song Dynasty was different, with Fan Zhongyan, Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, and Su Shi and others being talented and having also played a role in politics. At that time, scholars not only regarded themselves as cultural and moral subjects, but also consciously regarded themselves as political subjects and took the world as their own responsibility.

3. Urban space and the rise of the civic class

Comparing the capitals of the Tang and Song dynasties, we will intuitively feel the different meteorological and landscape environments presented by the two types of urban patterns. Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty was established on the basis of Daxing City in the Sui Dynasty, which is the result of overall design, with a symmetrical pattern, a square and orderly city, and a very strict order of respect and inferiority. Qi Dongfang, a teacher who participated in the archaeological excavation of Chang'an, said that the city of Chang'an in Tang Dynasty was semi-militarized. Kaifeng City in the Song Dynasty was very different, with a long alley market, mixed government and residential buildings, and a relatively open atmosphere. The same is true of Lin'an in the Southern Song Dynasty. There are many literary works such as notes depicting the prosperous scene of the capital city of the Song Dynasty, and there are also famous surviving picture scrolls, such as the "Qingming Riverside Map" that describes the urban landscape of Kaifeng in Tokyo in the late Northern Song Dynasty, which everyone is very familiar with. For Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, the notes at that time, such as "Menglianglu", "Wulin Old Things", "West Lake Old Man Fansheng Record", etc., all described the prosperous scene of the market inside and outside Hangzhou.

There were many merchants, handicraftsmen, and eunuchs in the city, and in order to manage these permanent residents, the Song Dynasty set up the "Fangguo household" as the legal household registration for the first time, and the urban household registration appeared in history. In the past, the strict division of the status of farmers and businessmen was frequent, and "the poor were rich and the noble were low, and they all prospered and declined." The trend of civic thought with "mercantilism" as the core gradually emerged. The commerce of the two Song Dynasty was prosperous, and the emergence of the city broke the time and space limitations of the previous generation of market transactions, and portable banknotes became the needs of the market. With the development of private industry and commerce, the competition among peers has become increasingly fierce. The wide application of commercial advertisements and logos marks a new stage of social and economic development.

As we know, the urban culture of the Tang Dynasty was largely concentrated in the court and monasteries, and many public cultural activities were held around the monasteries. In the Song Dynasty, there were various cultural activities displayed on the cross streets, and the secular culture and the culture of the market began to shine during this period. Including storytellers, tea-drinkers, and jugglers on the roadside, which are lively and lively. Teahouses, restaurants, alleys and neighborhoods have all become spaces for scholars to call friends and friends, and places for mingling. What we see in "The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" and what we read in "Tokyo Menghualu" will make us notice that there are many public spaces in the city where scholars and people interact and gather with each other.

4. The downward shift of the literary center of gravity

During the Song and Song dynasties, the focus of literature gradually shifted downward, becoming a remarkable phenomenon in cultural history. The so-called "downward shift of literary gravity" mainly refers to the expansion of literary genres from poetry to lyrics, songs, and novels, which have a closer relationship with the market; The main body of creation expanded from the scholar literati to the Shu literati, and then expanded to the literati in the market; The recipients of literature expanded to the general public as well as to the wider general public. At that time, in the streets and alleys of the city, there were some artists who told history and storytelling, who were not only the disseminators of the storyline, but also the enrichers and participants in the creation of literary works. And the ordinary people living in the market have also become direct appreciators and recipients of literature and art. With the development of the urban economy, the rise of the citizen class, the secular culture shines, in the road thoroughfares, tile hook fences, there are storytellers, jugglers, history, there are also street tea drinking activities, these are all important signs of the prosperity of citizen culture.

In the late Tang Dynasty, the lyrics began to come out of the Qinglou Chu Pavilion, and by the Song Dynasty, it had become a grand spectacle. Take the Northern Song Dynasty lyricist Liu Yong's "Eight Voices of Ganzhou" and "Fixing the Storm" as examples, the former "sprinkled the river sky with the twilight rain and washed the autumn", expressing the author's sorrow about wandering in the rivers and lakes and the sadness of frustration in his career; The latter "since spring, miserable green and red, the heart is a matter of cocoa" reflects the life pursuit and inner feelings of folk women. From this, we can see the aesthetic fashion of the Song Dynasty lyricists who coexisted with "elegance" and "slang".

