A brief introduction of Li Qingzhao

Li Qingzhao, who called himself Yi An Jushi, was a native of Licheng (now Jinan City, Shandong Province) in the Song Dynasty. She was born in the seventh year of Yuanfeng of Emperor Shenzong (1084 AD) and died in the 21st year of Shaoxing (1151 AD) of Emperor Gaozong. Throughout his life, he experienced the seemingly prosperous and crisis-ridden late Northern Song Dynasty and the turbulent early Southern Song Dynasty, when Jiangzuo was settled.

Li Qingzhao is a rare talented woman in ancient China. She is good at calligraphy and painting, is proficient in epigraphy, and is especially good at poetry. Her lyrics are unique and have been passed down through the ages, and she is known as "a major lineage of lyricists". Her personality is as admirable as her work. She has the virtuousness of a woman and the fortitude of a man; she has the cynical sentiments of ordinary people and her lofty patriotism. She not only has outstanding talents and profound knowledge, but also has lofty ideals and heroic ambitions. She has made many achievements in the field of literature. Among her contemporaries, her poetry, prose and lyrics theory are all outstanding and outstanding. And the thing where she worked hardest throughout her life, achieved the highest achievements and had the greatest influence was the creation of lyrics. Her lyrics have reached a state of artistic proficiency. Formed its own unique artistic style - "Yi An Ti". She does not pursue beautiful decorations, but refines the expressive "octave rhythms of ordinary language", uses line drawing techniques to express her keen feelings about the surrounding things, depicts delicate and subtle psychological activities, and expresses rich and diverse emotions. Experience and create a distinct and vivid artistic image. In her lyrics, sincere feelings and perfect forms blend in seamlessly. She developed the graceful style of "the words are exhausted but the meaning is not exhausted, the meaning is exhausted but the emotion is not exhausted" to its peak, so that she won the status of "the master" of the graceful poets. At the same time, her bold writing style and comprehensive narrative style made her unique in the poetry world of the Song Dynasty, which had a great influence on Xin Qiji, Lu You and later generations of poets. Her outstanding artistic achievements won high praise from later generations of literati. Later generations believed that her lyrics "not only look down on women, but also want to overwhelm men". She was called "the greatest female poet in the Song Dynasty and the greatest female poet in the history of Chinese literature".

A person’s growth requires both internal factors and external environment conditions. The reason why Li Qingzhao became an outstanding female poet is that her talent is of course very important, but family nurturing and upbringing, like a seed's need for soil, sunshine, rain and dew, are also indispensable.

History provided Li Qingzhao with a scholarly family with a strong cultural atmosphere and a family environment of a prestigious official family. According to her later recollections: "My father's ancestors were born in Qilu, and there were many people with high positions. When Jixia talked about it, I still remember that people were sweating like rain." This means that her father and ancestors were all born in Shandong and worked in Shandong. I lived in the Jinan area today. It also shows that although her grandfather and father were not in high status, they were knowledgeable and famous and had many disciples.

Li Qingzhao’s father, Li Gefei, also known as Uncle Wen, was a famous scholar and essayist in the Northern Song Dynasty. Li Gefei passed the imperial examination and was promoted to a member of the Ministry of Rites, Wailang. In the first year of Chongning, Emperor Huizong, Cai Jing took full power and attacked Yuanyou Party members. At this time, he was "promoting Jingdong prison and giving up party membership." ("History of the Song Dynasty? Biography of Li Gefei") In the 5th year of Chongning's amnesty, the party members once again discussed his use, and he was finally "dispatched with the temple supervisor". ("The Complete Chronicles of Emperor Song Tongjian" Volume 124). Li Gefei was aloof and arrogant. History records that before he was admitted to the imperial examination, "some officials used poems and poems to select scholars." He did not use this as a stepping stone, but "only used the study of Confucian classics" and wrote "Book of Rites" (Book of Rites) with hundreds of thousands of words ("Song Dynasty"). History? Biography of Li Gefei"). When he was a professor in Yunzhou, the county governor felt sorry for his poverty and wanted him to take up other official positions concurrently in order to increase his salary, but he politely declined. When he was the general judge of the Guangxin Army, he once punished a Taoist priest who promoted superstition and deceived the people for dozens of times and then expelled him. It can be seen that he is an official who can do good things for the people.

