Huang Tingjian

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Huang Tingjian
黃庭堅
Hanyu Pinyin
Peíwēng
In this Chinese name, the family name is Huang.

Huang Tingjian (simplified Chinese: 黄庭坚; traditional Chinese: 黃庭堅; Wade–Giles: Huang T'ing-chien; 1045, Jiangxi province, China–1105, Yizhou [now Yishan], Guangxi)[1] was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, and poet of the Song dynasty. He is predominantly known as a calligrapher, and is also admired for his painting and poetry. He was one of the Four Masters of the Song Dynasty (Chinese: 宋四家), and was a younger friend of Su Shi and influenced by his and his friends' practice of literati painting (simplified Chinese: 文人画; traditional Chinese: 文人畫), calligraphy, and poetry; regarded as the founder of the Jiangxi school of poetry.[1]

Biography

Early years in Jiangnan

Takeuchi Seihō - Calm Spring in Jiangnan
Jiangnan Summer View. Dong Yuan, 10th century.
Jiangxi in China, showing approximate area of Huang Tingjian's home (modern map)

Huang Tingjian was born into the prominent

Li, was an accomplished painter of bamboo and player of the guqin. His father, Huang Shu (黃庶,1018-1058) received his jinshi in 1042, and introduced his son Huang Tingjian to the works of Du Fu and Han Yu, before dying when Tingjian was 13 years old, at which point Huang [2] Tingjian left his hometown of Fenning (分寧,in modern Jiangxi).[3]

With Uncle Li in Anhui

After his father's death, Huang Tingjian was sent to Anhui to be further brought up by his uncle, Li Chang (李常,1027-1090), who was also possessed of a large library.

Jinshi and early career

Huang Tingjian failed his jinshi in the

Song Shenzong's first year as emperor.[4]

Tianjin earthquakes

Tianjin's location, in modern China. This is also not too far from where Huang Tingjian's teaching post at the Northern Capital was located.

In 1068-1069 a series of major earthquakes occurred southwest of modern Tianjin. The devastating human consequences were noted by Huang Tingjian. This was the occasion of his writing the poem "Lament for the Refugees" (流民嘆/流民歎, using the imagery of a giant tortoise moving mountains which it carried upon its back .[5]

Teaching career

Huang Tingjian passed his teaching credential exam in 1072, and spent the next 7 years teaching at the Damingfu Imperial Academy in

Khitan Empire
.

Fame and conviction for conspiracy against the emperor

Further information: Crow Terrace Poetry Trial

In 1072, Li Chang, his maternal uncle, and Sun Jue his father-in-law had shown examples of Huang Tingjiang's works to the famous poet and New Policy opponent Su Shi (Dongpo). In 1078, Huang presented Su with a letter and two elaborate gushi-style poems, to which Su returned with two poems of his own, matching Huang's rhyme-scheme. Huang's fame was secured when Su Shi (Dongpo) heaped his praises upon him, and the two became close friends for life.[7]

So far, it seems that Huang had managed to avoid entanglement in politics, and in fact his early career as an imperial teaching official seems to have been in part secured by the favor of Wang Anshi, upon reading a poem of Huang's, hinting at retiring from the boredom which he was experiencing at that point of his career.

New Policies Group), led by Wang Anshi and a "conservative" party, which included such prominent officials as Sima Guang, Ouyang Xiu
, and Su Shi. Under the imperial system the winning side was chosen by the emperor (or the emperor's regent in the case of his minority). Imperial disfavor could range from death to a stalled career.

As Emperor Shenzong increasingly favored Wang Anshi's New Policies, as they were known, their opponents suffered politically: this included exile for Su Shi, beginning in 1080, to Hangzhou (which was the time period when Su adopted the nickname of Dongpo). As Su's conviction was for writing in a defamatory way about the emperor and his government, anyone who had circulated his writings without reporting them (as

Jizhou District, Jiangxi), then to Depingzhen, in Shandong. Like, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian was known for good governance: light with taxes and empathetic with the common folk over whom they were placed in charge. Among other deeds, Huang Tingjian failed to enforce the New Policy of government monopoly of salt production.[10]

Yuanyou era

The Yuanyou (元祐, Yuányòu) era (1086–1093) was the first regnal period of the new emperor,

Empress Dowager Gao acted as regent. Empress Dowager Gao was not a New Policy enthusiast. Wang Anshi's party fell out of favor, and Wang Anshi himself was forced into retirement. Huang Tingjian and the other exiles were recalled from their places of banishment. Happy days were here again: now, Su, Huang, and the others could enjoy each other's company in person, and Huang was promoted, to sub-editor of the Academy of Scholarly Worthies and examining editor for the official records of former Emperor Shenzong's reign.[11]
Editing the official records of the previous emperor, in light of the factional politics which had ignited at that time and were still burning, would turn out to be a perilous undertaking for Huang Tingjian's future.