Li Bai in the Tang Dynasty and Su Shi in the Song Dynasty were both first-class writers, Li Bai's "Wanglu Mountain Waterfall" and Su Shi's "Title West Forest Wall" are all masterpieces of singing about Lushan. Just as Mr. Qian Zhongshu said, the Tang people paid attention to the mountains and rivers, and the Song people pursued humanistic imagery, muscles and bones.

In the minds of the Song people, it is generally believed that poems are suitable for serious and solemn themes, and words are suitable for expressing charming and delicate emotions. Take the famous female lyricist Li Qingzhao as an example, she lived at the turn of the Song Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, and lived from comfort to exile, and had a deep feeling for the social state at that time. Her poem "Wujiang" and the lyrics "Shengsheng Slow" have different content themes and different genre choices. However, Song Ci not only has a graceful and fresh style, Su Shi, Xin Qiji and others have many bold and free lyrics, which set off the splendid grand view of Song Ci. There was a little story that said:

Dongpo is in the jade hall, and there are shoguns who are good at praising them, because they ask: "What are my words better than willow words?"

He said: "Liu Lang has to be a girl of seventeen or eighteen years, holding the red tooth clapper, singing 'Yang Liu'an, Xiaofeng Wanyue';

The public is overwhelmed.

5. The Rise of Song Studies

When it comes to the evolution of the cultural atmosphere of the Song Dynasty, it is inseparable from the understanding of Song Studies and Confucianism. In my understanding, the connotations of the four concepts of "Song Studies", "Neo-Confucianism", "Lixue" and "Taoism" have gradually narrowed. In other words, all the academic achievements of the Song Dynasty were included in Song Studies; Neo-Confucianism is the mainstream of Song studies, focusing on the reinterpretation and interpretation of the Confucian classics of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties. The most representative school of Neo-Confucianism is Lixue; Taoism mainly refers to the faction of the Ercheng brothers and Zhu Xi, which is the mainstream school of science.

At that time, Neo-Confucianism represented a new idea and a new culture. The so-called "new" mainly refers to the new interpretation of Confucian classics, reflecting the deep pursuit of "reason" and "Tao". When we talk about science or Taoism now, we will feel that it is a kind of restraint on people's thoughts, but in the Song Dynasty, it was a kind of ideological innovation and the result of the emancipation of the mind. At that time, these representatives of Neo-Confucianism regarded "reason" as a fundamental pursuit and placed it above the position of transcendence.

Zhu Xi has an explanation for "reason", he said: "Everything in the world must have its own reason and its own natural rule, the so-called 'reason'." What he means is that the state of everything and its operation have their own internal causes, and they all run through fundamental laws and laws; Such a fundamental law and law runs between heaven and earth, between the human world, and between all things, and is coherent and permeable. It is worth noting that the scholars of the Song Dynasty did not put their knowledge on the shelf, they were also practitioners of politics. Physicists have permeated their understanding and pursuit of "righteousness and sincerity", or such a realm and a principle, into their studies and in their political styles.

As Mr. Yu Yingshi said, in fact, "politics" and "learning" are eclectic, not only Zhu Xi, but also the two Song scholars. Political culture is a flexible concept that encompasses both politics and scholarship, and points out the inseparable connection between the two. Not only that, but the concept has a transpersonal connotation, which can envelop the style of the times embodied by the group of scholars.

6. Scholarly activities

The popularization of cultural knowledge and literary works needs to rely on specific technical means, such as the development of engraving printing, which has become one of the important conditions. At that time, not only the national eunuchs and local government schools, but also private home halls, private schools, and bookstores in society could have stereotyped books. Song people, such as Xing Yu and Su Shi, once mentioned the help of printing technology for the spread of knowledge, saying that "today's board is a great preparation, and the Shishu family has it, and the Confucianism is also lucky." The Southern Song Dynasty historian Wang called the Shaoxi engraved copy of "The Eastern Capital Affairs", and there is a plaque at the back of the catalogue that says: "Meishan Chengshe Mansion is published, and the boss has not allowed to reprint it." It can be seen that there was a clear awareness of "copyright protection" at that time.

