As Su Shi's Words Suggest: Change Your Perspective, and Life Opens Up

Wei Yi

Wei Yi，a psychological counselorand lecturerof Chinese Studies，specializesin the integrationofknowledge in interdisciplinaryfieldssuchasChineseStudies，Education and Psychology.

Inbothlifeand work，weoften encounter various challenges， and at times，we may even find ourselves in a rut. In these moments， shifting our perspective can help us notice overlooked details and discover fresh approaches to problem-solving，allowingus to face difficulties with greaterclarity and resilience. Centuries ago， the renowned literary giant Su Shi found himself in suchapredicament.Itwasbyviewinghiscircumstances froma different angle that he found a new direction in life.And with it， he found a sense of openness and enlightenment.

SuShi found earlysuccessinlife.Asachild，hewas already composing poetry with ease，and when he sat for the imperial examination， he passed with distinction on his first attempt， marking the start of his official career. However， life'sups and downs are never easy to foresee. Thisyoung man， full of ambition and confidence ashe stepped into the bureaucracy，believed wholeheartedly inhis boundless talentand lofty ideals，convinced that hecould makehismarkin theworld thatlaybeforehim. Little did he know the twistsand turns thatawaited him. Perhapsitisthe fate of all those who achieve successtoo youngto believe thattheworldliesentirelywithin their grasp.

When Su Shi first entered officialdom，he was lively by nature and fond of making friends，and hisbrilliance wasimpossibletohide.Allofthismadehimstandout whereverhewent.

Theauthorofthisbooktakesthelifestoriesof13 outstandingancient literatias clues，leadingus through timeand space immersively feeling theirchangesin mentalityanddeepunderstandingwhen facing life difficultiesandemotional twistsand turns，aswell as theirunique copingmethods.

Bythen，hehad already penned several widelyacclaimed poems，and during his first postingas vice perfect in Fengxiang Prefecture，many junior officials were his devotedadmirers.Some evenaffectionatelyreferred to him as “Virtuous Su.” Surrounded by praise and admiration， the young and high-spirited Su Shi began to feel a little too pleased with himself.When thePrefect of Fengxiangat the time， Chen Xiliang，his superior， caught wind of this，he ordered the admirer punished with a beating.SuShiwasfurious.

Su Shi didn'tunderstand the subtleties ofcourt politics orhumanrelationsatthetime.HebelievedthatChen Xiliang was deliberately making things difficult for him，so he harbored hisresentment.In response，he WroteRecordof theLingxu Terrace，apiece rich in historical allusion，meant to satirizehis superior.Su ShihadexpectedChenXiliangtobefurious，but to hissurprise， the prefect wasn'tangry at all. Instead，he had the essay engraved on a stone stele and placed it in front of theLingxu Terrace.The truth was that Chen Xiliang genuinely appreciated Su Shi's literary talent. The punishment of the junior official had never been abouthumiliation.Itwasasubtleadmonition forSuShi himself，meanttotemperhisprideand encouragehimto act with more restraint and maturity.

Though， like many young men brimming with youthful pride at the time， Su Shi was not someone who couldn't

ADoseofVerse，aCurefortheHeart

Wei Yi

Chongqing Publishing House

January 2025

52.00 （CNY）

tellrightfromwrong.Heknewhowtoadmithis mistakesand to be grateful. It was then thathe came to understand Chen Xiliang's well-intentioned motives. The prefecthad feared thatSuShi'sflamboyancemight draw unwanted attention and had sought to temper his sharp edges，hopingto sparehimgreater troublein the future. Afterall，theworldofofficialdomwaslikeabattlefield， where everystephadtobetakenwithcaution.From then on， Su Shi and Chen Xiliang developed a close relationship，and Chen became one of thementors Su Shi would hold in deep gratitude for years to come.

At the time， the Northern Song court appeared peaceful on the surface，but beneath it， undercurrents had already begun to stir.After Emperor Shenzong ascended the throne，he appointed Wang Anshi and others to carry outaseriesof sweeping reforms.Su Shi，however，felt that the reforms were too radical and might spark social unrest and public discontent.Yethis position in court wasfarbelowthatofWangAnshi's.Hehadneitherthe authority to halt the reforms nor the power to influence imperial decisions. All he could do was turn to poetry andprose，usinghiswritingstovoicehisunease about the current situation.

