综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Culture
Home / Culture / News and Feature

Su Dongpo's three stories of exile

By CHEN BOWEN | China Daily | Updated: 2026-01-10 13:37
Share
Share - WeChat
Premiering on Nov 8 at the third China (Hainan) Dongpo Culture and Tourism Festival, Peace of Mind: Dongpo, China's first original AI-themed musical, features "AI Dongpo", an intelligent companion guiding audiences across time and culture. CHINA DAILY

During Su Dongpo's exile in Hainan, the renowned Song Dynasty (960-1279) literatus left behind not only a profound cultural legacy but also vivid personal anecdotes that reveal his resilience, brotherly love, and deep engagement with local life.

1. The Agarwood Mountain: a gift of solace

When Su Dongpo learned that his younger brother, Su Zhe, was about to turn 60, a significant milestone in Chinese tradition, he was determined to send a meaningful gift despite his impoverished exile. He sought out a precious piece of agarwood naturally shaped like a mountain ridge.

With this gift, he composed the prose poem On the Qualities of Agarwood in which he imbued the fragrant wood with the virtues of a noble gentleman: steadfastness, integrity, and detachment from worldly ego. Through this gift, Dongpo aimed to comfort and inspire his brother, who was also enduring political hardship, reminding him to remain resilient and true to his principles.

2. The "secret" delicacy: roasted oysters

A celebrated gourmand, Su Dongpo found culinary delights even in the remote tropics. In his lighthearted essay Eating Oysters, he described how a local coastal resident gifted him fresh oysters. He experimented by stewing the meat and juices with wine and roasting the larger ones over an open fire, marveling at their unique flavor.

In a playful postscript, he warned his son, Su Guo, not to spread word of Hainan's delicious oysters, joking that scholars still in office might hear of it and clamor to be exiled there, too. The tale reflects both his adaptive optimism and his witty, self-mocking humor in the face of adversity.

3. The medicinal Inquiry: a scholar's herbal notes

Despite personal troubles, Su Dongpo maintained a scholarly curiosity and concern for people's wellbeing.

In his Notes on the Yizhi Plant, he documented the growth habits of the yizhi plant (Alpinia oxyphylla) and the medicinal use of its fruit, known as yizhiren (black cardamom). He noted its efficacy in treating urinary ailments but, skeptically, observed that, despite its name yizhi, which means "boost intelligence" in Chinese, it did not actually enhance wisdom. He concluded with a characteristically reflective question: "Can intelligence really be found in medicine?" This blend of empirical observation and philosophical doubt underscores his practical and inquisitive spirit.

Most Popular
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1994 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
徐水县| 麻江县| 嘉鱼县| 宁强县| 平邑县| 盐城市| 辉县市| 田阳县| 广平县| 耿马| 巨鹿县| 沁阳市| 临高县| 乌兰浩特市| 乐亭县| 清苑县| 江城| 枞阳县| 阳西县| 濮阳市| 辽中县| 镇安县| 通州区| 通榆县| 佳木斯市| 卢龙县| 纳雍县| 镇远县| 濉溪县| 德州市| 广安市| 恩施市| 河源市| 潢川县| 黔东| 康平县| 恩平市| 辰溪县| 鹤壁市| 临城县| 金溪县|