Through activities such as reading, imperial examinations, eunuchs, creation, teaching, and travel, the literati and doctors of the Song Dynasty formed a variety of types and different levels of social circles, which were important interpersonal networks at that time.

At that time, the social activities of these scholars were very prosperous. Various forms of gatherings such as the Truth Association, the Senior Citizens Association, the Nine Elders Association, the Fellow Villagers Association, and the Annual Meeting, have emerged in an endless stream. Sometimes, "six or seven elderly people meet in the famous garden and ancient temple in the city, and make an appointment: the fruit is only five things, the food is not five products, and the wine is not counted." It is easy to supply if it is thrifty, and it is easy to continue it if it is simple. The fate is called 'Truth Meeting'". The teahouses and wine shops in the city have become places for literati to socialize and "meet friends". The relevant record of "Menglianglu" mentions: "The Bianjing delicatessen hangs famous paintings, so it seduces the audience and lingers with the diners." Today, the Hangzhou tea shop is the same, inserting flowers at four o'clock, hanging celebrity paintings, and decorating the storefront. …… A place where all the doctors and friends meet. Alleys and neighborhoods, with their own tea bottles along the door to order tea. ”

Not only in these urban public spaces, we see that some private gardens and pavilions have also become places for scholars to make friends and visit them. Like the flower gardens in Luoyang, the gardens in Suzhou, and many celebrity residences also have frequent communication activities, such as the Zhongyin Hall in Suzhou City, the Le'an near Kunshan, and the Nunnery on the shore of Songjiang. Historically known as the "hermitage", on the shore of the Matsue River. The king of the Yi people has a super vulgar taste, and he lives here. Enclose the rivers and lakes to enter the garden, so there are many willow ponds and flower islands, the scenery is beautiful and wild, and it is famous in all directions. For a while, the famous places and pleasures are all inscribed poems". At the time, people thought that "the heart is idle and quiet", and the "senior virtue and Confucian" who made friends from all over the world and returned with a crown often went back and forth to entertain, "the joy of wine", and "entertained himself with pictures of scripture and history".

Biography for Li Gonglin's "West Garden Elegance Collection" and Mi Fu wrote the "West Garden Elegance Collection", which has long been known to everyone. The Northern Song Dynasty "West Garden Collection", which has always been passed down as a good story, is a grand event where some elite figures like Su Shi, Su Zhe brothers, Huang Tingjian, and Li Gonglin gathered in the palace of the king of the horses to write poems and inscriptions. On the occasion of the exchange, sencha tea, drinking wine and chanting poetry, Mi Fu praised: "The characters have hair, each with its own shape, its own understory flavor, no dust." "There is some controversy in the academic community about this picture and its inscription; There are also different opinions on whether there really is such an "elegant gathering". In fact, after all, the painting scroll is not a photograph, not a copy of the scene, it is likely to be the presentation of the painter's "gathering". Moreover, from Wen Yanbo's poems, we read his praise for the "Luozhong Tongjia Society", "This meeting has never been sincere, and Luozhong should make a picture biography", which shows that there may indeed be such paintings at that time. Wang Shipeng of the Southern Song Dynasty also mentioned: "Together with colleagues in Junzhai, boil Huishan Spring, cook Jianxi tea, and drink Qu Tang Chun." "Literati and doctors often linger in this kind of happy scene. Scholars also gave tea sets, wine vessels, plum blossoms, and new tea as important gifts.

Scholars in the Song Dynasty may have engaged in a variety of official duties, engaged in a variety of social activities, and had a lot of time to spend alone and meditate. "Burn incense to lead the quiet step, drink tea and open the feast." The "four idle things" of the Song people - burning incense, ordering tea, hanging paintings, and arranging flowers are the embodiment of the interest in life, and they are also the elegant skills of daily life. "Leisure" does not only refer to the idleness of time, but also refers to the abundance and calmness of the mood. Although incense, tea, paintings, and flowers were not unique to the Song Dynasty, the Song people endowed it with the artistic conception and charm of "elegance", and these "things" carried their inner understanding of "elegance". In different spaces and different cultural atmospheres, a rich way of life has been developed, and the diversity of scholars has also been demonstrated.