SuShi justthenheldarelativelymodestpost，andfew atcourtpaidmuchattentiontothesatiricalundertones inhis poetry.Later，he was appointed as the Prefect of Huzhou. According to the customs of the time， every official， upon assuming a new post， was expected to submit a formal expression of gratitude to the emperor， a memorial of thanks.Little could Su Shi have imagined thathisMemorialofThanksfromHuzhouwould become a sharp sword， one that nearly cost him his life.

While most officials flled their memorials with glowing praise for the emperor and effusive gratitude toward the court， Su Shi's letter took a different turn. Instead， he used it to voice a series of grievances， pointing out certain flaws in Emperor Shenzong's governance and expressing his own frustrations.But emperors require authority and face， and Su Shi's candor deeply displeasedtheemperor.CombinedwiththefactthatSu Shihad previously criticized the reforms through his poetry， the reformist faction， eager to silence a dissenting voice，he seized thisopportunityto tryto bringhim down onceand forall.

Theimperialcourt sentofficialsto Huzhou to arrest Su Shiand escort him back to the capital for interrogation. It was then that Su Shi fully grasped the gravity ofhis situation. He believed this return to the capital would surelyendindeath.Though hehadalwaysbeencheerful andbroad-minded，inthefaceofdeath，eventhemost resoluteheartcan falter.

On the journey back， one night the boat anchored by the shores of Taihu Lake. Under the cover of darkness， Su Shi quietly made his way to the Luxiang Pavilion beside the lake， intending to end his life in its depths.It's often said that a person's true transformation happens inasinglemoment，and forSuShi，perhaps it wasthat very night when his state of mind and way of thinking underwent a profound transformation. Beneath the calm， glassysurfaceofTaihuLakelaytheshatteredheartofa man on the brink of despair.

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Inthe end，Su Shi did not take his ownlife and was escorted to the Censorate in the capital. While imprisoned， fully aware that the odds of survival were slim，he wrote what he believed to be a farewell poem tohisbeloved younger brother，Su Zhe，his final words before a second attempt at suicide. But the poem never reached Su Zhe. Instead， it found itsway into the hands ofEmperor Shenzong. The emperor was deeplymoved bytherawandheartfeltemotionin SuShi'swords.In truth， Shenzonghadalreadybeen torn abouthandling the case.HeadmiredSuShi'sliterarybrilliancetoo muchto let him be condemned easily.As emperor， he could not simply overlook Su Shi's offenses.Ultimately， with the intercessionand persuasionofWangAnshiandothers， Emperor Shenzong chose to spare Su Shi's life.He was demoted and sent to Huangzhou， appointed as a minor official，Assistant Military Commissioner.

This incident is known as the“Crow Terrace Poetry Case\"in history.It was，without question， the greatest stormandhardship Su Shifaced inhisentire life.Even thoughheisoftenrememberedasbold，carefree，and unshakably optimistic， even a spirit as luminous as he once sank into such despair that he contemplated ending his life twice.

To face hardship with a steady heart means allowing oneself to experience various emotions.The first step in alleviating negative emotions is not to fight against them but to embrace them.When difficulties arise， we can feel sadness for a while. Instead of constantly asking，“Why is this happening to me？\" Nor should we force ourselves tothink，“Ishouldn’tbesad，andIneedtogetoutof this mood as quickly as possible.\"Negative emotions are like dirtywater. Onlyby draining the murky water can we pourin clean， fresh water.

Through reading，learning，and continuously experiencing life inall its forms，onebecomesclearminded and broad-hearted.This is how Su Shi gradually emerged from his hardships.

Having endured various injustices， Su Shi no longer held the same grievances and lamentations he once did. Instead，he began to reflect onhis experiences，seeking tounderstandthedeepermeaningsoflifeand existence. Herecalled that inhisyouth，the life he most desired was one like that of Tao Yuanming， picking fence side asters at will， carefreely seeing the southern hill： a life ofseclusion， self-sufficiency， and detachment from the world'stumultuousaffairs.

With renewed hope in his heart， Su Shi settled down on asmallpieceoflandhehadbeengrantedandbeganto work the fields with his own hands. In the early days of this pastoral life，he cast aside the bitterness and hardship of the past.History recordsmany demoted officialswho spent their daysbrooding in sorrow and self-pity. But SuShiwasdifferent，andhedid notallowhisfall from grace to break hisspirit. Instead，he came to believe thateverythingin lifewas thebestarrangementand that everytaste，whethersweetorbitter，wasagiftfromlife itself.

Everything in the world， and everything that happens in life，hastwo sides.Ifonecan face each eventwiththe samecalmandopennessasSuShi，andlearntosee the positiveineverycircumstance，thenlifewill feel ever renewed，with somethingto gain each and everyday.