Li Qingzhao (1)
In ancient China, women had a low social status. In ancient historical records, men's names were as numerous as stars in the sky, while women's names were as rare as morning stars. Before the Song Dynasty, it was difficult for women to leave their names behind. For instance, we only know the surnames of the wives of Li Bai and Du Fu. A famous woman like Huarui夫人 from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, known for her literary talent and widespread fame, remains obscure regarding her full name and origin. People prefer to focus on Huarui夫人. The combination of Huarui夫人 and Emperor Meng Chang of Shu was satisfying. If one points out that Huarui夫人 was surnamed Chen and from Qingcheng, people would feel confused: "Who is Chen with Meng Chang?".
The 900 volumes of "Complete Tang Poems" contain only nine volumes by female authors. The 100 volumes of "Song Poetry Chronicles" have just one volume by female poets. The ratio is about one percent. In some Ming and Qing poetry anthologies, female authors are even placed after unnamed individuals and mythical creatures.
Perhaps precisely because of this, Zheng Zhenruo said emotionally: "Li Qingzhao is the greatest female poet of the Song Dynasty, and also the greatest female poet in the history of Chinese literature!"
Placing an adjective like "great" on an ancient woman seems unprecedented.
In the historical starry sky, despite the scarcity of women, there is at least one Li Qingzhao whose brilliance matches that of any man. Literary history has dedicated a special section to her, her "rank" second only to Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi, and Xin Qiji, but not artificially elevated to enhance the status of women. If Li Qingzhao were absent, things would be very complicated: promoting Cai Wenji, Xue Tao, or Huarui夫人 to the position of top writers would seem forced.
Li Qingzhao fills the high-end void in literary history. She was determined to compete with the literati of the Northern Song Dynasty. The significance goes beyond this: her image is purely feminine, she doesn't pretend to be a man, doesn't scream, doesn't use gender ambiguity to show off, and doesn't deliberately dress up as a feminist warrior. She is elegant, graceful, and naturally dignified; both grand and refreshingly simple, she reveals her brilliant figure to her contemporaries and future generations. The bloody swords of the Jin people cut through northern China and split Li Qingzhao's fate into two parts. Her later works are filled with sorrow, loneliness, and sadness.
Happiness and suffering divided Li Qingzhao's life. These two elements are classically depicted in her works. Thanks to her, we understand how happy a woman in the Song Dynasty could be, and how cruelly fate repeatedly battered her.
Is Li Qingzhao a divine beauty given by God to humanity? God gave her immense happiness, yet suddenly subjected her to torment in order to achieve greatness.
Her tragic story is filled with suspense akin to fiction...
Li Qingzhao married Zhao Mingcheng, the son of a prime minister and a scholar of epigraphy, at the age of eighteen. This noble youth of high moral character, a renowned scholar admired across the north and south, surprisingly became his wife's foil in an era dominated by male power.
Li Qingzhao was from Jinan, Shandong, which was then called Licheng. Her father, Li Gefei, was one of the "Four Later Scholars" under Su Shi. Su Shi died in 1101, and Li Qingzhao was born in 1084. However, she may never have met Su Shi. When Su Shi was exiled to the remote southern regions in his later years, she was still a child.
Li Gefei held the position of Assistant Minister of Rites and was known for his integrity. He wrote extensively, but much of his work was lost due to war. His surviving "Records of Famous Gardens of Luoyang" meticulously describes nineteen famous gardens in Western Capital Luoyang, targeting Emperor Huizong of Song and Cai Jing. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, prominent officials emulated corrupt rulers and built countless luxurious gardens in Bianliang and Luoyang, with those covering two or three hundred acres considered ordinary. Li Gefei pointed out: "The rise and fall of Luoyang is a sign of peace and disorder in the world." Later, when the Jin people invaded, all the famous gardens in Luoyang were burned to ashes, proving Li Gefei's prediction true. Southern Song scholars recited "Records of Famous Gardens of Luoyang" with tears streaming down their faces.
Li Gefei also admired Liu Ling, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove during the Wei-Jin period, revealing his character. His wife, Lady Wang, also came from a distinguished family, described in "Record of Famous Women of the Motherland" as skilled in poetry and calligraphy. The atmosphere surrounding Li Qingzhao's family can be imagined. Prosperous, relaxed, and rich in scholarly tradition, she had several siblings. Her father owned houses in Jinan and Kaifeng. As a child, she visited the capital city, spending time there and traveling back and forth. Her impressions were somewhat blurred but deeply buried in her memory. She grew up in Jinan, one of the famous cities in northern China, enjoying many good times from her girlhood to her young adulthood. One of her small poems, "Rumengling," reads:
Often remember the sunset at the creek pavilion, drunk and unaware of the way home. Returning late in the evening after the fun was over, mistakenly entering deep among the lotus flowers. Struggling to row, struggling to row, startling a flock of egrets and herons.
The creek pavilion is one of the famous springs of Licheng during the Song Dynasty, close to Daming Lake in the northwest of the city. Jinan is known as the "City of Springs" with its seventy-two famous springs known throughout the land. It also boasts Buddhist holy sites like Qianfo Mountain and Lixia Pavilion where the poet sage once lingered. Du Fu once followed Taishou Li Yong of Beihai to Lixia Pavilion. Li Yong was a great scholar of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, reputed to have the best calligraphy. A casual piece of cursive script was heavily sought after by nobles and wealthy merchants. Li Yong collected money with one hand and distributed gold with the other, aiding impoverished scholars across the land. Wherever he went, admirers thronged, nearly breaking the doors. However, he highly regarded the young Du Fu and hosted a banquet for him at Lixia Pavilion. The future Poet Sage wrote on the spot: "This pavilion on the right side of the sea is ancient, and Jinan has many famous scholars."
Scholars in Jinan, including the ladies secluded in their chambers, generation after generation, took pride in and recounted in detail the glorious history of Lixia Pavilion. Li Qingzhao was no exception. She admired Du Fu and yearned for the demeanor of Li Yong. Influenced by her parents, poets from the Jin, Tang, and Song dynasties were all within her sight. Her interest in epigraphy and painting likely began in her chamber. This aristocratic maiden was clearly different. Could girls from upper-class society be like her? With such good cultivation, yet revealing a sense of innocence amidst the yellow scrolls and green lamps. A small poem "Huanxisha":
On the mild spring day of Hanshi Festival, incense burns faintly in the jade brazier, and I wake from a dream with my head resting on a pillow shaped like a mountain, hiding flower-shaped hairpins. The swallows from the sea haven't arrived yet, and people are playing grass-fighting games. The plum blossoms by the river have passed, and willow trees are producing cotton-like seeds. The sparse evening rain wets the swing.
Mild: Spring light is harmonious and abundant. Mountain pillow: Pillow is concave, with both ends rising like a small mountain. Flower-shaped hairpin: Gold flower, a decorative object for the head.
The Shangsi Festival (the third day of the third lunar month) saw women from Chang'an, Luoyang, and Hangzhou commonly engaging in outdoor activities and playing grass-fighting games since the Tang Dynasty, and it became even more popular nationwide during the Song Dynasty. Lantern viewing on the Lantern Festival and grass-fighting on the Shangsi Festival brought groups of girls out from their inner and outer chambers to the fields and beside streams. Grass-fighting, also known as "fighting a hundred kinds of grasses," continued from the Qingming Festival to the Dragon Boat Festival. According to "Jingchu Times Records": "On the fifth day of the fifth month, commoners step on a hundred kinds of grasses, playing the game of fighting a hundred kinds of grasses."