Through the comparison of the figures in the images and sculptures of the Tang and Song dynasties, we can also see the trend of popularization, secularization and human culture in the Song Dynasty. Most of the characters in the paintings and sculptures of the Tang Dynasty were emperors, ministers, and upper-class figures, and even ordinary ladies were plump and leisurely. In the Song Dynasty, there were a large number of paintings and sculptures depicting the working life of the lower classes, reflecting the attention of the people of the time to the living conditions of the common people. The presentation of the human figure is getting closer to reality, and it also reflects from one side what kind of image the painters and craftsmen of the time thought had a sense of beauty and was worthy of presentation.

The textual content such as epitaphs and biographies of the Song Dynasty has also moved from gorgeous and superficial to life and personalization. From the interpretation of classics, historical chapters to literary works, and notes, they are all more focused on the pursuit of the value of life. In writings such as local chronicles, the focus has gradually shifted to paying attention to rural sages and local feelings. All these show the trend of human culture.

3. The pursuit of artistic conception

1. Both elegant and vulgar

Mr. Tao Jinsheng once made such a statement in his "New History of the Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties":

In this era, the Chinese attach equal importance to ideals and reality, and have both elegant and vulgar tastes. In terms of politics and military affairs, respecting the king is the ideal, while the politics of scholars and compromise with Liaojin are the reality; In terms of ideas, the interpretation of Confucianism by theorists is idealistic, and the reformers attempt to put the ideal into practice (which is opposed by the rationalists); As far as literature and art are concerned, the elegance of words and the artistic conception of literati paintings are ideals, while the development of popular songs and novels is the need to adapt to reality.

Mr. Tao argues from different aspects, we will not discuss politics and military affairs today, but only focus on the cultural life and way of thinking of the Song people.

Zeng Minxing's "Solitary Awakening Magazine" has such a record:

At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, the valley and Dongpo and Qian Mu's father traveled to the Jingshi Baofan Temple. After the meal, the valley is made of cursive paper, and the eastern slope is very appreciated. Father Mu watched from the sidelines and said: "The word of Lu Zhi is close to vulgarity. The valley said, "Why? Father Mu said: "There is no other, but I have not seen the true traces of Huaisu." Gu was suspicious and refused to write cursive for others.

This little story makes us feel the sensitivity of people at that time to "elegance" and "vulgarity". However, on the whole, under the general environment of the Song Dynasty, which tended to be popular, "both elegant and vulgar", exquisite and slang, became the prominent characteristics of the times.

In terms of culture, the elegant and popular style should be influenced by the subtle influence of Zen Buddhism since the Middle and Tang Dynasty. Zen Buddhism emphasizes the importance of holding a normal mind, focusing on the "present", emphasizing that Buddhism is permeable and universal in the world, and the so-called chopping wood and carrying water are nothing more than the Tao. The emergence of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty was actually very directly related to the influence of Zen Buddhism. It is precisely in the process of colliding and conflicting with Buddhist and Taoist theories, excluding each other on the one hand, and absorbing each other on the other, that Neo-Confucianism has truly grown.

When we see Buddhist writings like the Jingde Chuan Lantern Record, they say:

Those who interpret the Tao are nothing more than the Tao by walking, living, sitting and lying down; Those who have realized the Dharma are nothing more than the Dharma at ease.

The Northern Song Dynasty physicist Er Cheng said:

Everything makes sense. For example, the reason why the fire is hot and the water is cold is that it is reasonable for the monarch and the minister, father and son.

At that time, these characters conceptually felt that the relationship between heaven and earth was "nothing more than the Tao", walking, living, sitting, lying, vertical and horizontal were all Tao, and everything was reasonable. This is also like what is said in the "History of the Song Dynasty · Taoism", between heaven and earth, "between the surplus and the load, there is no one who and nothing is not the Ze of the Tao". This "Tao" permeates the daily life of the people, and "daily use is not known". In other words, the influence of Neo-Confucianism permeated all aspects, and the daily life of the Song Dynasty scholars, including their daily ways of traveling, was intertwined with the ideas in their minds.

