⬅️ 唐诗 Tang Poems
He Zhizhang (贺知章,659-744 AD) was a poet, calligrapher and scholar official of high Tang dynasty. In 695 AD, He Zhizhang took the Jinshi examination, the highest imperial civil service examination, and came first. Jinshi examination in Tang dynasty was more strict than in the subsequent dynasties. Only about 1 or 2 percent of test takers national wide passed.
He Zhizhang's life could be said to be satisfying and successful compared to many his contemporaries. We have seen many instances of scholars and poets frustrated with their political pursuit due to their character and personality. While He Zhizhang was the opposite. From the record of the New Tang Book (新唐书), it was seemed that He Zhizhang was not a capable official. He was once assigned to the imperial academy to compile the Six Classics (六典), but he could not finish the task in years so he had to be transferred to a ceremonial post. When he was the deputy minister of the Ministry of Rites, he was accused for being unfair in the selection of pallbearers for the crown prince's funeral. There were so many officials coming to protest that the court was over crowded. He Zhizhang had to step on a ladder to talk to the protesters over the wall. Everyone at the imperial court made fun of him. He Zhizhang once again was transferred to another less important post. However, he served 4 emperors in his 50 years of political career without experiencing dramatic ups and downs, mostly attributed to his placidity and big heart. His talent in literature and broad-mindedness had won him friendships from both imperial court and among scholar-literati, including many great poets that we have introduced, such as Li Bai (李白), Wang Wei (王维), Meng Haoran (孟浩然), Song Zhiwen (宋之问), etc.
At age of 85,just months before his death, He Zhizhang asked Emperor Xuanzong (唐玄宗) for the permission of his retirement. His request was granted by the emperor. Moreover, Emperor Xuanzong wrote two poems for his departure and ordered the crown prince leading officials of all ranks to send-off He Zhizhang. Upon He Zhizhang's request, Emperor also granted the permission to change He Zhizhang's official residence into a Taoist temple and named it A Thousand Years Temple. Emperor Xuanzong also gave He Zhizhang part of a lake in his hometown for him to release captive animals. His famous nostalgia poem Writing on Returning Home was composed on his return to home village right before his death. It was selected in the anthology Three Hundred Tang Poems and in primary school text book.
