Emperor Liu Bang becomes the kind he hated: man who likes to read | China Documentary

195 BC, the seventh year of the Han Dynasty, a time of danger and risk. But with each passing day, the health of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of Han, worsened. Who would succeed him to the throne when the inevitable came to pass? In the turbulent times, when the Qin Dynasty was on the brink of extinction and the blood of hundreds of families, I always thought that studying was of no use. But since I ascended the throne, I have realized the importance of studying. Now that I think of all the things I did in the past, I am deeply regretful. A man's words are kind when his death is close. In this imperial edict he wrote to his son, Liu Ying, Liu Bang carried out a thorough self-reflection. Liu Bang was born into a peasant family in Peixian County. There was little education in his family, so he never acquired a fondness for studying. According to records of the grand historian, Liu Bang's father regarded him as a rogue, unable to manage the properties of his family, and thought he was no match for his elder brother, Liu Zhong. As a young man, Liu Bang often hung out with butchers, pawns, vendors, and petty officials, always idling and belittling scholars with curses. He mocked and taunted scholars. To him, they were just poor nerds. In 209 BC, as the tyranny of the Qin Empire intensified, the suffering of the common people increased. At the time, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised a rebellion in Dazhouxiang, lighting the torch for a wave of uprisings nationwide. In the meantime, Liu Bang, as a minor official at Xueshui Pavilion, occupied Peixian County with his own men. When Liu Bang rose up against the Qin, many scholars went to him and tried to serve under him. But as far as Liu Bang was concerned, they were merely cowards in nice clothes. Moreover, he would even take scholars' hats and urinate into the hats just for the sake of humiliating the scholars. Little wonder so many scholars gave up on the idea of serving Liu Bang. During his days of fighting battles across the country, Liu Bang suffered a lot because of his lack of education. Liu Ying was the first son of Liu Bang and his empress, Lü Zhe. Not only was his writing bad, but he also asked people to write the official documents for him, which displeased Liu Bang greatly. When the war was finally over and his desk was filled with reports on complicated affairs of state, Liu Bang discovered that experience alone was not enough when it came to governing a huge empire. Persuaded by scholars such as Lü Zhe, Liu Bang realized the importance of education in governing the country, so he issued many rules and regulations regarding writing. The laws of Han Dynasty specified in detail the standards of official document writing. When officials or people submitted a written report, they should be criticized if the writing was not standardized. The imperial court even established the earliest writing examination in China, influenced by the policies of Liu Bang. Ever since, Han people have attached great importance to the standardization of writing. Certainly, it was well-reasoned for Liu Ying, the eldest son of Liu Bang's legal wife, to succeed to the throne. But Liu Bang kept vacillating between Liu Ying and Liu Ruyi, the son of consort Qi. But his idea of appointing the latter to be his heir was strongly opposed by the whole court. Liu Bang was thus caught in a dilemma. That remained the case until he saw the so-called Four White Heads of Mount Xiang. The Four White Heads of Mount Xiang refer to the four scholars known at the end of Qin and the beginning of Han. None of them were willing to serve in the court, so they all lived in seclusion on Mount Xiang. Liu Bang had first heard of them very long before, even inviting them to serve in the court. But thanks to Liu Bang's history of humiliating scholars, none of these scholars accepted his invitation. According to the records of the grand historian, Liu Ying was accompanied to a banquet by the Four White Heads of Mount Xiang, who, already in their 80s, took their seat beside him. Liu Bang was very surprised that the prince could rally them at court, so he gave up the idea of appointing Liu Ruyi his heir. During the Chu-Han contention, Liu Bang suffered repeated defeats, but kept up the fight despite the setbacks. In fact, most of the time, Liu Bang was no match for his rival, Xiang Yu, whether in political or military power. Liu Bang couldn't write well or fight cleverly, but he managed to complete the counterattack against the Four White Heads of Mount Xiang. It was like a miracle, but Liu Bang, as an insider, was very clear about the reason. According to records of the grand historian, after putting an end to the war, Liu Bang prepared a feast in Luoyang, attributing his accession to the throne to his use of the three talents, Zhang Liang, Xiao He, and Han Xin. Although Liu Bang had little education himself, he was surrounded by a galaxy of talents. The nobles, such as Zhang Liang, low officials, such as Xiao He, and scholars, such as Chen Ping, were the actual foundation of Liu Bang's