biography

Tang Xianzu (1550 ~ 16 16) was a playwright in the Ming Dynasty. The meaning of this word is still the same. Its name is Hai Ruo, also called Ruoshi. Don't be a Taoist in Qingyuan. Linchuan (now Jiangxi) people. It occupies an important position in the history of China and world literature.

Tang was born in Yunshan Township, Linchuan County, and later moved to Tangjiashan (now Fuzhou City). Tang Xianzu was smart and studious since childhood. "One out of every ten thousand boys." At the age of fourteen, Tang Xianzu made up all the students in the county. When I was twenty-one, I won an award. According to his talent, people expect him to be worthless in his official career. However, the imperial examination system, which degenerated with the whole Ming society, has become corrupt, and the examination has become a behind-the-scenes transaction of corruption and bribery by the upper ruling group, and a scam to determine the hereditary status of aristocratic children, instead of taking people by their talents. In order to hide people's eyes and ears, Zhang wanted to arrange for his son to take the examination of Jinshi, and wanted to find a few people with real talent and practical learning as a foil. He learned that the most famous juren at sea were Tang Xianzu and Shen Mou, so he sent his uncle to woo them. It is claimed that as long as he is willing to cooperate with the Prime Minister, Xu Xianzu will be in the first place. Shen and others betrayed themselves by virtue of the power of the prime minister and the temptation that many people dream of, and really won the high-tech industry; However, Tang Xianzu was completely honest and unmoved. Although he did not oppose Zhang's political reform, as an upright intellectual, he hated this corrupt atmosphere, so he refused it twice. Said, "I dare not lose my virginity from a woman." The result can be imagined: Tang Xianzu's name fell on Sun Shantou. In addition, in the years when Zhang was in power, he was always the last one to come to power. However, Tang Xianzu was praised by domestic people for his noble personality and white integrity. After Zhang's death, he took photos one after another and promised him to pull Xianzu into the screen as an academician, but Xianzu refused.

At the age of 34, Tang Xianzu won the Jinshi with a very low ranking and began his career full of thorns. He first observed politics in the Ministry of Rites in Beijing (as a trainee), and the following year he went to Nanjing as a doctor of Taichang Temple as a seven-product official. Seven years at a time Nanjing has been the capital of the Ming Dynasty since Yongle. Although there are various yamen, they actually have no power and exist in name only, especially Taichang Temple. Someone chanted in the poem: "Yin Chuang's high house cleans the dust yarn, and it smells buzzing twice a day." Its leisure and silence can be imagined. However, Nanjing at that time was a place where scholars gathered together. Poets and poets, that is, dramatists, are famous before and after, Chen, He and Jin in Heng and Zang Maoxun. Tang Xianzu is here, learning to sing with some people who have poems and songs, while learning knowledge and writing books. Although it is midnight, the sound of books is endless. Someone asked him, "What is the old doctor's book addiction?" Answer: "I don't ask for a doctor unless I am a doctor." This quiet and complacent life is in sharp contrast with the literati who were severely punished for taking refuge in Zhang at this time.

It's not peaceful to stay. There is a fierce literary and ideological struggle here. As early as the Jiajing period, the ethos of "literature must be in the Qin and Han Dynasties, poetry must flourish in the Tang Dynasty" advocated by the first seven scholars headed by Li Mengyang and He Jingming prevailed in the literary world. During the Wanli period, the later seven sons, led by Wang Shizhen and Li Panlong, followed in their footsteps. As far as ethos is concerned, there are so-called first five sons, last five sons, wide five sons, continuation five sons and last five sons. Among them, Wang Shizhen is not only talented, but also has status and influence. In the eleventh year of Wanli (1583), he went to Nanjing to be the magistrate of Heaven, and later served as assistant minister and minister of punishments here. Prominent position. Scholar-officials are eager for it. Many people ran to his door. A few words can "flatter Zhang Xianhao and brag about his talent" and become a literary leader. But Tang Xianzu is a man who respects literature and does not yield to power. He emphasized innovation and opposed retro. He paid attention to absorbing all the excellent literary heritages in ancient times and was not limited by the scope stipulated by the retro school. His literary thoughts and themes are quite different from those of Wang Shizhen. Therefore, although he is with Wang Shizhen and is a direct relative of Wang Shizhen's younger brother, he doesn't want to go back with the Wang brothers. He wrote to a friend and said, "If you don't want to catch up with the kings in the north, you can't catch up with them." More interestingly, in order to expose the true face of the literary retro school, Tang Xianzu also invited friends to dissect the poems of Li Mengyang, Li Panlong and Wang Shizhen, and took out the words that imitated and copied the Tang poems of Han Dynasty, smearing and commenting on them one by one. Wang Shizhen know, what, didn't take it to heart. This shows that Tang Xianzu is not only disobedient to power, but also has his own opinions and specialties, and will never go with the tide.

