Fan Zhongyan (989-1052), courtesy name Xiwen, Han nationality, was born in Wuxian County, Suzhou (now part of Jiangsu). After the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty walked on the ice. A famous politician, thinker, military strategist and writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, his ancestral home was Pizhou (now Bin County, Shaanxi Province), and later moved to Wuxian County, Suzhou (now Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province). He was honest in government, considerate of people's sentiments, upright, and advocated reform. He was repeatedly slandered by traitors and was demoted several times. He died of illness in Xuzhou on May 20, 1052 (the fourth year of Emperor Zuo's reign) at the age of 64. In December of that year, he was buried in Wan'an Mountain southeast of Luoyang, Henan. He was given the posthumous title Wenzheng and was granted the title of Duke of Chu and Duke of Wei. There is "Fan Wenzhenggong Collection" handed down from generation to generation, and the popular "Sibu Congkan" shadow version, accompanied by "Chronology" and "Records of Collected Relics of Words and Actions", etc.

Zhong Yan has been studying very hard since he was a child. The Zhu family is a wealthy family in Changshan, but for inspiration, he often goes to the Liquan Temple in the nearby Changbai Mountain to stay and study, morning and evening. He read the satire and recited it, which left a deep impression on the monk: At that time, his life was extremely difficult. He only cooked a bowl of thick porridge every day. Mix with vinegar sauce, finish eating and continue reading. Later generations had the reputation of being a man who had nothing to do with his life, but he didn't mind this kind of poor life, and spent all his energy looking for his own pleasure in books. After almost three years of this, the books in Changshan Township could no longer meet his needs. An accidental incident exposed the secret of Fan Zhongyan's family background. He was shocked to discover that he was originally the son of the Fan family in Wuxi. Over the years, he had been relying on the care of his stepfather. This incident deeply stimulated and shocked Fan Zhongyan. Feeling guilty and angry, he decided to leave the Zhu family and establish his own family. After he established a successful career in the future, he would take his mother back to raise him. So he hurriedly packed a few simple clothes, put on his piano and sword, and despite the obstruction of the Zhu family and his mother, he shed tears and resolutely bid farewell to his mother, left Changshan, and went to study on foot.

Study

In the fourth year of Zhenzong Dazhong Xiangfu (1011), 23-year-old Fan Zhongyan came to Suiyang Yingtianfu Academy (the former site is in Suiyang, Shangqiu City, Henan Province today) district). Yingtianfu Academy is one of the four famous academies in the Song Dynasty. It has 150 school buildings and a collection of thousands of volumes. In 1043, Song Renzong decreed that Yingtianfu Academy be changed to Nanjing Imperial College, which became the highest academic institution in the country during the Northern Song Dynasty, alongside the Imperial College in Kaifeng, Tokyo, and the Imperial College in Luoyang, Xijing. What's more important is that there are many teachers and students with great ambitions and talents gathered here. To study in such a college, you can have famous teachers to consult with, many classmates to learn from each other, and a large number of books to read. Moreover, the college is free to study, which is what Fan Zhongyan, who is financially strapped, can only dream of. Yingtianfu later changed its name to Nanjing, and Yingtianfu Academy was also called Nandu Academy. Fan Zhongyan cherished the new learning environment very much and studied day and night. One of Fan Zhongyan's classmates and the son of Nanjing Liushou (the highest official in Nanjing) saw that Fan Zhongyan was eating porridge all year round, so he gave him some delicious food. He didn't even taste it and allowed the food to get moldy. It wasn't until people began to blame him that he bowed his head and thanked him and said: "I have settled for a life of porridge and gravy. I am worried that once I enjoy a delicious meal, I will not be able to swallow porridge and pickles in the future." Fan Zhongyan's difficult life is a bit like Confucius's wise disciples. Yan Hui: A bowl of rice and a ladle of water, in a back alley, while others complained endlessly, Yan Hui did not change his joy. Fan Zhongyan studied hard for years, from spring to summer, through autumn and winter; he danced with his sword in the early morning, returned home and fell asleep in his clothes in the middle of the night. Others look at flowers and the moon, but he only seeks pleasure in the Six Classics. Occasionally, he also recited poems to express his feelings; "The white clouds rogue emperor's hometown is far away, who is playing the cave Xiao in the Han Garden? The wind bird has not responded to the disaster, but the poor talent can still sing the wren. I still feel happy when I think about Yan Zi, and I hate the piano when it meets the bell. It will be sold soon. But if Si Wentian is not dead, why should the pine trees blame the mountain seedlings?" (This poem was written by Fan Zhongyan to his fellow student Yan Shu in the academy.) A few years later, Fan Zhongyan wrote about Confucian classics such as "The Book of Songs", "Shangshu" and "Shangshu". The main themes of books such as "The Book of Changes", "Book of Rites", and "Spring and Autumn" can be said to be general: reciting poems and writing compositions, and generously taking the world as one's own responsibility. In the seventh year of Dazhong Xiangfu (AD 1014), Song Zhenzong, who was superstitious about Taoism, led hundreds of officials to Bozhou (today's Bozhou City, Anhui Province) to worship the Taiqing Palace. A huge number of carriages and horses passed through Nanjing (today's Shangqiu City, Henan Province, the same below). The whole city was in a sensation. People rushed to see the emperor. Only one student stayed behind closed doors and was still immersed in studying. A good classmate came to persuade him: "Go and see, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, don't miss it!" But the student just said casually: "It's not too late to see you again in the future," and didn't even look up. I continued to read his book Fan Zhongyan

