Famous people with achievements in obscurity

1. Confucius

More than 2,000 years ago, during the Spring and Autumn Period, a great thinker and educator emerged in China, who was regarded as the "supreme sage" and the "teacher of all ages" by later generations. He was Confucius, and Confucius and his school of Confucianism have influenced China's history for more than 2,000 years, and are still regarded as the root of traditional Chinese culture today.

Confucius was honored as a saint in later times, and the name of the saint allowed future generations to view him from afar, but not truly understand his joys and sorrows.

Confucius compiled China's first chronicle, the Spring and Autumn Annals. According to relevant records, Confucius was born in Changping Township, Zuoyi, Lu (Luyuan Village, Nansin Township, southeast of present-day Qufu City, Shandong Province); he was 73 years old when he died, and was buried above the Surabaya River in the north of Qufu City, where today's Confucius Grove is located.

Confucius's words and thoughts are mainly contained in the Analects, a collection of discursive essays, and the Shiji - The Family of Confucius, preserved from the pre-Qin and Qin-Han periods. The highest standard for a virtuous society is "propriety", and the highest value for a virtuous life is "benevolence". Confucius is the founder of Confucianism and the world's most famous cultural figure.

2. Cao Xueqin?

Born in Jiangning (now Nanjing), in his early years in Nanjing Jiangning Weaving House experienced a period of brocade playboy, rich and prosperous life. Yongzheng six years (1728), Cao's family because of the shortfall in the crime of being copied, Cao Xueqin with his family moved back to the old house in Beijing. Later, he moved to the western suburbs of Beijing and relied on the sale of paintings and calligraphy and the relief of friends to make a living. Since then, the Cao family has been in a state of decline.

Experiencing a major turn of events in his life, Cao Xueqin was y impressed by the world's cruelty, and gained a clearer and deeper understanding of feudal society. He scorned the rich and powerful, far away from the officialdom, living in poverty, such as washing the difficult days. With tenacity and perseverance, he endured many years of hardship, and finally created a great work of thought and art - Dream of Red Mansions.

In his later years, Cao Xueqin moved to the western suburbs of Beijing. Life was even poorer, "full of artemesia", "the family gruel and wine on credit".

In the 27th year of the Qianlong reign (1762), his youngest son died young, he was trapped in excessive sorrow and grief, bedridden. In 1763, on New Year's Eve (February 12), he died of poverty and illness.

Cao Xueqin created "Dream of Red Mansions" is a grand scale, rigorous structure, complex plot, vivid description, shaping a number of artistic images with a typical character, which can be called the peak of the ancient Chinese long novels, and occupies an important position in the history of world literature.

3. Du Fu

Living in the historical period when the Tang Dynasty was in decline, Du Fu was born in a family that was "devoted to Confucianism and officialdom" for many generations, and his family was well educated. In his early works, he mainly expressed his ideals and aspirations and his desired path in life.

On the other hand, he expressed his political ideals of "to the king, Yao and Shun, and then to make the customs simple", and many of his works during this period reflected the hardships of the people's lives and the political turmoil at that time, and exposed the ruler's ugly behavior, and from then on he embarked on the path of life and creativity that was characterized by concern for the people and the country. As the late Tang Xuanzong became more and more politically corrupt, his life fell into poverty and disappointment day by day.

In the fifth year of the Dali era (770), Zang Jie revolted in Tanzhou, and Du Fu fled to Hengzhou, where he intended to join his uncle Cui Fei, but when he arrived at Leiyang, he was caught in a river surge, and had to moor at the Fangtian stage, where he did not have anything to eat for five days, and was fortunate to be rescued by the magistrate, Nie Mou, who sent a man to send him some wine.

Du Fu took the examination. Due to a farce staged by the powerful minister Li Linfu, all the scholars who took the exam failed. Since the road to the imperial examination was not feasible, Du Fu, in order to realize his political ideals, had to turn away from the door of the rich and powerful, to give gifts to the dry visit, etc., but all to no avail.

He lived in Chang'an for ten years, running around offering gifts, depressed, disillusioned, living a poor life, "lifting the jinshi did not win the first, stuck in Chang'an"?

In the 14th year of Tianbao (755), Du Fu was awarded the title of Military Counselor of the Right Guardian Office (a lower-ranking official position, responsible for guarding military armor and weapons, and managing the locks and keys of the gates). Du Fu was already forty-four years old and had been in Chang'an for more than ten years, so he accepted this useless position for his livelihood. In November, Du Fu went to Fengxian (present-day Pucheng County, Shaanxi Province) to save his family, Du Fu just entered the door of the house heard the sound of weeping, the original youngest son starved to death.

In the twentieth century, Rexroth, a modern American poet, believed that Du Fu was concerned with love between people, tolerance and compassion between people: "My poetry has undoubtedly been largely influenced by Du Fu. I think he is the greatest poet who ever lived in fields other than epic and drama, and in some ways he even surpasses Shakespeare and Homer, at least in that he is more natural and intimate".

4. GUAN YU

The character Yun Chang, fled his hometown to Zhuo County, Youzhou (present-day Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province) in his early years due to a criminal offense.

In the twenty-fourth year of Jian'an, Guan Yu besieged Xiangfan, and Cao Cao sent Yu Ban to reinforce him; Guan captured Yu Ban and killed Pang De. When Cao Cao sent Xu Huang to reinforce him, and Lu Meng of the Eastern Wu attacked Jingzhou, Guan Yu was defeated and killed.

After Guan Yu's death, he was gradually deified and was honored by the people as "Lord Guan", also known as Lord Beauty Beard. Dynasties have been praised by the court, the Qing Dynasty as "loyal and righteousness, God and martial spirit blessing benevolence and courageous Wei Xian Guan Sheng Da Di", revered as "martial arts", and the "saint of literature," Confucius is the same name.

5, Qu Yuan

(about 340 BC - 278 BC), China's Warring States period Chu poet, politician. As a young man, he was well-educated, knowledgeable and ambitious. In his early years, he was trusted by King Huai of Chu, and served as the left disciple and daofu of Sanlu, in charge of both internal and external affairs. He advocated the "beautiful government", advocating the internal appointment of talents and the cultivation of laws, and the external force to unite Qi and fight against Qin.

Because he was ostracized and slandered by the nobles, he was successively exiled to the northern part of Han and the Yuan-Xiang valley. After Ying, the capital of Chu, was overrun by the Qin army, Qu Yuan sank himself into the Miluo River and was martyred.

In 1953, on the 2,230th anniversary of Qu Yuan's death, the World Peace Council passed a resolution identifying Qu Yuan as one of the world's four most famous cultural figures to be honored that year.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Du Fu

Baidu Encyclopedia - Cao Xueqin

Baidu Encyclopedia - Confucius