Chao Heng

Abe zhongmalu

Abei zhongmalu (698-770), a courtier surnamed Abe, was named chaoheng (also known as chaoheng) in the Han Dynasty, with the word juqing. He is an outstanding Ambassador of cultural exchanges between China and Japan. One of the Japanese students sent to the Tang Dynasty in Nara's time entered the Tang Dynasty in the fifth year of Kaiyuan (717). They visited Chang'an and Luoyang. He refused to leave because of his "admiration for the Chinese style", so he changed his name to Chao Heng and stayed in the Tang Dynasty for a long time. In the first month of 770 ad, Abe zhongmalu died in Chang'an and was buried in Chang'an at the age of 72.

In 1978, Xi'an city and Nara County agreed to build a monument in each city for later generations to look forward to and remember. The monument in Xi'an was completed at the site of Xingqing palace of Tang Dynasty the following year. It was designed by Zhang Jinqiu, a famous Chinese architect.

In 1985, the Federation of all Japanese cultural organizations established a memorial Pavilion at Yingtianmen site in Ziwei City, Luoyang, which is the place where Japanese envoys from Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty visited the capital.

Life of the characters

Come to China

Abei zhongmalu, whose full name is Abei's courtier zhongmalu and also his courtier Zhongman, was renamed Chao Heng after entering the Tang Dynasty. In 698 (the second year of emperor Wenwu of Japan), he was born in an aristocratic family near Nara. His father was a ship keeper, and his official worship was Zhongwu Dafu. Zhongmalu was intelligent, diligent and eager to learn since childhood, especially in love with Chinese literature. Abe zhongmalu lived in the Tang Dynasty when the society was stable, the economy was prosperous, the culture was prosperous and the national power was far-reaching. Celebrities and bachelors from neighboring countries came to Tang Dynasty to study. After the Dahua reform, Japan has a higher enthusiasm to learn the advanced culture of the Tang Dynasty. They sent envoys and students to the Tang Dynasty in spite of the difficulties and sacrifices of maritime transportation at that time.

In 716 (the 2nd year of Linggui and the 4th year of Kaiyuan in Tang Dynasty), the Japanese government decided to dispatch 557 people to send the eighth ships to the Tang Dynasty. At the age of 19, Zhong Malu was promoted to study abroad in the Tang Dynasty.

In the five (717) year of Kaiyuan, in March, Zhong Ma Lu followed the county's ambassador to Osaka, and set sail from Chinese mainland to China. Among them are Ji Beizhen Bei, who is three years older than Zhong Malu, and Xuan Fang, a learned monk. Zhongmalu and jibeizhenbei were on the same boat, eager to enter the Tang Dynasty to learn the common ideal of advanced culture, so that the two young people immediately became friends. At the end of September, they arrived at the capital of Tang Dynasty, which they yearned for day and night. Chang'an and Luoyang are two places to visit. Since Tang Xuanzong arrived in Dongdu in February 717, the envoys arrived in Luoyang at the end of September and were received by Tang Xuanzong in Yingtianmen of Ziwei city. Chu Guangxi's "luozhongyi Dynasty collating Shuheng, Dynasty today I also": "in all countries Chaotian, Dongyu road is the longest." Tianzhong: refers to Luoyang, the eastern capital of the Tang Dynasty. In ancient times, it was believed that the Big Dipper was the center of heaven, and Luoyang was the center of earth under the Big Dipper. For example, Xu Hun of Tang Dynasty wrote "when Kangqu passes, Heluo is in the middle of the sky." This further confirmed the historical facts that these Tang envoys came to Luoyang to see the court.

After Abe zhongmalu arrived in Luoyang, Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, gave him the opportunity to study together with the children of Chinese princes and nobles in the Imperial Academy. He first studied in the eastern prison, and then went to the Western prison.

Abe zhongmalu, who was not willing to leave China, changed his name to Chao Heng. Soon after arriving in the Tang Dynasty, Zhong Malu entered the Imperial College, which was an institution of higher learning for the noble children. Students focus on the book of rites, Zhou rites, etiquette, the book of songs, Zuo Zhuan and other classics. After graduation to participate in the imperial examination, only a few winners can become officials. Zhongma, Lu Congmin, is diligent and outstanding. After graduating from the Imperial College, he took part in the examination and won the entrance examination. Jinshi is a senior civil servant, it requires deep understanding of the world's political affairs, good at poetry and prose, is the most respected honor at that time, so it is also the goal of the scholars. As a foreigner, Zhong Malu won the title of Jinshi, which shows that his knowledge is really outstanding.

In 725 (the 13th year of Kaiyuan), Abei zhongmalu was the Secretary of Luoyang, who was responsible for collating ancient books.

Exchange with China

Zhong Malu had intimate contacts with famous poets Wang Wei, Li Bai and Chu Guangxi in Tang Dynasty. Chu Guangxi praised him very much. He once wrote a poem "luozhongyi, Chao xiaoshuheng, Chao Jiri himself" as a gift. Chu Guangxi's poem name was also widely spread in Japan at that time because of Chao Heng, and was worshipped in the Shixian temple in Kyoto, Japan. Chao Heng once gave Li Bai a Japanese fur. Li Bai was very moved.

Abe zhongmalu, who loves Chinese culture, is not satisfied with his achievements. In order to further his studies, he decided to stay in Chang'an instead of returning to China. Zhongmalu's talent was quickly appreciated by the imperial court. Soon after, he was appointed as the editor of Zuo Chunfang's Bureau of Economics (zhengjiu pinxia). He was in charge of the four collections of ZHENGJING shiziji, a science journal, and assisted Prince Li Ying to study. Zuo Chunfang is an enviable and promising post in the Economic Bureau. The censor Chu Guangxi once praised him with the poem of "the beauty of Chaosheng is boundless, the high official is Chunfang".