Death of his mother and exile

Sichuan in China (on modern map)

Huang Tingjian's mother died in 1091. Obligatory retirement for a period of mourning in the case of the death of either parent was then the custom, and Huang returned to the family cemetery in Fenning, Jiangnan, with the remains of his mother, his two wives that had died, and those of an aunt. While he was engaged in the three-year ritual mourning period, Empress Dowager Gao died, and Zhezong began to reign in fact as well as name. Zhezong favored the reformist party, and their remnant members returned with a vengeance: their opponents alive or dead were persecuted: Su Shi was demoted and exiled, Sima Guang and Lü Gongzhu's tombs were defaced, and Huang Tingjian was denounced by Cai Bian (Wang Anshi's son-in-law). Huang was convicted of sarcastically editing the official records of former Emperor Shenzong. Huang Tingjian spent the ensuing decade in exile, in various locations in Sichuan.[12]

Pardon and exile, again

Location of Ezhou Prefecture within modern Hubei, China.
Guangxi, in modern China

In the year 1100, Emperor Zhezong died young and unexpectedly, at 23 years old, and with his death came a new political alignment: the new emperor was

Song Dynasty in 971. And, as recently as 1052, the Zhuang leader Nong Zhigao
had led a revolt, briefly making the area part of an independent kingdom. Sending the then 58-year-old, sick and frail Huang Tingjian to an official exile in this remote and precarious position was not far from a death sentence.

XiaoXiang poetry

Further information: Xiaoxiang poetry
Map of the XiaoXiang area, with Guangxi (the location of Yizhou) at bottom.

Travel to his remote posting meant passing through the

XiaoXiang: the classic poetic place of exile. Not that he was not already there, in Ezhou; but, now, Huang Tingjian was faced with traveling through the depths of it, only to emerge into an even more remote and difficult territory. He faced a fate similar to Su Shi Dongpo, who never quite made it back from his final exile in the then remote and undeveloped island of Hainan
. The far southern lands were known as the "gates of hell", but when the emperor ordered one of his subjects there, there was little choice. Open resistance could be and often was met with the mass annihilation of ones entire family, and even whole clan. The main hope was a quick recall from exile. However, in Huang Tingjian's case, this never happened.

In early 1104, Huang Tingjian packed up his family and headed south, towards his place of banishment, Yizhou. That springtime, during the course of his journey, Huang Tingjian met the Chan monk Zhongren (also known as Huaguang, after the name of his monastery). Zhongren shared a scroll of poems by Su Shi, Su Shi's brother

Su Che, the monk Shenliao, and Qin Guan
(another one of the Yuanyou crew): and, both Su Shi and Qin Guan had died as a result of their exiles in the south, the journey which Huang Tingjian was now upon.

The two became friends: Zhongren painted branches of flowering plum blossoms and landscapes for Huang, Huang wrote poems in his inimitable calligraphy for Zhongren, even appending a poem with praise of Zhongren to the end of his precious scroll of poems. Together the two helped to change the art world forever: establishing monochrome painting of plums among the scholar-official class.[15]

Death

Yizhou: view from the Long River, 2007.

Parting ways with his friend Zhongren, Huang Tingjian headed onward towards his destined place of banishment, Yizhou. Emperor Huizong had ordered him there, and so, leaving his family in the mountains of Yongzhou (Hunan), in order to "spare them from the intense heat", Huang Tingjian traveled on to his destination without them.

Once there, he continued his calligraphy, of which an ink rubbing survives, a rather pointed quote about the life of

Disasters of Partisan Prohibitions which occurred during the Han dynastic era.[16]

In the early Winter of 1105, Huang Tingjian died, alone from his family, in exile, in Yizhou.