These consciousnesses permeated the lives of the Song Dynasty scholars. As Mr. Yang Zhishui said, in addition to political life, the relatively independent living space belonging to scholars has become more and more distinct, and the content has become richer and more concrete. "The Song people extracted elegant tastes from the details that originally belonged to daily life, and thus laid the tone of elegance for later generations." At that time, "elegance was ordinary everywhere", and life and folk sayings may have their elegant taste, which can be put into paintings and poems. Su Shi said: "Poetry must be done and then composed, and things should be used to be new, and vulgar to be elegant." Huang Tingjian also said: "Take the vulgar as elegant, take the old as the new, and win a hundred battles, such as Sun Wu's soldiers." ”

Wang Anshi's six-character poem "Title West Taiyi Palace Wall", recalling the past, feeling the vicissitudes of the world in a plain way:

Thirty years ago, my father and brother took my things.

Today, I came back to Baishou, and I was fascinated by the traces of Chen.

Huang Tingjian's "Second Rhyme Wang Jinggong's Theme on the West Taiyi Palace Wall" also makes readers feel the poet's aftertaste of right and wrong, and his pursuit of reason:

The wind is crying, and the rain is coming.

Is it really not safe? The north of the world is seen as the south.

The Southern Song Dynasty poet Yang Wanli's poem "Guiyuanpu" was called "my favorite read" poem by Hu Shi:

Ten thousand mountains are not allowed to run a stream, and the sound of the stream is noisy day and night.

At the foot of the mountain in front of you, the dignified stream comes out of the front village.

These essays express profound philosophical thinking with elegant ideas, simple language, and common sayings.

2. The artistic conception in the painting

Elegance and vulgarity are interconnected, and poetry, calligraphy and painting are also interconnected. Su Shi once said:

Poetry can't be exhausted, overflowing into books, and changing into paintings.

When we talk about the art and aesthetics of the Song Dynasty, the cultural traces left by the Song people that can really be directly "touched" today are the historical books that we are familiar with, which are the calligraphy and painting works, unearthed artifacts and Song Dynasty architecture. Among them, both calligraphy and painting works contain the learning and sentiment of the cultural elite at that time.

The paintings of the Song Dynasty are very helpful for us to observe the social and cultural life of the Song Dynasty and understand the thinking world of the scholars. Art history, which was supposed to be an important part of historiography, is now artificially separated. Of course, historians and art historians have different perspectives on paintings. Art historians often "pull" out the picture scrolls in a specific context to conduct focused situational analysis; Historians, on the other hand, tend to "push" calligraphy and painting materials into a specific context, as a "window" to observe the times. The paintings not only reflect scenes of life, but also have "political themes"; The painting may be a manifestation of power, or it may be a form in which power comes into play. The creative activities, the collection and appreciation of calligraphy and paintings, and the compilation of calligraphy and painting scores may themselves contain political implications. The artistic talents of concubines, ministers, and painters may all become a kind of political capital. The Song Dynasty has always been known for the prosperity of court painting, the active professional painters, and the formation of literati painting trends. Many of the paintings of the Song Dynasty are political propaganda posters, either showing the authority of the imperial system, respecting the inferior order, or rendering the auspiciousness of saintliness and virtues, or admonishing the current politics, which are vivid reflections of the political ecology of the time, and also make us pay attention to the efforts to guide public opinion and occupy the commanding heights of culture through paintings. For example, the Northern Song Dynasty Renzong's "Guanwen Jian Ancient Map" and "Three Dynasties Xunjian Tu" directly served the political goals of the imperial court and were used as illustrated teaching materials for "imperial studies", and were also regarded by the Song people as historical materials for understanding the sacred politics and ancestral stories of the dynasty. In addition to paintings related to the court or court affairs, local officials in the Song Dynasty would use drawings as a means of admonishing the people; Scholars who are far away from the rivers and lakes will also express their hearts in pictures either directly or humorously. Literati paintings, appreciation, gifts, and collections are also permeated by efforts to build interpersonal networks. Even literati paintings, which seem to be detached from politics, are the result of a specific political and cultural environment, and reflect a direct or indirect response to the political situation of the time.