This is not to say that Tang Xianzu has a congenital rebellious character, but it is actually the result of his acceptance of ancient excellent cultural thoughts under the historical conditions at that time, especially the anti-neo-Confucianism, anti-tradition and anti-authoritarian thoughts in the embryonic period of capitalism. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, with the emergence of the seeds of capitalism, deviant thinkers such as Wang Gen, He, Luo Rufang and Li Zhi appeared in the philosophical circle. Although their views are different, they all denounce hypocrites who talk about morality but feel rich with their earth-shaking ambitions and the spirit of tying dragons and snakes with their bare hands, and pretend that "nothing can be done without holiness." It has had a great influence on ideology and culture. Tang Xianzu was a student of Luo Rufang in his early years. He studied Taoism and read Unholy Books from his childhood. Later, I made friends with Bai Zi, a radical Zen master, and especially admired Li Zhi, a radical thinker. After reading his book Burning, I admired him very much. He said, "People like Mr. Mingde (Rufang), in my heart forever. Regard him as a hero of Xia (), listen to the hero of Li Baiquan (wisdom), and find his subordinates, such as getting a beautiful sword. " Formed his resistance and struggle in politics and literature, also known as "crazy slave", so he was not only unwilling to go along with the autocratic rulers in character, but also sharp-edged in politics. In the 19th year of Wanli (159 1), when Tang Xianzu was a Taoist in Bi Li Temple in Nanjing, he wrote an article on assistant ministers and ministers, severely impeached the records of ministers Yang Wenju and Hu Runing, and exposed their crimes of stealing power, accepting bribes and plundering the hungry. This article criticizes the politics of Wanli for 20 years. When Wen Shu came out, Zong Shen was furious, and the imperial edict demoted Tang Xianzu to xuwen county in Leizhou Peninsula as the official history. A year later, he was pardoned and moved to Suichang County, Zhejiang Province. In Suichang, "cutting tongs (wú, killing people), hitting trusses (héng) (instruments of torture worn on the feet or around the neck to tie prisoners), cutting rules and regulations, and saving opportunities", a shooting range was built and an academy was built. Sometimes I go to the countryside to persuade farmers, and I compare words with Qingxian Zixiu all the year round. This style of ancient officials finally greatly improved this remote and barren land in central Zhejiang, and cattle, sheep and livestock in Sang Ma also flourished. Perhaps Tang Xianzu regarded this place as his ideal kingdom. In addition to the above-mentioned good governance, he even allowed the prisoners in prison to go home for the New Year without authorization, and let them go to the streets to watch lanterns during the Lantern Festival, and pursued their political opinions without scruple. This made his political opponents finally seize the handle, and when it was time to assess officials, they came out to slander them. Tang Xianzu naturally knew that someone wanted to get rid of him. In the 26th year of Wanli (1598), I heard that the imperial court would send tax envoys to Suichang to disturb the people. He couldn't bear to wait for others to attack him and submitted his resignation to the official department. Without waiting for approval, he left and went back to his hometown. Later, when the official department and Douchayuan formally punished him for being "impetuous", he gave up the job three years in advance.