If even Fan Zhongyan's "worry before the world is worried, and be happy after the world is happy" is just a show, then there will be only hippies in the world, without solemnity, only the deconstruction of righteousness. , without feelings of family and country and social responsibility.

So, why is Fan Zhongyan's "worry about the world's worries first, and rejoice after the world's happiness" not just a show? This is because, in the process of writing "Yueyang Tower", Fan Zhongyan can truly feel his deep love for the country and the nation, and his deep hatred when the country is weak and the nation is bullied. His patriotism and national justice can be clearly seen in the writing of this article. How did Fan Zhongyan write the eternally famous text "The Story of Yueyang Tower"?

Fan Zhongyan, courtesy name Xiwen, was born in Wuxian County, Suzhou (now Suzhou, Jiangsu Province). He passed the Jinshi title in 1015 and entered the official career from then on. When Fan Zhongyan became an official, the Song Dynasty followed the rules and maintained peace for a long time, which led to "poverty and weakness", crises and dangers. For this reason, in the third year of Qingli (1043), Song Renzong transferred Fan Zhongyan back to the capital from the front line of Shaanxi Province and served as the deputy prime minister (deputy prime minister), asking him to come up with a reform plan.

Fan Zhongyan was very familiar with government affairs, had his own views on the country's ills, and had his own ideas on reform. He proposed to Song Renzong "clearly depose the emperor, suppress luck, select officials, promote fine tribute, and equalize power." Song Renzong asked him to come up with specific measures to implement the reforms according to these ten reform measures, including "public land, military preparation, agriculture and mulberry cultivation, reduction of corvee labor, Qin Enxin, and emphasis on orders". As a result, the "Qingli New Deal" was fully rolled out.

Some of these reform measures are to recuperate the people, some to strengthen the military, and some to reform the administration, and most of them are targeted. However, when the reform measures were gradually implemented in some areas, they affected the interests of many princes and nobles, and opposition became rampant. Under everyone's opposition, Song Renzong could not persist, and the reform ended in failure.

Since it failed, reformers will naturally be ostracized. In the fifth year of Qingli (1045), Fan Zhongyan was demoted to Pizhou (now Binxian, Shaanxi) and then to Dengzhou (now Dengzhou, Henan). In Dengzhou, Fan Zhongyan carefully sorted out the experience before and after the reform. He was very disappointed, sad and angry, and his mood was very complicated.

The next year, his good friend Teng Zijing, who was exiled to Yuezhou (today's Yueyang, Hunan), sent a letter with a "Late Autumn Picture of Dongting" and asked Fan Zhongyan to write a note about the newly rebuilt Yueyang Tower. Fan Zhongyan's eyes lit up, and he felt that he had found a scenery that could express his inner depression. He thought of his schooling years, his experience of speaking out unscrupulously for the sake of the country and willing to die rather than remain silent. He thought of the excitement and passion of the reform. Of course, he also thought of the failure of the reform and the failure of the reform. reason. He finally found this opportunity to release his emotions without being criticized.

In fact, Fan Zhongyan has never been to Yueyang Tower in his life, but with "Dongting Late Autumn Picture", he built a similar world in his heart but where he can vent his anger. We can carefully compare the relationship between reform and the sentences in the "Yueyang Tower": For example, because the road to reform was full of ups and downs, there are "dark winds howling, turbid waves emptying", "the dusk is dim, tigers roar and apes cry" in the record. Because he was framed, he was "worried, slandered, afraid of ridicule, his eyes were filled with desolation, and he felt extremely sad".

In his youth, Fan Zhongyan established the lofty ideal of "not being a good minister, but being a good doctor". These two ideals of life, one is to save the world, the other is to save the people, both are based on caring about the country and the people. starting point. Therefore, it is said in the record that "if you live high in a temple, you worry about its people; if you live far away from the rivers and lakes, you worry about your ruler." However, Fan Zhongyan was a scholar-bureaucrat with a very firm stance and a very strong heart. No matter how violent the wind and rain, he could always remain as strong as a rock. Therefore, he "does not rejoice in things and does not grieve in himself" and "is relaxed and happy, forgetting all favors and disgraces."

As for "worry about the world first, and rejoice after the world's happiness", it has gone beyond personal gains and losses of honor and disgrace, and has become a super-era voice with the world in mind. This spirit is not only the responsibility and responsibility of the intellectuals of the times represented by Fan Zhongyan, but also a precious spiritual legacy in history. It always inspires future generations. No matter how playful they are, there will always be the backbone of the times to take on the responsibility and maintain the excellent character of the nation. and carry it forward.