Ep. 175 | Su Dongpo
In this 175th episode, Laszlo gives the great Northern Song jack-of-all-literary-trades Su Dongpo the once over. This isn’t meant to be a deep dive into the reasons for all his renown in literature, calligraphy, and painting. Instead, this is just a “popular Chinese historical” overview of who he was and the times he lived in.
And for those who never heard of him, this is a good intro. In America, we have Washington Irving, Mark Twain, Hemingway, and so on. In China, Su Dongpo would be mentioned when rattling off their best of the best of the literary world.
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Terms in Episode
| Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Cai Jing | 蔡京 | Long serving chancellor to Emperor Huizong |
| Cai Tao | 蔡绦 | Son of Cai Jing who had the audacity to say something nice about Su Dongpo |
| Cai Xiang | 蔡襄 | 1012-1067 One of the great calligraphers of the Northern Song |
| Cao Cao | 曹操 | King of Wei, one of the Three Kingdoms |
| Changzhou | 常州 | City in Jiangsu |
| Chao Buzhi | 晁补之 | One of the four scholars famous for being part of Su Shi’s gang |
| Cheng Pu | 程普 | Another of Sun Quan’s main generals |
| Cheng Yi | 程颐 | One of the pride of Luoyang, Chinese philosopher |
| Chengdu | 成都 | Ancient capital of Shu Kingdom, now capital of Sichuan |
| Chibi Fu | 赤壁赋 | Ode to Red Cliffs, famous poem by Su Shi |
| Ci | 词 | One of the three main types of Chinese Poetry, like lyric poetry |
| Danzhou | 儋州 | Coastal city in Hainan just west of Haikou |
| Dongpo | 东坡 | Eastern slope |
| Dongpo Jushi | 东坡居士 | Dongpo, the retired scholar or Buddhist |
| Dongpo Rou | 东坡肉 | Dongpo Pork |
| Dongpo Shuyuan | 东坡书院 | The Dongpo Academy |
| doucha | 斗茶 | “Tea Battles” that were popular during the Song |
| Empress Dowager Gao | 高太皇后 | 1032-1093 Empress of Northern Song emperor Yingzong, regent for Zhezong during his minority |
| Fu | 赋 | One of the three main types of Chinese Poetry, like rhymed prose |
| Haikou | 海口 | Capital city of Hainan |
| Hainan | 海南 | Island province off the coast of Guangdong |
| Han | 汉 | 206 BCE – 220 CE Ancient dynasty of China |
| Han Shi | 寒食 | is the holiday that occurs right before Qingming in April |
| Han Shi Tie | 寒食帖 | Su Shi’s most famous calligraphic work, now hanging in the National Palace Museum in Taipei |
| Han Yu | 韩愈 | 768-824 – Tang essayist and poet. Major influence in development of Chinese literature |
| Hangzhou | 杭州 | Capital of Zhejiang and of dynasties past. Su Dongpo served there twice |
| Henan | 河南 | Province in north China where it all began |
| Hou Chibi Fu | 后赤壁赋 | The Later Ode to Red Cliffs, famous poem by Su Shi |
| Huang Tingjian | 黄庭坚 | 1045-1105 artist, scholar, official, a great Northern Song Master |
| Huanggang | 黄冈 | City just east of Wuhan in Hubei Province |
| Huangzhou | 黄州 | Former name of Huanggang, now a district of that city |
| Hubei | 湖北 | Central province in China, capital is at Wuhan |
| Huizhou | 惠州 | City in Guangdong where Su Dongpo served a stint |
| Huizong | 徽宗 | The Northern Song emperor who “lost China” to the Jürchens |
| Jiangsu | 江苏 | Coastal province just north of Zhejiang |
| Jin | 晋 | 265-420 Ancient dynasty of China |
| Jin | 金朝 | The Jin Dynasty of the Jürchens 1115-1234 |
| jinshi | 进士 | The highest degree that allowed you to fill the top positions in government |
| Kaifeng | 开封 | Capital of the Northern Song dynasty 960-1127 |
| Leshan | 乐山 | City in Sichuan |
| Liu Bei | 刘备 | Emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms |
| Liu Zongyuan | 柳宗元 | 773-819 Tang waster of prose and poetry |