achievements. I am seriously ill, and my time has come. Now, I officially confirm that you are the heir to the throne. In June 195 BC, Liu Bang passed away, with Liu Ying succeeding to the throne, who would go down in history as Emperor Hui of Han. During his reign, he highly respected scholars, and executed Liu Bang's will faithfully. He appointed Tao Tan, Grand Chancellor, after Xiao He's death, and Tao Tan continued Xiao's fundamental policy. This was where the saying derived, Xiao followed the rules set by his predecessor, Xiao. In addition, Liu Ying listened to the suggestions of the Four White Heads of Mount Xiang, and implemented a national policy of rehabilitation, advocating peace and the governance by non-interference. So it was that the Han Empire prospered. Since Liu Bang, yearning for knowledge and respect for talents, had become the motto of the Liu royal family. The Han dynasty continued for more than 400 years, passing on the remarkable spirit of Han to future generations. China, therefore, became the most powerful country in the world. Ever since the Han dynasty, studying has been one of the most important elements in Chinese family tradition. In 41 AD, famous general Ma Yuan, age 56, was on his long march to Jiaozhu. Upon hearing that his nephews, the Ma Yuan and Ma Duan brothers, had been engaging in gossiping, he immediately sent them a letter. It is said that Ma Yuan's ancestor was Jiao Xue, a famous general in the Warring States period. Ma Yuan assisted Liu Xiu, the founding emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty, in achieving the unity of the whole country. When the Eastern Han was founded, Ma Yuan was already 40 years old, but he still volunteered to lead conquests across the country to put down rebellions. Classic Chinese idioms, such as gaining vigor with age, and wrapping one's body with horse leather, were invented by Ma Yuan. But such a bold and heroic man was extremely meticulous when it came to the education of children in his family. He repeatedly advised the children in the family to be humble and modest, and to speak and act with discretion. Ma Yuan and Ma Duan were the children of Ma Yuan's elder brother, and their parents died when they were less than 10 years old. Ma Yuan was concerned about them, so he brought them to his side. Born to a family of generals, the Ma brothers loved fencing and horseback archery in their youth, and they often met with swordsmen and gallant people, taking delight in criticizing others. Ma Yuan was deeply trusted by the emperor, and he was made the General Who Calms the Waves, which was a title given to highly accomplished generals alone. It was just because of their uncle, Ma Yuan, that the Ma brothers were so unscrupulous. Lingling was an eastern Han prefecture. Nowadays, it's situated in Hunan province, but at the beginning of the Eastern Han, the place was troubled by strife between various local powers, plunging the people who lived here into dire poverty. Ma Yuan came here to put down the insurgency, but the high mountains surrounding the area resulted in an insufficiency of military supplies. Lung Bo Gao was Ma Yuan's colleague. He served as the chief of Lingling Prefecture, and right at the time, he lent assistance to Ma Yuan by selling his family property to support Ma Yuan's troops. But as an upright official, there was little of value he could sell. He even sold his wife's hairpin. Ma Yuan was very grateful for his assistance, ever after regarding Lung as his bosom friend. When his father passed away, many people came to pay their respects. I love him and respect him. I don't want you to learn from him. Du Ji Liang was another colleague of Ma Yuan. Obviously, Ma Yuan's educational approach was both vivid and simple. He thought that by comparing his two friends in real life, his nephews would be able to understand his intentions. Du Ji Liang was generous and straightforward. He was a man who enjoyed making friends, but he had also offended many people due to his carelessness and impertinency. Amazingly, this letter from Ma Yuan was somehow discovered by Du Ji Liang's foes later on. They submitted reports to the emperor accusing Du Ji Liang by citing Ma Yuan's family letter. Although this farce resulted in no clear conclusions, it caused a sensation at the time and it became evident that Du Ji Liang enjoyed a poor reputation. Even now, Du Ji Liang still doesn't know that the new general hates him so much that even the people in the county hate him. I feel sorry for him, so I don't want my descendants to learn from him. After that, Ma Yuan and Ma Dun listened to their uncle's exhortation, devoting themselves to the study of Confucian classics and making friends with humble and modest talents. Their changes were a pleasant surprise for their elders, so later Ma Yuan entrusted the family affairs to the two brothers. In 48 AD, Ma Yuan, at the age of 62, volunteered again to pacify the rebels in Lingnan. Although the emperor Liu Xiu was concerned about the condition of his health, Ma Yuan still put on the armor and mounted the war horse, finally convincing the emperor of his vigor. Liu Xiu acclaimed him the most vigorous old man