[1]. Sure enough, he won the Jinshi the next year, and this student was Fan Zhongyan, the future great reform thinker of the Northern Song Dynasty.

In the third year of Qingli (1043), Renzong appointed Fan Zhongyan as the deputy prime minister. In September of this year, he issued an imperial edict on ten matters, namely, "clearly depose Zhi", "suppress luck", "exercise fine tribute", "select officials", "equalize public land", "enhance mulberry farmers", "repair "Weapons", "Reducing corvee", "Qin Enxin" and "Emphasis on orders" are intended to reform current abuses, assess officials and reduce redundancy. However, the so-called "New Deal" he proposed failed due to attacks and opposition from aristocratic bureaucrats in just one year. In the fourth year of Qingli, Fan Zhongyan was appointed as the Xuanfu envoy to Hedong, Shaanxi Province, but was dismissed early the next year. After becoming a Jinshi in Beijing, Tengzi also served as a Beijing official for many years. Later, he was falsely accused and was demoted to the magistrate of Yuezhou (Yueyang County) in the fourth year of Renzong Qingli. In 1046, Teng Zijing rebuilt the Yueyang Tower in the early Tang Dynasty and expanded it. He carved poems and poems about Yueyang Tower by people of the Tang and Song Dynasties on the stone and embedded them in the wall of the building.

Fan Zhongyan "composed a composition to record it" on September 15 of this year. Although they were either demoted or dismissed from office at that time, Fan Zhongyan "did not be happy with things or sad with himself" in "Yueyang Tower", but pointed out his higher ambition: "worry about the world first, and then worry about it." The world is happy and happy.” It is this kind of ideological realm that "The Story of Yueyang Tower" has become a famous book for generations.

Fan Zhongyan left his footprints in many places in Chizhou. Volume 9 of "Jiande County Chronicle" contains one of his poems titled "Yao Temple": "Throughout the ages, it is like the sun, towering and doing good deeds." . Yu finally leveled the water, and Shun carried the wind. The rivers and seas were surrounded by creatures, and the heaven and earth bowed to the middle. The villagers did not know this, and Xiaogu thanked them for their prosperity. "Jiande (now Dongzhi) County has a long history, and is known as the hometown of Yao and Shun. Yao Temple is located in Lishan, 10 kilometers north of Yaodu Town, the county seat. According to legend, Emperor Shun cultivated this mountain, and Emperor Yao came to visit from thousands of miles away. Therefore, many places in Lishan and the county are named after "Yao and Shun". Fan Zhongyan visited the mountains and sang in the Yao Temple. He may have visited here after he was dismissed from office, or he may have written it when he was a Jinshi, but there is no way to verify it. The poem "Yao Temple" is a tribute to the achievements of Yao and Shun.

Fan Zhongyan studied hard for years, from spring to summer, through autumn and winter; he danced with his sword in the early morning, returned home and slept in his clothes in the middle of the night. Others look at flowers and the moon, but he only seeks pleasure in the Six Classics. Occasionally, he also recited poems to express his feelings; "The white clouds are far away from the rogue emperor's hometown. Who is playing the cave Xiao in the Han Garden? The wind bird has not responded to the disaster, but the poor talent can still sing the wren. I still feel happy when I think about Yan Zi, and I hate the piano when it meets the bell. It will be sold soon. But if Si Wentian is not dead, why should the pine trees blame the mountain seedlings?" (This poem was written by Fan Zhongyan to his academy classmate Yan Shu.) A few years later, Fan Zhongyan wrote about Confucian classics such as "The Book of Songs", "Shangshu" and "Shangshu". The main themes of books such as "The Book of Changes", "Book of Rites" and "Spring and Autumn" can be said to be general: reciting poems and writing essays, and generously taking the world as one's own responsibility.