| Lou Wai Lou | 楼外楼 | Not the best restaurant in Hangzhou but one of the most famous. Been around over one hundred fifty years |
| Lu Su | 鲁肃 | Politician and general who worked for Sun Quan |
| Luoyang | 洛阳 | City in Henan and former ancient capital of past dynasties |
| Meishan | 眉山 | City south of Chengdu, birthplace of the Three Su’s, Su Xun, Su Dongpo and Su Zhe. |
| Mi Fu | 米芾 | 1051-1107 Great Song painter and calligrapher |
| Min River | 岷江 | Yangzi tributary river in Sichuan, famous for the Duijangyan irrigation system |
| Ni Zan | 倪瓚 | the late Yuan-early Ming painter |
| Nian Nujiao Chibi Huaigu | 念奴娇赤壁怀古 | Remembering Chibi, Su Shi’s third poem in this series about Red Cliffs |
| Northern Song | 北宋 | 960-1127 |
| Ouyang Xiu | 欧阳修 | 1007-1072 Northern Song statesman, historian, calligrapher, literatus extraordinaire |
| Qin Guan | 秦观 | 1049-1100 – Northern Song writer and poet. Also one of the four scholars famous for being part of Su Shi’s gang |
| Shenzong | 神宗 | 1048-1085 – Northern Song Emperor and Wang Anshi supporter |
| Shi | 诗 | The general word for all Chinese poetry but also a specific kind of poetry as well |
| Sima Guang | 司马光 | 1019-1086 Conservative Song scholar and official, writer of the Zizhi Tongijan |
| Song | 宋 | 960-1279 Ancient dynasty of China |
| Song Si Jia | 宋四家 | the Four Great Calligraphers of the Song |
| Su Di | 苏堤 | the Su Causeway across West Lake in Hangzhou |
| Su Dongpo | 苏东坡 | 1037 – 1101 Our subject in this episode |
| Su Men Si Xueshi | 苏门四学士 | The Four Scholars at Su Shi’s Gate |
| Su Shi | 苏轼 | Su Dongpo’s birth name |
| Su Xun | 苏洵 | 1009-1066 – Great man of letters and Father of Su Shi and Su Zhe |
| Su Zhe | 苏辙 | 1039-1112 – Brother of Su Shi, also a great man of letters |
| Sui | 隋 | 581-618 Ancient dynasty of China |
| Sun Quan | 孙权 | Emperor of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms |
| Tang | 唐 | 618-907 Ancient dynasty of China |
| Tang Song Ba Da Jia | 唐宋八大家 | “Eight Great Men of Letters of the Tang and Song Dynasty |
| Wang Anshi | 王安石 | 1021-1086 – Song statesman and father of far reaching reforms. Also a great literary figure in his day. |
| Wang Fu | 王弗 | 1039-1065 – First wife of Su Dongpo |
| Wang Runzhi | 王闰之 | 1048-1093 2nd wife of Su Dongpo |
| Wang Xizhi | 王羲之 | Arguably referred to as the greatest of Chinese calligraphers |
| Wang Zhaoyun | 王朝云 | 1062-1095 – 3rd wife of Su Dongpo |
| Wutai Poem Incident | 乌台诗案 | In 1079, a poem by Su Shi got him in trouble and exiled fron the capital |
| Xin Fa | 新法 | The New Policies championed by the Shenzong Emperor and Wang Anshi |
| Xu Wei | 徐渭 | Ming painter painter |
| Yan Zhenqing | 颜真卿 | 708-785 Great calligrapher of the Tang and one of the greatest of all time |
| Ya’an | 雅安 | Great tea city near Chengdu in Sichuan |
| Yuan Mei | 袁枚 | Qing dynasty scholar and artist |
| Yuanyou era | 元祐 | Conservative era in Emperor Zhezong’s reign that lasted 1086 to 1093 |
| Zeng Gong | 曾鞏 | 1019-1083 – Great prose master of the Song |
| Zhang Lei | 张耒 | 1054-1114 One of the four scholars famous for being part of Su Shi’s gang |
| Zhejiang | 浙江 | Province in east China |
| Zhezong | 哲宗 | Northern Song emperor, Reigned 1085-1100 |
| Zhou | 周 | 1046 BCE – 256 BCE Ancient dynasty of China |
| Zhou Yu | 周瑜 | One of Sun Quan’s main generals |
| Zhuge Liang | 诸葛亮 | Great Shu-Han strategist during Three Kingdoms Period |
| Zizhi Tongjian | 资治通鉴 | the “Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance” A monumental historical work covering Chinese history from 403 BCE to 959 CE |
| Zuo Zongtang | 左宗棠 | Hunan-born general from the Qing, the man who brought us General Tso’s Chicken |
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