and approved his proposal, but this time Ma Yuan didn't return. Instead, he realized his wish to die on the battlefield. By setting himself up as an example, Ma Yuan established a reputation for modesty and uprightness for his family. His descendants were also much valued by the Han Dynasty royalty. Ma Yuan became a famous official as well, one who enjoyed a well-deserved reputation for uprightness. During the Three Kingdoms period, whoever possessed Jingzhou could dominate the whole country. Jingzhou was the gateway to the state of Wu. If it was lost, Wu would be in thrall to the state of Shu in the west and the state of Wei to the north. In 218 AD, right at the critical moment of Wu's capture of Jingzhou, a disturbance unexpectedly occurred on the front line. The cause of the trouble was Sun Jiao, cousin of the king of Wu, Sun Quan. I'm almost 30 years old now. What Confucius said, it's not just that I've read 45 sutras. More importantly, I can take on important tasks. The reason why I entrust you with an exquisite army is because I believe you have the ability to lead the soldiers on the battlefield This was a letter Sun Quan wrote to his cousin Sun Jiao. Cao Cao suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Red Cliffs and a situation of tripartite confrontation developed between the Three Kingdoms, Wei, Shu, and Wu from then onwards. But Cao Cao, as actual leader of the state of Wei, wasn't reconciled to the defeat, so he attacked Wu multiple times. During the Three Kingdoms' fight for hegemony, the Sun royal clan remained the mainstay of the state of Wu. As Sun Jiao was gallant and resourceful in battle, he was a military talent highly valued by Sun Quan. But he had shortcomings, intolerance and narrow-mindedness. Furthermore, he didn't like generals from outside the royal clan, so many talented generals were unwilling to go along with him. Gan Ning and Lu Meng were two talented generals alienated by Sun's sense of exclusivity. I heard that you drank with Gan Xing Ba and humiliated him. Now he is furious and asked to be transferred to Lu Meng's tent. Although he is rude and arrogant, he is actually a quick-witted man. Gan Ning was one of the 12 Tiger Generals of Wu. Sun Jiao had a lot of conflicts with the gallant and skilled Gan Ning over trifling matters. Some people tried to persuade Gan Ning to avoid possible conflicts with Sun Jiao, but Gan Ning ignored all the advice and persisted in his old ways. The relationship between the two deteriorated even further. According to Records of the Three Kingdoms, Sun Jiao offended Gan Ning with rude remarks during a feast. Gan Ning was furious and he thought that they should be treated with equality since they were both generals serving the state of Wu. The fact that Sun Jiao was Sun Qian's cousin didn't give Sun Jiao the right to lord it over him. Tao Tao has Zhang Liao while I have Gan Ning. For Sun Qian, Gan Ning was a friend worth dying for. Sun Qian was familiar with all the faults in Gan Ning's character and he also knew Sun Jiao's drawbacks. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, plenty of warlords rose up to fight for hegemony. Tao Tao introduced the policy of promoting the talented with equal opportunities. And Liu Bei, ruler of the state of Shu, paid three visits to the thatched cottage for advisor Zhu Guoliang. Of all the founders of the Three Kingdoms, only Sun Qian seemed to fall behind in talent cultivation. But in fact, he was not inferior to Tao Tao and Liu Bei in identifying and appointing talents. At the age of 18, he took over the family inheritance from his father and brother. During his reign, the state of Wu grew stronger and stronger. An important reason for this was Sun Qian's tolerant and open-minded attitude to promoting and appointing talents. When his brothers in the royal clan had conflicts with officials outside the clan, Sun Qian was always able to uphold justice and to remain tolerant and generous. Compromise not only makes conflict easier to resolve, it also wins people over. That was one reason why the officials and generals of Wu were willing to fight for the Sun royal clan without hesitation. After being lectured by his cousin, Sun Qiao became mindful of his willfulness, immediately submitting a report acknowledging his mistake and expressing his willingness to make friends with Gan Ning and let go of the past. The next year, the Wu army seized Jingzhou. In a case like this, Gan Ning and Sun Qiao were both in the reinforcements, making great contributions thanks to their tacit cooperation. Families were patriarchal in traditional Chinese society. The example set by the patriarch in a clan was extremely important. Thanks to his impartial style of governance, Sun Qian rectified the willfulness of the younger generation in the Sun clan, establishing a family tradition of impartiality and selflessness. Thus, the state of Wu became the regime that lasted the longest of all the three kingdoms that existed at the end of the Han dynasty. When I heard the news of Japanese pirates killing people in the south, I was very concerned about my grandfather's grave and the safety of my ancestors, but I was powerless. In 1557 