Fan Chengda: His Life, Times and Work (1126-1193)
Fan Chengda’a was native to, and called his hometown, the ancient city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. At one time, Suzhou was one of the, if not the largest city in the world. It was also a place of wealth and culture, being the major area of sericulture (silk production). He was born into a family of mid-level government bureaucrats and officials in 1126 AD.
He combined careers of government service and author of over 1,900 poems, concentrating on Nature and all things of the countryside. One hundred of them were “ci” poems (song lyrics); and ten were “fu” or “sanwen” poems (prose poems). These two poetic forms were fully developed during this time period in ancient China.
Fan was also well-regarded as an accomplished calligrapher, using a style where his characters were written artistically in a large and bold manner.
Fan wrote often of the social and economic struggles of the people; natural beauty of mountains, rivers, gardens and fields as well as the corruption and injustices often done in the name of taxation and military conscription. His writings often expressed his patriotism and love of country, using a simple style with realistic details and satiric wit of the likes of Bai Juyi and Wang Qian.
He wrote a number of “travel journal literature” (youji), as well as some using common literary themes: plum trees and flowers; farm life; the four seasons; Buddhism; and growing old (transitory life). Poems of a “gentleman recluse” followed this theme, with poems of simplicity and purity, of things and people living in the wild, away from large population centers.
Fan was famous for being one of the four masters of the Southern Song Dynasty literati, which included Yang Wanli (1127-1206); Lu You (1125-1210); and Mao Yu. The biographies and work of Yang and Lu can also be found on this website.
The Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) was a result of military defeats, with the loss of the northern territories to the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty. The capital had to be moved from Kaifeng to the more southern city of Hangzhou.
Both the united Song, and the Southern Song dynasties were famous for their wealth and culture. Innovations included paper banknotes, gun powder, wood-block printing, and expansion of time clock technology. In the twelfth century, the Southern Song’s economy was three times that of Europe’s. The population doubled from 45 to 90 million by the eleventh century.
Life Timeline:
1141 Fan was working in the capital city of Chang’an in a rather elevated position for a person of his age (age 15). This appointment came to him because of Fan’s reputation for writing poetry.
1143 His parents died when he was 17, and was therefore expected to manage the estate. He also had to leave the capital and palace employment to honor his passing parents with a three-year mourning period. At home, Fan spent time tutoring both his brother and sister.
1145 At the age of 19, Fan passed the Jinshi exams. After passing the provincial lower level exams, Fan and hundreds of others qualified to take the Jinshi, which was the highest and final exam in the imperial testing system. It was taken in the capital city, within the palace every two or three years. The exam was given to determine who would fill the senior levels inside the civil service bureaucracy. Skills tested included writing, inside the literary style used by government officials, and the Chinese Classics.
Sent to Guizhou Province as a military attache. After serving the general, Fan was promoted and ultimately sent back to the palace again.
1166 Fan was tasked to go outside the palace and into rural areas to supervise and report on the local government officials. He found a lot of crime and corruption. Before returning back to the palace after two years, he made a visit to his hometown. This began the onset of Fan’s critical views of the current power structure and status quo.
1168 Back at the palace Fan was given a mid-level job recording and journaling the activities and observations of the emperor.
1170 he was tasked with a diplomatic mission and special envoy to the Jin kingdom court and king (emperor) near modern-day Beijing.
At the border area he showed no fear or concern for his safety upon entering the border areas. This helped to secure access to the Jin government officials.
He wrote 70 poems about this time of service to his country. As a reward, the emperor made him his personal secretary.
Fan served either as a military or civil governor in the provinces of Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Guangxi. Most often given assignments in the more remote regions. These duties allowed him to experience the folklore and practices of both mountain and coastal peoples.
Filled the position of Grand Secretary in the palace and capital in Chang’an (current city of Xi’An)
June 1177, age 51, Fan left the provincial capital of Chengdu and traveled through Jia County to experience the sights and majesty of Mr. Emei. And of course kept a travel journal to document his experiences and observations.
In 1184, at the age of 58, Fan retired to a scenic villa at Shi Hua (Stone Lake) in the outskirts of Suzhou.
Continued to write about “garden and fields” poetry, but also of the life and daily activities of the rural villages and people. Poetic models and inspiration came from the work of Tao Yuanming and Wang Wei.
1186 wrote a series of 60 quatrains on the four seasons and rural life. Wrote many about the winter plum tree and it’s blossoms along with his beloved chrysanthemums, in a genre known as “Tianyuan” Fields and Gardens.