Zheng Qian

Zheng Qian

Zheng Qian (691-759), a writer, calligrapher and painter of Tang Dynasty, was born in Xingze County of Zhengzhou. He was also known as Ruoqi, Ruoqi and ruozhai.

Zheng Qian was born in a family with a high family background. He became a scholar in the first year of Jingyun (710). He made up for the lack of the master book of the rate Geng temple when he became an official. Later, he successively served as zuojimen recorder and enlisted in the army, shangchengzhichang, xieluang of Taichang temple, zuoqingdao's governor, doctor of guangwenguan, and Zhuolang. During the an Shi rebellion, Zheng Qian was appointed as a doctor of the Ministry of war and a minister of the state. After the Anshi rebellion was put down, Zheng Qian was demoted to Taizhou for falling into the puppet regime. In the cold winter of the second year of Zhide (757), Zheng Qian arrived in Taizhou. He took Taizhou culture and education as his own responsibility and vigorously developed Taizhou culture and education. In the second year of Qianyuan (759), Zheng Qian died at the age of 69.

In academic thought, Zheng Qian had a keen political sense, outstanding knowledge, pioneering in military, medical and natural resources, and outstanding accomplishment. Poetry, calligraphy and painting were called "three unique skills of Zheng Qian" by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, and he wrote military Book Tianbao military defense record, medical book Hu Bencao, miscellaneous record huicui, etc.

(overview photo source:)

Life of the characters

Become an official

In 691, Zheng Qian was born into a family with a large family.

About the first year of Jingyun (710), Zhengqian Jinshi in the year of weak crown, his talent was affirmed by the examiner and Wenyuan. Later, about the fourth year of Kaiyuan (716), when Zheng Qian became an official, he made up for the lack of the master of the temple.

After the eighth year of Kaiyuan (720), Zheng Qian transferred to zuojimen to join the army.

After the 15th year of Kaiyuan (727), Zheng Qian was changed to Shangcheng Zhichang. During his term of office, Zheng Qiansi invited Dr. Chen (probably the engraver Chen Xuda) to travel eastward in Chang'an, and made an appointment with him to engrave the stele of princess, the former head of the Tang Dynasty, to the southeast.

In the 23rd year of Kaiyuan (735), Zheng Qian and Zhijue, a Taoist from Biao Township, climbed the Huashan Mountain together. Later, when they returned to the Huayue temple to pray for God, Zheng Qian wrote the text of praying for Huayue.

The three wonders

About the 25th year of Kaiyuan (737), Zheng Qian was appointed as xililang. During the reign of xililang, Zheng Qian collected and selected the cases at that time and wrote more than 80 articles. A man peeked at his manuscripts and wrote a secret letter to the imperial court, saying that Zheng Qian wrote the history of the country privately. After hearing this, Zheng Qian probably burned the manuscripts in a panic because he accidentally mentioned some facts. About before, Zheng Qian was demoted for his crime, but it was not serious, just demoted. (the book of the new Tang Dynasty is wrongly recorded as "ten years of banishment.") After that, Zheng Qian served as the governor of zuoqingdao.

In 750, Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, admired Zheng Qian's talent. He wanted to arrange Zheng Qian by his side, regardless of any specific affairs. So he set up a museum of Guang Wen, where Zheng Qian was appointed as a museum. Zheng Qian was appointed. He didn't know where the Guangwen museum was, so he went to the prime minister to ask him. The prime minister said, "Your Majesty ordered the expansion of the National University and the establishment of the Guangwen Museum, so as to arrange virtuous people and let future generations talk about that the Guangwen doctor started with you. Isn't that very good?" In this way, Zheng Qian took office. At that time, Du Fu made friends with Zheng Qian and presented him with a poem: "it's only forty years since he was famous, and there is no blanket in the cold. Only susiye, always with wine money Long after Zheng Qian was appointed as the museum's founder, the house of the museum was destroyed by heavy rain, and the relevant departments did not repair it. Zheng Qian borrowed it to live in the Guozi Museum, and the museum was abandoned. Before that, Zheng Qian had written his own poems and paintings for Tang Xuanzong. Tang Xuanzong inscribed "Zheng Qian's three unique skills" on his paintings and calligraphy.

Painting forgives

In August or earlier of the 13th year of Tianbao (754), Zheng Qian was promoted to writer.

In the 15th year of Tianbao (756), an Shi rebellion broke out, and Zhang Tongru, an Lushan school, hijacked all the officials and went to Luoyang, the eastern capital. Zheng Qian was first appointed as a doctor of the Ministry of war by the rebels, and then as a minister of the state.

After an Shi rebellion was settled, Zheng Qian, Zhang Tong and Wang Wei were imprisoned in xuanyang. These three men are good at painting. Zhongshu ordered Cui yuan to paint on their own walls. Zheng Qian and others begged Cui yuan to save them from death. Finally, Zheng Qian was demoted to Taizhou Si Hu and joined the army. Wang Wei was only demoted.

Finally Taizhou

In the cold winter of the second year of Zhide (757), Zheng Qian came to Taizhou through a long journey. At that time, "Taizhou is vast and the sea is dark", and it is located in a remote place, and the style of writing is not open. Zheng Qian's clothes and words are moving. Different customs, Taizhou People and Zheng Qian think each other strange, and there is a saying that "one state people blame Zheng Ruoqi, and Zheng Ruoqi blames one state people". Zheng Qian once sighed that "his works are useless, and his body is against the customs of one state". Then he encouraged himself to educate the people of Taizhou, so Zheng Qian took it as his duty As a local official, he was the first to run an official school. He chose excellent folk children to teach them, ranging from the etiquette of crowning, marriage, funeral and sacrifice to the etiquette of ascending, descending, bowing and despising. All of these made Taizhou's folk customs become more and more simple and the style of scholars gradually rose.