AD, during Ming dynasty Jiajing emperor's reign, Japanese pirates invaded the coastal areas of Zhejiang, putting Shenlian's hometown, Xiaoxing, in great danger. But by this time, Shenlian was exiled to a frontier region north of the Gobi Desert. At that time, the Ming government was faced with two big problems. From the outside, they were menaced by Japanese pirates. While inside, they had evil governors to contend with, Yan Song and his son. While officials were too afraid to raise their voices, Shenlian was daring and strong-willed. In 1551 AD, Shenlian, as a minor embroidered uniform guard, submitted a report to the emperor in which he sharply denounced Yan Song and listed ten accusations against him. He accused Yan Song and his son of being treacherous court officials who endangered the realm and requested that the emperor have them executed. Not only did Zhejiang emperor ignore Shenlian's words, however, he also accused Shenlian of framing Yan Song and his son. After being punished by flogging, Shenlian was banished from the court to the desolate north. Shenlian had three sons, two of whom were still young children at the time. While only Shen Xiang, his firstborn, had come of age. Shenlian hoped that his son could follow the example of Fan Zhongyan to be the first to bear the name of Yan Song According to the history of Ming, Shenlian's writing was a vivid reflection of his personality, upright and full of integrity. When serving as the county magistrate of Liyang, Shenlian was noticed by Lu Bing, the commander of the embroidered uniform guard, and then promoted to a civilian post at the imperial court. But at that juncture in history, a personality that abhorred evil was unlikely to be a good fit in the imperial court at that time. During Jiajing Emperor's reign, the embroidered uniform guard was the incarnation of darkness and terror. In their ranks, Shenlian was an alien. The embroidered uniform guard was basically the imperial secret police of the Ming Dynasty, mainly responsible for investigation, apprehension, and interrogation. Since Lu Bing was close to Yan Song and his son, Shenlian was able to accompany him to the feasts at Yan's mansion many times. This is how he assembled evidences of their crimes. As long as they insist on meeting the emperor, they will have something to gain. But now the whole imperial court is deceiving the emperor, and the situation of selling off officials is getting worse and worse. I am very worried. Despite being banished to a desolate place, Shenlian still attacked Yan Song and his faction ferociously. Yan Song, the treacherous Grand Chancellor, was known to the country for taking bribes. At that time, Yan Song always came top of the list when corrupt officials were impeached by the royal censors. Every time he was impeached, he would go to Jiajing Emperor to show his loyalty and faith and somehow muddle through. It was a tactic that never failed. Shenlian's repeated impeachments and admonitions made the Yan family hate him like poison. During his rustication, he still insisted on writing articles admonishing Yan Song. Naturally, Yan Song was infuriated, and he asked his aides to frame up Shenlian so as to get him executed. But Shenlian had no regrets. He'd die a thousand times as long as he could live morally and righteously. But such a persistence could only lead to tragedy in an age when the talented were abandoned and the mediocre entrusted with high office. Shenlian's fate was sealed. In autumn that year, a trumped-up charge of being a member of the White Lotus Society Shen Xiang devoted himself to the welfare of the people. History records that when Shen Xiang served as an official, there were no delayed cases and that he focused his efforts on charity and the construction of dams. Shenlian could rest in peace content that he did his best to help the people of his country. 1043 A.D. was a special year for Fan Zhongyan. At the imperial court, Emperor Ren Zong of the Song Dynasty appointed him Grand Vice Chancellor to implement political reforms. These have gone down in history as the Qingli Reforms. At home, Da Can, the nephew Fan placed high hopes on, was ready to become an official at court. During the Song Dynasty, high-ranking officials could recommend their own clan members to be low-ranking officials at court. It was called the Inbu system, but it was a state of affairs that discouraged the children of officials from making their own way in life. Why bother when they would get a court position via the system? Fan Zhongyan received a great number of letters from the Fan clan asking for an official post at court, but he turned down all of them. During the Qingli Reforms, Fan Zhongyan presented a ten-point proposal on rectifying the bureaucracy, and one of them concerned the Inbu system. He raised the threshold of the system and specified that all presentees could only be appointed to a post after an examination. Fan himself set up an example for the officials. His nephew Da Can had achieved his official position by taking an examination. Throughout Chinese history, Fan Zhongyan was worthy of the title A Perfect Man. He was self-disciplined and confident, selfless