In the 19th year of Kaiyuan (731), he was promoted to zuobuke (from Qipin), where he was in charge of providing salaries, satirizing and remonstrating, retiring and Chengyu. As a result, his knowledge was further valued and he was promoted to the rank of Jin Jue. He successively served as Yi Wang you, Wei Shaoqing, Secretary Supervisor and Wei Qing. During the reign of emperor suzong, he promoted Zuo Sanqi and served as an assistant and an Nandu guard.

Abe zhongmalu is not only knowledgeable and talented, but also emotional and forthright. He is a gifted poet. He had close contacts with famous poets in Tang Dynasty, such as Li Bai, Wang Wei, Chu Guangxi, Zhao Ye (Hua) and Bao Ji.

After 12 years of Tianbao (753), when zhongmalu returned home, it was said that he was killed at sea. After hearing this, Li Bai was very sad and wrote the famous poem crying for Chao Qingheng: "Chao Qing of Japan left the imperial capital and sailed around the pot. The bright moon does not return to the deep blue sea, and the white clouds are full of Cangwu. " The poet compares Zhong Malu to the moon as white as blue, and his death to the moon sinking into the sea. Because it's the bright moon sinking into the blue sea, the sky is full of sorrow and people cry. The white clouds in the sky become gloomy and gloomy, and a melancholy color covers the world. The poem is full of emotion and deeply expresses their sincere friendship, which has become an immortal masterpiece in the history of Sino Japanese friendship. After returning to Chang'an, Zhong Malu saw the poem Li Bai wrote for him. He had mixed feelings and immediately wrote the famous poem "Wangxiang": "after 30 years of living in Chang'an, he could not return to Penghu. A look at the hometown, do pay water day. The soul came back, I feel the pain. I cry even more for you. I can't live in Chang'an. "

Abei zhongmalu also had a close friend with Wang Wei, a great poet and minister. On the eve of his return to China, Wang Wei presented his farewell poem "send Secretary Chao Jian back to Japan", which fully expressed their deep friendship: the stagnant water can't be extreme, and you can know canghaidong safely. Where is Kyushu far away. The only way to see the sun is to sail, but the trade wind. The body of the turtle reflects the darkness, and the eyes of the fish are red. The village tree is outside Fusang, and the master is on the island. If you leave a foreign land, you can get a good news. Wang Wei also wrote a long preface to this poem, enthusiastically praising the history of Sino Japanese friendship, as well as the outstanding talent and noble character of Zhong Malu. This is a true portrayal of the history of friendship between China and Japan.

Home and back

In the 54th year of the Tang Dynasty, Abe zhongmalu served as Emperor Xuanzong, Emperor suzong and Emperor Daizong. He was well received. He was the official of Keqing and the Duke of Rongda. However, Zhong Malu's nostalgia for his native land did not diminish. In the 21st year of Kaiyuan (733), Zhong Malu asked for his return to the country with his parents old. Because Emperor Xuanzong wanted to stay, he failed to realize his old wish. At the end of the eleventh year of Tianbao (752), the 11th Japanese envoy to the Tang Dynasty, led by Ambassador tanhara Qinghe, arrived in Chang'an. His deputy envoy Ji Beizhen was a good friend of Zhong Malu who was studying in the Tang Dynasty at the same time. After a long separation, he was naturally filled with emotion. In the following year, when the envoys of Tang Dynasty were ready to return, Zhong Malu asked for the same return. At this time, zhongmalu had been in the Tang Dynasty for 37 years, and he was 56 years old. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty expressed his gratitude for his outstanding service in Tang Dynasty for decades. He had an old family and gave up his love. He appointed him as a Japanese envoy in Tang Dynasty. The appointment of a foreigner as a Chinese envoy is rare in history, which shows how Zhong Malu was respected and trusted by the imperial court.

After the news that Abe zhongmalu was allowed to return to China came out, people from the Changan government and the public were reluctant to part with him. Su's good friends with Zhong Malu wrote poems with the passion of parting. The poem is profound and affectionate. In a very excited mood, Zhong Malu also wrote a moving poem named "return to the country by destiny", which is a gift to his friend: he will leave the country by destiny and is not a minister of talent. I love the Lord in heaven, and I love my relatives abroad. Fu played against the golden que, and he went to Yujin. Penglai rural road, if the wood, so garden. Looking to the West and returning to the East, I feel the meaning of Chen. A sword in one's life is given to friends. In his poems, Zhong Ma Lu expressed his nostalgia for China, his farewell to his old friends and his gratitude for Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. It is an epic in praise of the traditional friendship between the people of China and Japan and has been sung by the people of the two countries for thousands of years. It was later included in Wenyuan Yinghua, an excellent collection of poems and essays in Song Dynasty. It is also the only foreign work in Wenyuan Yinghua.

In June, Abe zhongmalu bid farewell to Chang'an with Ambassador Tengyuan Qinghe and his party, and went to Yanguang temple in Yangzhou to invite monk Jianzhen to go eastward. On October 15, they sailed back from Suzhou in four separate ships. Is the night Haoyue when the sky, bright moonlight over the river, autumn water a total of long day color. Zhongmalu looked up at the sea and sky, said goodbye to China, and yearned for his hometown. So he sang a peace song, which was translated into Chinese to show to the public. They all sighed: looking up at the sky, looking at the edge of Nara; on the top of Sanli mountain, thinking of the full moon. However, the fate is just the same

Chinese PinYin : Chao Heng