In the second year of Qianyuan (759), Zheng Qian died at the age of 69.

Main impact

As Zheng Qian's works, poems, paintings and other works are rare, and there are few records of his life, it is difficult for the academic circles to make a specific analysis of his achievements in all aspects, but only to make a general description of his achievements according to the historical records. In short, according to the records of the new book of the Tang Dynasty, Zheng Qian was an influential, insightful and promising scholar at that time.

Specifically speaking, in his academic thought, Zheng Qian was politically sensitive and insightful. He was more or less aware of the deep political crisis hidden behind the heyday of Kaiyuan. He was not willing to go along with the rulers, but also aware of his social responsibility. He considered life and understood the world from the perspective of the fate of the country and the people. For state affairs, Zheng Qian and Du Fu held the same principle of "to Emperor Yao and Shun, and then to make the customs pure". After his exile in Taizhou, Zheng Qian was desperate for his official career because of the historical upheaval during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao years, so he began to consciously go to the bottom of the society and "resolutely take the promotion of culture and education and the change of customs as his own responsibility" and directly contributed his knowledge and talent to the people of Taizhou. At that time, Taizhou was closed in traffic and backward in culture. However, Zheng Qian did not show his frustration with the reality, nor was he born passively because of his misfortune. Instead, he cheered up and devoted his last years to the development of Taizhou culture, which greatly improved the level of culture and education in Taizhou and revitalized the culture and education in Taizhou. Ye Zheming, a professor of Taizhou University in Zhejiang Province, probably thinks that Zheng Qian wrote a lot of political and social academic papers, and his poems, writings, calligraphy and painting are full of "people-oriented" ideas.

At the same time, Zheng Qian also made great achievements in military, medicine and natural history. On the military side, Zheng Qian wrote the military Book Tianbao Junfang Lu; on the medical side, Zheng Qian wrote Hu Bencao; on the museum side, Zheng Qian wrote huicui, a strange book recording all kinds of rare animals and plants, social anecdotes and strange monsters in nature. The historical geography, rare animals, anecdotes and celebrity anecdotes recorded in these three kinds of works involve Central Asia, India and South Asian Peninsula countries. Therefore, these three kinds of works are not only valuable materials for studying Sino foreign diplomatic relations and cultural exchanges between China and the West in the middle Tang Dynasty, but also some unique products and varieties of Uygur, Nanzhao, Tubo, Hexi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou in the middle Tang Dynasty It's valuable information.

In addition, from the point of view that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty called Zheng Qian "three unique skills of poetry, calligraphy and painting", Zheng Qian should have made some achievements in poetry, calligraphy and painting. However, because most of his articles, calligraphy and painting are lost, it is impossible to make a systematic analysis of his achievements, and can only make a brief sketch according to the few records in the works of the past dynasties. In terms of poetry, Li Shangyin, Du Mu and Du Fu praised Zheng Qian in Tang Dynasty; in terms of calligraphy and painting, Zheng Qian's calligraphy and painting can be regarded as a famous generation. His calligraphy comes from Wei and Jin Dynasties and has its own style, free and easy charm and elegant colors. The evaluation of Mo sou and new Tang Shu is not low. The collection of Tang and song art and painting, collection of Tang and Song Yuan painting, Xuanhe painting manual and famous paintings of all ages In Xuanhe's painting manual, Volume 5, description of characters, it is said that "since Wu and Jin Dynasties, only those who are famous artists have got 33 people", and Zheng Qian is one of them.

Historical evaluation

Zheng Yawei was also granted the title of Shanshui in Tang Dynasty. (Feng Shi Wen Jian Ji, Volume 5, pictures)

Wei Xu of Tang Dynasty: 22 people of zhenxingshu Zheng Qian, like the wind, sends the clouds to harvest, and the Xia urges the moon to rise. (Mo sou, the third best book)

Zhu Jingxuan of Tang Dynasty: Zheng Qian was named Guangwen. He could paint fish, water, mountains and rocks. He was called wonderful at that time and was sighed by people. (records of famous paintings of the Tang Dynasty: six people in the class of nengpingshang)

Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song Dynasty and others: he was good at geography, with dangerous mountains and rivers, abundant resources and few soldiers. Taste for the "Tianbao army defense record", the words of the classic thing. All the Confucians believed that he was good at writing books, which was named "Zheng Guangwen". In the official poor about very, Dan such as also. Du Fu tasted the poem and said, "it's only forty years since his name was established, and there is no blanket in the cold.". (Book of the new Tang Dynasty volume 222 biography 127)

Chen Gongfu of Song Dynasty: Weigong was superior to Song Dynasty, and told Xihuang. He respected Tang Dynasty and was transformed into Taiwan. When Taiwan was vulgar, it was not despised by the public. It was taught in a proper way and enlightened by the Yi people. People begin to learn, go to the humble and return to Confucianism. Whoo! Gongsheng has made great contributions to Taiwan, and when he dies, he should repay Taiwan with food. (Zhu Wen)

Xia Wenyan of the Yuan Dynasty: Zheng Qian, a native of Xingyang, Zhengzhou, is good at landscape painting. The mountains are rich in ink, and the branches are old and hard. (Volume 2, illustrated treasure)

Fang Xiaoru of Ming Dynasty: Dr. Guangwen was as good as Qi, not good at "three"

Chinese PinYin : Zheng Qian