Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 12-24-10 05:52
A brief account of 張九齡 (Zhang Jiu Ling 678AD to 740AD)
He was born in 678AD in Qu Jiang county (曲江縣) in present day Guangdong
Province (廣東省). In 733AD he was appointed the Prime Minister by Li Long
Ji (李隆基) who was the grandson of Empress Wu or Wu Ze Tian (武則天). Some
high-ranking officials wheedled Li Long Ji into having Zhang Jiu Ling dismissed
as Prime Minister in 736AD. Li Long Ji had Zhang Jiu Ling banished back
to his hometown. Zhang Jiu Ling died in 740AD.
During his life time, Zhang Jiu Ling had written six famous poems which
are displayed as above..
In Ming Dynasty (明朝 1368AD to 1644AD) during the reign of Zhu Hou Zhao
(朱厚照) or Emperor Wu Zong (武宗皇帝), the people of Qu Jiang erected a
memorial hall called "Qu Jiang Feng Du Lou 曲江風度樓" in honour of Zhang
Jiu Ling. The couplet on the front door was written by Hai Ru (海瑞 1514AD
to 1587AD), the contemporary statesman and scholar at that time. Here is
the couplet:
當今皇室無雙士﹐
Dang Jin Huang Shi Wu Shuang Shi
自古天南第一人。
Zi Gu Tian Nan Di Yi Ren.
On 10th November 1965, an article called "Hai Rui Dismissed From Office
海瑞罷官", published by the People's Daily in Shanghai, criticizing a play
written by Wu Han (吳含), the deputy Mayor of Beijing city, called "Hai
Jui (Rui) Dismissed From Office 海瑞罷官." Few people took notice about
this article, but Peng Zhen (彭真) the mayor of Beijing was annoyed. Peng
Zhen asked the Shanghai branch of the People's Daily who authorized that
article to be published. Zhang Chun Qiao(張春橋) replied that the authority
was given by Chairman Mao who wrote that article. That was the first shot
of the "Red Guard Movement."
The grave of the Tang statesman and poet Zhang Jiu Ling was robbed in early
1960. The government decided to unearthed it from Luo Yuan Dong (羅源洞)
in Qu Jiang county (曲江縣) of Guangdong province. The Hakka professor Yang
Hao (楊豪) of the Guangdong University was in-charged of the excavation.
According to professor Yang's paper, addressed to the 15th World Hakka Association
Convention held in Malaysia last November, entitled "Zhong Guo Ke Jia Ren
Zong Lun 中國客家人總論", the result of the excavation was published in
the 6th issue of the magazine Wen Wu (文物) in 1961. On 26th April 1960,
the evening newspaper in Guangzhou city, Yang Cheng Wan Bao (羊城晚報),
also reported the result of the excavation.
Posted to asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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