What was Meishan, Dongpo's hometown, like in the Song Dynasty?

To explore Su Dongpo, we have to start from his hometown Meishan.

Sichuan has been fertile soil since ancient times, and Chengdu Plain is even more fertile.

At that time, Sichuanese were well-fed and content with the status quo, too lazy to climb mountains and seek fame from afar, so Songshi said, "Shu people are not good officials."

Meishan in Song Dynasty is the seat of the state capital, a small town with charming charm and a population of over 10,000. At that time, there were clouds, which ran through the city for three miles and around the city for nine miles. "Three households were divided into seven fields." Meishan is nourished by the continuous Minjiang River, which is very fertile.

The folk customs here are simple and mellow, so people don't worry about food and clothing, and naturally they don't worry about playing. People in the city are poor and have books at home. There are courtyards in front of and behind the house, and all kinds of flowers and plants are pleasing to the eye. You can have a cup of tea when you are free and have a leisurely life. Su Shi's Yuan Jing Lou depicts many customs in his hometown.

After the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms Rebellion, Song Taizu and Zhao Kuangyin used "a glass of wine to relieve the military power" to achieve the general plan of governing the country by restraining soldiers and reusing civil servants, thus opening up more avenues for scholars. As long as you are admitted to Jinshi, there will be officials to do it and get a considerable salary.

Under this influence, there was a reading style in the whole country at that time, and the style of study was blowing all over Meishan Town. 1024, Su Dongpo's second uncle, 24-year-old Su Xun, passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, which caused a sensation in Sichuan. Since then, in the nearly 300 years of the Song Dynasty, Meishan has produced more than 800 scholars, probably more than Chengdu. Ceng Gong said in "Su Jun's Epitaph": "Mei has more than a thousand scholars, from Su Chi." Song Renzong, who has been in office for more than 40 years, also praised: "People who are eager to learn in the world are mostly in Meishan!"

Meishan has a strong cultural atmosphere in the Song Dynasty, and it is one of the three engraving and printing centers in China. Sun Shi Bookstore inscribed on the royal plaque in Tang Dynasty has tens of thousands of books. There is Su Shi's reading room in Zhongyan Temple in Qingshen County. Lu You, a great poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, rode a donkey to Meishan, and he was even more amazed: "This is a wonderful place that breeds beauty and is a Millennium poetry book city.