His funeral was arranged by a stranger, who had traveled to Yizhou, hoping to make his acquaintance.[17]

Health

Huang Tingjian's health was poor throughout his life. His health problems included "

beriberi, severe coughs and colds, malarial fever, headaches, dizziness, and in his later years, heart trouble and chest and arm pains."[18] Huang Tingjian also had a deep interest in medicinal substances, and at one point seriously mulled over the idea of giving up his aspirations for an official career, in favor of opening up a shop and dealing in herbs and herbal medications.[19]

Family

Huang Tingjian had 3 wives during his life, and one son, to the third. His first wife was the daughter of the scholar, Sun Jue (1028-1090). She died in 1070. His second wife, from the Xie clan, had a daughter to him, before her death, in Damingfu, in 1079. His third wife gave birth to his only son, whom he gave the unusual name of "Forty", because he was 40 years old when the boy was born.[20]

Religion

Huang Tingjian had a strong lifelong interest in Buddhism and Daoism. In his hometown of Fenning were 10 monasteries of the

Chan practice ("Chan" is Chinese for Zen); indeed, Jiangnan had hundreds of them. The year after his second wife died, Huang retreated to the Shan'gu (Mountain Valley) Daoist monastery in Anhui, and took the religious name Shan'gu Daoren.[21]

Works

Scroll for Zhang Datong, A.D. 1100, a canonical work of Chinese calligraphy in the Princeton University Art Museum[22]

Huang Tingjian is noted for his prodigious talent in terms of his vast knowledge of Classical Chinese poetry and literature.[23] He is famous both for the calligraphy and the poetry of his work "Wind in the Pines Hall", which survives in the Palace Museum, Taipei.[24]

Calligraphy

Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. Calligraphy by Huang Tingjian.

Huang is also regarded as a particularly fine and creative calligrapher of the Song Dynasty. His

xingshu (semi-cursive style of script) displays a sharpness and aggression that is instantly recognizable to students of Chinese calligraphy. His calligraphic piece Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru epitomises a technique today known as "flying-white" "when writing calligraphy, the areas within a brushstroke where the brush fails to leave a full measure of ink and streaks of white paper or silk appear".[25]

Poetry

Huang Tingjian is considered to be the founder of the Jiangxi school of poetry.[26]

Gallery

Poem on the Hall of Pines and Wind
A version of the poem "Cold Food Observance", by Su Shi, which includes some of Huang Tingjian's calligraphy. Su Shi's calligraphy is on the right side. Huang Tingjian's calligraphy is to its left
  • Picture of Huang Tingjian, from much later times.
    Picture of Huang Tingjian, from much later times.
  • Illustration from the Long Corridor. Left to right: Su Shi, Fo Yin (佛印), and Huang Tingjian, drinking wine.
    Illustration from the
    wine
    .
  • Wei Qing Dao Ren Observance
    Wei Qing Dao Ren Observance
  • Besotted by Flower Vapors
    Besotted by Flower Vapors
  • 24 paragons of filial piety - Huang Tingjian, who "so loved his mother, that he emptied her chamber pot himself".
    24 paragons of filial piety - Huang Tingjian, who "so loved his mother, that he emptied her chamber pot himself".

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d "Huang Tingjian | Song Dynasty, Calligraphy, Poetry | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  2. ^ Murck, 158-159
  3. ^ Murck, 158 and 161
  4. ^ Murck, 158
  5. ^ Murck, 160 and note 3, page 331
  6. ^ Murck, 158-159
  7. ^ Murck, 159 and note 8, page 331
  8. ^ Murck, 158-159
  9. ^ Murck, 160-161
  10. ^ Murck, 158-160
  11. ^ Murck, 160
  12. ^ Murck, 161-162
  13. ^ Murck, 162-163
  14. ^ Murck, 179
  15. ^ Murck, 179
  16. ^ Murck, 187. Also see 後漢書/卷67
  17. ^ Murck, 187-188
  18. ^ Murck, note 5, page 331, following Shen Fu
  19. ^ Murck, 159
  20. ^ Murck, 159
  21. ^ Murck, 159
  22. ^ Patton, Andy J. (2013). ""A Painter's Brush That Also Makes Poems": Contemporary Painting After Northern Song Calligraphy". Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository, Paper 1302.
  23. ^ Murck, 157
  24. ^ Murck, 177
  25. ISBN 4-544-02066-2
  26. ^ Murck, 157

References

External links
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