As a layman who appreciates calligraphy and painting, from my point of view, I will feel that the paintings of the Song Dynasty, especially landscape paintings, may present the way and perception of the painters who "looked at the world". Huang Tingjian connects the scenes of the world with the world and the natural world, saying:

People have to travel to the wind and the moon, and the picture of the sky is the country.

The "wind and moon" mentioned here not only refers to the beautiful scenery, but also refers to the state of relaxation and happiness. Traditional Chinese landscape paintings, unlike Western landscape paintings that depict real scenes, are "sentimental landscapes", focusing on the expression and communication of inner emotions. Scholarly paintings were an amateur pastime of literati, and their techniques could not be compared with those of professional painters, but because of this, it was easier to express their hearts and minds.

Some scholars have pointed out that when people today refer to picture scrolls, they usually say "looking" at the painting, but the ancients would say "looking". What does it mean to "contemplate"? In "Shuowen", it is said that "view" is a kind of "true vision", which refers to gaze and scrutiny, not perspective in the sense of sketching, but gaze and insight that contains inner understanding. The "lofty", "far-reaching" and "flat-reaching" landscape paintings are actually from the panoramic experience of the mountains and rivers in the hearts of the painters and viewers. This way of "looking at the world" reflects their "view of the world". Because of this, when we talk about the artistic conception of Song painting, we think of painting, poetry, and mood, which are interconnected and integrated.

3. The beauty of "simplicity".

The art of the Song Dynasty has many outstanding characteristics, including both a delicate and dense style and a refined and simple charm. For example, the figure painting of Liang Kai, a painter in the Southern Song Dynasty, has a fine brush and a simple brush, and his simple figure paintings reflect the interest of "Zen meditation", which is frank and concise, and the so-called "Xiao Xiao several brushes" and "spirited".

The porcelain of the Song Dynasty is also permeated with the classical charm of elegant and concise aesthetics, timeless and deep. Song porcelain is mostly pure color, not as magnificent as the porcelain of later generations, but it brings us a sense of elegance and nature, and opens up a new realm of ceramic aesthetics.

Simplicity is one of the important characteristics of Song Dynasty art, and the beauty of simplicity is infiltrated in paintings, porcelain and many other utensils. When Liu Anjie of the Southern Song Dynasty talked about the major policies of the country, he also proposed that the "rule of the king" should be "simple and detailed, and extensive to the covenant". In other words, in terms of governing the country, scholars also believe that simplicity is a reasonable way worth advocating. This concept permeated all aspects of social life at that time.

Of course, taking porcelain as an example, we will also see that at the same time as the elegant and dignified style, there are also rough and simple utensils, vulgar and mediocre styles, such as some porcelain with the words "forbearance", or "filial son" and "good wife", these utensils must also be loved by secular people.

Through many examples, we can see that at that time, the two of elegance and vulgarity coexisted, and to some extent it should be said that they were integrated. There are paintings of the Song people that depict the life of the market, and there are also works that describe the life of the market in literature. This vividly reflects the cultural customs or cultural characteristics that run through the two Song Dynasty.

4. Diverse integration

As mentioned above, the social environment of the Song and Song dynasties was complex and changeable, with periods of peace and war, and prosperity and hardship were actually intertwined. In this overall atmosphere, including the diversity of the composition of the scholar group, the diversity of life content, the diversity of ideology, and the diversity of artistic taste, all became typical phenomena of the society at that time. At one time, Yingjie not only had the heroic spirit and enthusiasm when he fought on the battlefield, but also the tenderness of the world and the feelings of children in daily life. In terms of artistic interest, "the taste of Yasao" and "the voice of Zheng Wei" coexist, the twin peaks of artisan painting and literati painting stand side by side, and there is no lack of secular care in literati works, and the market works may also be full of bookish atmosphere. All these phenomena show the dual cultural character of the Song people's life as one and multifaceted, elegant and vulgar.