and fearless, impartial and unprejudiced. After his death, Emperor Ren Zong conferred on him the posthumous title Wen Zhong. Gaining such a posthumous title had been the aspiration of scholars for over a thousand years. Fan Zhongyan was the only person honored in this way in the Song Dynasty. Firmly believed that the sufferings one experienced in youth would help shape a noble character. Before Fan reached the age of 22, he was named Zhu Yu. His father passed away early, so his mother had to marry into the Zhu family in Shandong. Fan discovered the truth of his origins thanks to taunts and teases of the Zhu brothers. At that time, studying was the only way out if a person wanted to become independent. Fan decided to change his life. According to the history of Song, when Fan Zhongyan was studying in a Buddhist monastery, he would simmer a pot of millet for a whole night. When the congee coagulated, he would slice it into four pieces, having two pieces in the morning and the other two in the evening. This was how he filled his belly. If he felt sleepy while reading at night, he would refresh himself by washing his face with cold water. Such self-discipline characterized him for the rest of his life. At the age of 26, Fan passed the highest level of imperial examination, and for the next dozen years or so, he served as a minor local official. Born into a poor family himself, Fan felt a strong sense of empathy with ordinary people, going to extraordinary lengths to help them. In Taizhou, when he noticed the seawall out of repair and people losing their homes, he submitted a report to the imperial court, suggesting the construction of a seawall along the coast from today's Lianyungang to the Yangtze River estuary. People referred to this as Duke Fan's Embankment. In Fan Zhongyan's era, the northern Song dynasty was challenged by both domestic turmoil and foreign aggression. With a large number of bureaucrats, the expenses in armament and bureaucrats accounted for a large proportion of the government's revenue. People became increasingly poor, and the country fell into impoverishment. In 1036 A.D., Fan Zhongyan presented to Emperor Ren Zong a chart listing all officials. This basically amounted to an investigative report on in-service officials. He listed the promotion methods adopted by all officials and analyzed their approach to administration, singling out Grand Chancellor Lu Yijian for his backdoor dealing and cronyism. But Lu was scheming and calculating, hitting back by making false accusations against Fan and having him rusticated to Rao Zhou, Jiangxi. On Fan's way to Rao Zhou, no one dared to receive him. Not that Fan cared. He wrote a poem, Why Should I Care About the Mundane Honor and Disgrace? The old man at the border has his self-awareness. During that difficult time, Fan Zhongyan's wife passed away, and he himself became seriously ill. His friend wrote a letter to him, trying to persuade him to stop being so sharp and stubborn and to stop reporting only bad news. If he didn't change his way, he was bound to get himself killed eventually. But Fan's reply to him was, he'd rather die with a voice than live his life in silence. In 1043 A.D., Emperor Ren Zong gave 54-year-old Fan Zhongyan an important role in implementing the Qingli Reforms. But a year into the Qingli Reforms, they were rescinded because of obstructions and false charges. In 1043 A.D., Emperor Ren Zong gave 54-year-old Fan Zhongyan Fan Zhongyan was soon on the move again, destined for a position outside the capital. Two years later, he composed Memorial to Yueyang Tower, in which he expressed his mixed feelings. The line, is especially poignant as it encapsulated a long-cherished ideal he failed to realize. He donated his life savings to the purchase of about 70 hectares of fertile farmland in Suzhou and established Fan's charitable organization. He also set up charity farms in schools, offering relief to clansmen and villagers and offering their children education. Despite the ups and downs in Fan's life, his concern for the country was always paramount. Ever ready to speak out on behalf of the people he loved so dearly, he was content to sacrifice his own happiness for that of the whole country. Inspired by Fan Zhongyan, many Fan family members passed the imperial examination. Fan Chunren, his second son, assisted five emperors in his life, going down in history as the great commoner chancellor. Despite achieving a higher position than his father, he retained the best features of the senior Fan's character. The mountains in clouds are vast and the river is magnificent. The nobility of your character is as high as the mountains and as long as the river. These are the lines Fan Zhongyan wrote in praise of Yan Guang, a literatus of the Han Dynasty, but they could equally apply to Fan himself. Family tradition is the backbone of a family. If a family adheres to integrity, it may become one of the pillars that support the whole nation. The talents who devoted themselves to the service of the public in historical times became the cornerstones of the Chinese ethos, their spirits exercising an influence that continues to be felt to this very day.