Thank you for writing about Su Dongpo. He is my favorite poet -- I would say the most favorite intellectual figure in Chinese history! I am just curious if you've read his poems? The phenomenal poetry of his represents and delivers his broad perspectives on life and philosophy. I especially admire his passion for life, which is not just optimism, but about accepting everything that happens, good or bad, which resonates well with Buddhism.
Its so great to meet another superfan of SuShi! 🙏💖 He accepted life so positively, and accepted so much of life, and he DID so much... he really showed us how its done. Actually I've only read one book, the biography LinYutang wrote. There is so poetry but not much. I do have one compilation book of poetry that has some SuShi works. I have one article about his poetry. https://pauldotta.substack.com/p/a-reading-date-with-sudongpo?r=2capue 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Thanks for sharing this article! Beautiful Tea House! It made me want to write about one of my favorite Su's Song Poems, Ding Feng Bo. Just wonder, do you read in Chinese?
I really enjoyed this essay. Especially the line, "we carry the dust of our past. " But dust can be taken with the wind, or washed with water - so I like this analogy. It can also be light and remind us of our journey thus far. I think it is a reminder of living fully - not trying to isolate a feeling, experience, or decision from the everyday chaos of life, but letting it be part of it.
Thank you, Miriam 🙏 I do like the positive and proactive view you bring to the "dust". Some good thought can be put into what it takes to clean the dust of the past away. Have a great weekend! 💐
What a great tribute to the wonderful Su Shi. I recommend Edward Shaeffer's Shore of Pearls, which is not about Su Shi entirely, but about the early history of Hainan island, bu the includes lots of references to Su Shi and the time he lived there!
Thank you so much! I have been wondering if Hainan has some tribute to SuShi, I bet they have to.
Oof, it's expensive on Amazon. This quote captures Hainan well and matches my memory of trying to do business there - "the difficulty of colonizing and exploiting Hainan's riches changed its reputation from a treasure island to one of a dank, poisonous land unfit for normal men" 😂😂 Yep - accurate.
yeah i really hate the way that amazon puts absolutely ridiculous prices on things. A while ago I splurged on a few Floating World editions of some of Schaeffer's reprints - excellent to have. the Shore of Pearls I have is a much older edition. It's excellent though, as all of Schaeffer's work is.
Oh, and for a wonderful novel that is set in an alternate Song dynasty and has wonderful characters based on Su Shi and Li Qingzhao, Guy Gavriel Kay's "A River of Stars" is an elegant, riveting and moving book that really makes you feel like you are there with our cast of Song dynasty poets and statespeople. Gavriel Kay is a fantasy writer of uses fantasy to bring alive the past in ways no other writer has matched.
i want to say beijing, but i also believe it was a seasonal or mobile exhibition, if i remember correctly. must have been one or two years ago. sorry i can’t offer more help than that!
Thank you for writing about Su Dongpo. He is my favorite poet -- I would say the most favorite intellectual figure in Chinese history! I am just curious if you've read his poems? The phenomenal poetry of his represents and delivers his broad perspectives on life and philosophy. I especially admire his passion for life, which is not just optimism, but about accepting everything that happens, good or bad, which resonates well with Buddhism.
Its so great to meet another superfan of SuShi! 🙏💖 He accepted life so positively, and accepted so much of life, and he DID so much... he really showed us how its done. Actually I've only read one book, the biography LinYutang wrote. There is so poetry but not much. I do have one compilation book of poetry that has some SuShi works. I have one article about his poetry. https://pauldotta.substack.com/p/a-reading-date-with-sudongpo?r=2capue 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Thanks for sharing this article! Beautiful Tea House! It made me want to write about one of my favorite Su's Song Poems, Ding Feng Bo. Just wonder, do you read in Chinese?
Thank you! You have a wonderful weekend, too!
Thank you! 🙏 I don’t read, or even really speak, which is sad, I know. I’ve been here so long, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Here is a link to (almost?) the entirety of Su Shi's work, which can be accesses in English and Chinese. https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%9D%B1%E5%9D%A1%E5%85%A8%E9%9B%86
hands off Wikipedia!! (tRumP's prosectutors are attacking Wikipedia)
A lifetime of work and a lifetime to read! Thanks Debbie.
I really enjoyed this essay. Especially the line, "we carry the dust of our past. " But dust can be taken with the wind, or washed with water - so I like this analogy. It can also be light and remind us of our journey thus far. I think it is a reminder of living fully - not trying to isolate a feeling, experience, or decision from the everyday chaos of life, but letting it be part of it.
Thank you, Miriam 🙏 I do like the positive and proactive view you bring to the "dust". Some good thought can be put into what it takes to clean the dust of the past away. Have a great weekend! 💐
I loved reading this, thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you so much! 🙏💐
What a great tribute to the wonderful Su Shi. I recommend Edward Shaeffer's Shore of Pearls, which is not about Su Shi entirely, but about the early history of Hainan island, bu the includes lots of references to Su Shi and the time he lived there!
Thank you so much! I have been wondering if Hainan has some tribute to SuShi, I bet they have to.
Oof, it's expensive on Amazon. This quote captures Hainan well and matches my memory of trying to do business there - "the difficulty of colonizing and exploiting Hainan's riches changed its reputation from a treasure island to one of a dank, poisonous land unfit for normal men" 😂😂 Yep - accurate.
yeah i really hate the way that amazon puts absolutely ridiculous prices on things. A while ago I splurged on a few Floating World editions of some of Schaeffer's reprints - excellent to have. the Shore of Pearls I have is a much older edition. It's excellent though, as all of Schaeffer's work is.
Oh, and for a wonderful novel that is set in an alternate Song dynasty and has wonderful characters based on Su Shi and Li Qingzhao, Guy Gavriel Kay's "A River of Stars" is an elegant, riveting and moving book that really makes you feel like you are there with our cast of Song dynasty poets and statespeople. Gavriel Kay is a fantasy writer of uses fantasy to bring alive the past in ways no other writer has matched.
I have Under Heaven on my Kindle but have little time to read. 🥲
totally get that. but it’s worth it. It will really give you an insight in to the life of Su Shi.
Thanks for the nice reflections. ‘The Gay Genius’ is in my reading list. Thanks also for the reminder to make time to read longer writings like books!
Oh that's great, I can recommend it 100%. Though it is the only book about SuDongpo I have read! LinYutang was an amazing writer.
I will check it out! He is a great writer. Do you know of any other similar writers like him?
There must be so many more 🙂 That is the whole point of this, to discover the characters and their storytellers. 🙏 We can learn together. 🍵
Beautiful story with much wisdom. Thanks for uplifting me.
Thank you, Bill, have a great day and week! 🙏
what a gorgeous letter… this guy seems great.
I've only read the LinYutang biography of SuShi, so all the stories and quotes come from that. "The Gay Genius" It is an awesome place to start.🙏
ah, i’ve just looked him up - i went to a museum exhibit on him a while ago! i’ll have to read up on the biography.
Cool, may I ask where? Always looking for a SuShi exhibit.
i want to say beijing, but i also believe it was a seasonal or mobile exhibition, if i remember correctly. must have been one or two years ago. sorry i can’t offer more help than that!
No worries 🙂 SuShi spent some time exiled in Huizhou, not far from us. I used to visit factories there, never knew Sushi spent time there.