Li Gefei is a scholar who is knowledgeable in classics and history. His classical and historical writings can be found in "History of Song Dynasty? Yiwenzhi", including 16 volumes of "Book of Rites" and 5 volumes of "Historical Biography". In addition, there is also a volume called "The Story of Yongluo City" and "The Story of Famous Gardens in Luoyang". 》One volume and so on. "Luoyang Famous Gardens" records 19 famous gardens in Luoyang. The description is detailed, concise, poetic, and has strong artistic appeal. But it is not simply a description of scenery and events; it also contains a sense of rise and fall and an allegorical purpose. In particular, what is pointed out at the end of the book: "The public ministers and scholar-bureaucrats only entered the court, letting go of their own selfish actions and forgetting about the governance of the world." This contains Li Gefei's criticism of the extravagant and extravagant life of emperors and princes. At that time, Huizong Zhao Ji imitated the Phoenix Mountain in Hangzhou and built the Long Live Mountain in Tokyo, which is more than 10 miles away and has a peak height of 90 feet. Most of the famous princes and ministers in the Northern Song Dynasty had extensive gardens for their enjoyment in Luoyang, Xijing, and Bianliang, Tokyo. Li Gefei also sounded the alarm to them: "The rise and fall of Luoyang will bring chaos to the world!" The rulers did not listen to his warning, but his warning was confirmed by history. Sure enough, it didn't take long for the Jin people to invade the Central Plains and the famous gardens in Luoyang were burned down.

Li Gefei is also a litterateur. His poetry and prose are both good, especially prose. In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty, he "became known to Su Shi through his articles" ("History of the Song Dynasty, Biography of Li Gefei"). Following the four bachelors Huang Tingjian, Qin Guan, Chao Buzhi, and Zhang Lei, he and Liao Zhengyi, Li Xi, and Dong Rong Known as the "last four bachelors". Li Gefei also had a high level of poetry accomplishment. He was quick in thinking, smooth in writing, unbridled and magnificent in spirit. It is a pity that his works have not been handed down, but his literary and artistic thoughts have been recorded.

He proposed the word "sincerity" as the standard of literary criticism. The so-called "sincerity" means that the poems and essays must have true feelings and feel as if they were drawn from the heart. In his own words, "every word is like coming out of the lungs and liver." It is based on this standard that he appreciates the works of the ancients. Among the poems of the Jin Dynasty, he most highly praised Liu Ling's "Jiu De Ling" and Tao Yuanming's "Returning Words". Because these two writers are known for being uninhibited and arrogant. In their works, they dare to speak their minds and express their true thoughts. Li Gefei's writing style and attitude towards life are similar to them.

Li Qingzhao also has a mother who is quite educated. She is the granddaughter of Wang Zhuangyuan Gongchen. He is also good at writing and good at ci. In the feudal era, what she established for Li Qingzhao was not only the three obediences and four virtues, but also had a profound influence on her daughter in terms of poetry creation.

Li Qingzhao grew up in a family with a strong literary atmosphere. When he was young, he not only recited collections of classics and history, poems and poems, but also took notes on novels, anecdotes and stories, and read them all. Women who had the conditions to study in the feudal era could generally only read books such as "The Female Commandments" and "The Biography of the Martyr Woman". However, Li Gefei and his wife are relatively clear-minded and do not have the pedantic view that a woman's lack of talent is a virtue. Therefore, under the guidance of his parents, Li Qingzhao stepped into a broad field of knowledge and absorbed nutrients from rich historical and literary materials. Judging from her works and literary and artistic thoughts, she did inherit something from her parents, especially her father. Her lyrics can reveal inner mysteries, her poems can touch on current affairs, and her prose is so narratively accurate and full of emotion. In various literary styles, whether describing scenes, lyrics, objects, or narratives, there is a legacy of his father's style. Therefore, the family education Li Qingzhao received was quite superior. Li Qingzhao, who grew up in such a family, has developed healthily and normally, both mentally and physically. Her profound historical knowledge, outstanding literary talent, and bold and strong character are largely due to the influence of her parents.

Li Qingzhao’s growth is also inseparable from the natural environment in which she lives. Li Qingzhao spent most of his childhood in Licheng, his hometown with picturesque scenery and a gathering of people. When she was about five or six years old, because her father Li Gefei became a Beijing official, she moved with her parents to Bianliang, Tokyo (now Kaifeng City, Henan Province). She grew up in Tokyo. At that time, the ruling class of the Northern Song Dynasty was enjoying themselves, and Tokyo was still very prosperous on the surface. As a lady of the scholar-official class, Li Qingzhao could not leave the house like a man due to the constraints of feudal ethics. Reach out to society at large. But after all, she was born in a city and was not as closed-minded as a woman from a rural landowner's family. Not only could she row a boat and play in the depths of lotus flowers, but she could also go with her family to the streets of Tokyo and watch the ingenious lanterns and bustling street scenes, all of which cultivated her temperament. Enriched her spiritual life. Li Qingzhao's nature-loving personality and ability to describe nature show that she was nurtured by her hometown of Shandong. And her "no hesitation" in describing love shows the influence of urban social customs and literary atmosphere on her.