Zhao Mengfu

Life

Zhao Mengfu belonged to the Song imperial lineage and descended from Prince De of Qin; his fifth-generation ancestor, Prince Xiu, was the father of Emperor Xiaozong. After the family was granted a residence in Huzhou, he was regarded as a native of Huzhou. Precociously intelligent, he could compose prose at a stroke; at fourteen, he entered office through his father's hereditary privilege, initially serving as Zhenzhou Sihu Canjun.

After the fall of the Song, he lived at home and devoted himself more deeply to learning. The censor Cheng Jufu was ordered to seek out unrecognized talents and brought him to court; the Shizu Emperor, impressed by his radiant bearing, wished to employ him extensively, but after opposition from other advisers appointed him Vice Director in the Ministry of War and then promoted him to Academician of the Jixian Hall.

He later served as Associate Administrator of the Jinan Regional General Administration, Educational Intendant for Jiangnan, and, among other posts, Compiler in the Hanlin National History Academy, Hanlin Attendant Lecturer, and Attendant Lecturer of the Jixian Hall; in the third year of Zhida (1310) he held the post of Hanlin Attendant Lecturer, and during the Yanyou era he rose repeatedly to become Hanlin Academician Expositor before securing permission to return home. His career spanned the reigns of Shizu, Chengzong, Wuzong, and Renzong. When Shizu wished to involve him in central-government deliberations, Mengfu firmly declined; in audiences he regularly discussed the principles of government and contributed substantially to policy. He died early in the Zhizhi era at the age of sixty-nine.

Family and associations

His father was Zhao Yuyin; his elder brother was Zhao Mengpan, while his younger brother is named as Zhao Mengyu (趙孟籲) and also as Zhao Mengyu (趙孟吁). His wife was Guan Daosheng, and his son-in-law was Fei Xiong.

His agnatic nephews were Zhao Youjun and Zhao Mingzhong, and his agnatic grandnephew was Zhao Su; his second son was Zhao Yong and his third son Zhao Yi, both known for calligraphy and painting. His friends included Wu Cheng, Zhou Mi, and Yuan Jue.

Artistic achievements

Zhao Mengfu's poetry and prose were characterized as profound and extraordinary. His calligraphy encompassed seal, clerical, running, and cursive scripts and formed a distinctive style of its own; in painting he excelled at landscapes, bamboo and rocks, figures, horses and riders, and birds and flowers. His painting was ranked among the highest, "divine" works, his reputation as a painter was especially prominent, and he helped inaugurate the painting style of the Yuan.

His writings were sought from across the realm, and wherever he went carriages and horses filled the roads. Dai Shuaichu described his ancient poems as steeped in the manner of Bao and Xie, while placing his other works between Gao Shi and Li Ao; when Renzong discussed literary figures with his attendants, he compared Mengfu with Li Bai of the Tang and Su Shi of the Song. At the height of the Yuan, Yu, Zhao, Yang, Fan, and Jie were named together.

Yu Boshen once brought Mengfu a poem containing the couplet “山連閣道晨留輦，野散周廬夜屬櫜”. Mengfu suggested changing “mountains” to “sky” and “fields” to “stars”, and Yu Boshen was convinced.

Works

His works include the Songxue Studio Collection, also found under the title Songxue Studio Literary Collection. His ci lyrics were included in the collection, and he also wrote twelve lyrics titled 《巫山一段云》, each devoted to one of the twelve peaks of Mount Wu.

Later reception

As a Song prince who served the Yuan and rose to high office, Zhao Mengfu was regarded with shame by his cousin Zigu, who shut his door and refused to see him. After his death, the Song recluse Zixu wrote an elegy on a scroll of his poems.