Even if the same character is the same, it is possible to embody rich cultural content and multiple cultural characteristics in his creative practice. Taking Xin Qiji as an example, we know that his life was quite bumpy, there was a temporary peace in the midst of hardship, and the style of his personal literary works is also diverse, reflecting the passionate generosity of the battlefield, and also reflecting the feelings of the world in daily life. He has bold and sad lyrics, expressing ambition and inner resentment, like "Drunk to pick up the lamp and look at the sword, dream back to blow the horn company camp." Eight hundred miles of fire, fifty strings turned over the outside sound, and the autumn soldiers on the battlefield"; There are also graceful and beautiful lyrics, outlining scenes of folk life, such as "the thatched eaves are low, and the grass is green on the stream." Wu Yin is good in drunk, who is white-haired", and so on. The diversity of styles and the complementarity of elegance and vulgarity were not contradictory things in the eyes of people at that time, but formed an atmosphere of mutual nourishment and complementarity in culture.

Sun He, a famous minister of the Song Dynasty, put forward to Song Zhenzong the principle of "both elegance and vulgarity, and the old and the new are listed" in his "On the Official System", which was considered to be the key to "establishing the foundation of government and mentioning the discipline of the hundred divisions", that is, the key to system construction and governance. From this, we can see that in terms of the concept of the times, in daily cultural life and political life, there are both elegance and vulgarity, simplicity drives detail, and the new system and old traditions absorb and complement each other, and all aspects are integrated.

It is recorded in "Zhu Zi's Language" that during the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi talked to his students and said:

Heaven and earth and saints are all the same, the essence is found from the rough bottom, and the truth is popular from the qi. Although it is a coarse substrate, it is nothing more than a rational insight. Heaven and earth and saints are the same.

Therefore, fine and coarse, rational and qi, elegant and vulgar should all be juxtaposed, gradually deepened, and invented by each other.

Han Wei in the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty said in his poems: "Elegance and vulgarity are not different, and the ancient faith is for a while." Liu Kezhuang, a literati in the late Southern Song Dynasty, also said in the inscription of "Fang Junfu's Small Manuscript": "If the meaning is ancient, although the vulgar words are elegant, the Chen characters are also new, and the idle words are also police." What they mean is that from ancient times to the present, "elegant" and "vulgar" can accumulate and nourish each other and communicate with each other; As long as the intention is high, it can present the effect of "pointing". Such elegant and vulgar tastes in the Song Dynasty brought new breath, new interest and new vitality to the literary world and even social life at that time.

Fan Zuyu, a historian in the middle of the Northern Song Dynasty, once said: "The ancient sages all put learning first and entertainment as beauty." The so-called "entertainment is beauty" reminds us of the words of Confucius recorded in the Analects: "Ambition is in the Tao, according to virtue, according to benevolence, and play in art." It is to the effect that we should take "Tao" as our ambition, "virtue" as the basis, and "benevolence" as the basis, and act within the scope of the six arts.

"Swimming in art" can be said to be the way of group activities of the Song Dynasty scholars, their attitude to life calmly, the way they are immersed in the practice of skill cultivation, and their artistic pursuit and mood artistic conception with both elegance and vulgarity. Their cultural accomplishment and aesthetic taste have been sublimated in the overall spiritual pursuit of "aspiring to the Tao, according to morality, and relying on benevolence". As Zhu Xi said, "between daily use, the end of the day, and the internal and external support." Through such cultural cultivation, we hope to achieve a lofty state of life. Retro innovation at the same time, reflecting the cultural practice of the daily life of the Song people; Both elegance and vulgarity are related to the Song people's cultural consciousness of harmony and abundance.

To sum up, in the Song and Song dynasties, in the face of severe internal and external challenges and life pressures, the scholars and people burst out with perseverance and tenacious vitality, unremittingly pursued a better life, and created rich material and cultural wealth and touching spiritual heritage.

As mentioned earlier, the basic environment for the founding of the Song Dynasty can be said to be a historical period of "born in adversity and long in adversity"; Against this backdrop, the Song Dynasty still made many economic and cultural achievements, which were inseparable from the active activities of the scholars and the people. In the process of moving towards civilianization, secularization, and human culture, scholars' understanding of their own cultural activities is actually understood under the overall framework of "aspiring to the Tao, according to virtue, relying on benevolence, and playing in art".

Text/Deng Xiaonan