How good is the relationship between Liu Zongyuan and Liu Yuxi

How can one be considered a friend? Actually, everyone has their own definition of friends in their hearts. Zhuangzi once said, ‘The friendship between gentlemen is as light as water.’. Mencius said, “The value of human acquaintance lies in mutual understanding, and the value of mutual understanding lies in knowing one’s heart. Aristotle, on the other hand, said, “A close friend is like an alien with one heart.” True friends are those who meet with each other with hearts, treat each other sincerely, recognize each other, and appreciate each other. True friends support each other through thick and thin, sharing weal and woe together. Friends can share your joy, shelter you from wind and rain, and share your worries.
In ancient times, there were many touching friendship stories, such as the friendship between Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi, the unforgettable friendship between Ni Heng and Kong Rong, and the selfless friendship between Zuo Botao and Yang Jiao’ai. Among these stories about friendship, the most touching one is the life and death bond between Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan, which is touching and can be said to perfectly interpret the word “friend”. From acquaintance to mutual understanding
Liu Yuxi, also known as Mengde, was from Luoyang; Liu Zongyuan, with the courtesy name Zihou, was from Hedong. Both of them were born into noble families. Compared to them, Liu Zongyuan’s family background is better. Liu is a prominent family in Hedong, and his mother comes from the Lu family in Fanyang, which is also a wealthy family.
In 793 AD, the imperial court held an imperial examination, and coincidentally, Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan were both ranked as successful candidates. The Jinshi candidates on the same list will hold celebration activities, attend banquets in Xingyuan, and even go to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Ci’en Temple to inscribe their names to show their glory. These activities led to the acquaintance of Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan, and they gained a preliminary understanding of each other.
After passing the imperial examination, the two went their separate ways, and this separation lasted for ten years. In 803 AD, fate led them to work together as officials at the Imperial Censorate. After spending a long time together and getting to know each other better, they discovered that they shared a common ideal and wanted to eliminate the old drawbacks of eunuch autocracy and regional separatism, and carry out reforms. The common pursuit made their friendship even deeper, as Ge Hong said: “Those who share the same aspirations do not consider mountains and seas as far away; those who are well behaved do not consider proximity as near.
Sharing weal and woe, helping each other
In 805 AD, Emperor Shunzong of Tang ascended the throne with great ambition to carry out bold reforms. Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan, who had always advocated reform, were highly valued and showed their talents. But this reform movement came to a dismal end in less than half a year. Tang Shunzong abdicated, and the reformists were demoted. Liu Yuxi was demoted to Langzhou, while Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Yongzhou.
In the Tang Dynasty, the conditions in Langzhou and Yongzhou were extremely difficult. But this demotion lasted for a whole decade, during which the two often exchanged letters, commented on each other’s poetry, encouraged and supported each other in times of hardship. At the same time, this period was also the peak of their literary creation, producing many timeless masterpieces such as Liu Yuxi’s “Autumn Poems” and Liu Zongyuan’s “River Snow”.
In 815 AD, Emperor Xianzong of Tang issued an edict to summon Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan back to the capital. Their lives seemed to have reached a turning point, and they saw hope. Both of them were very excited. When Liu Zongyuan passed through the Miluo River on his way back north, he wrote this poem “Miluo Meets the Wind”, which reads: “To repay the spring breeze of Miluo Road, do not let the waves be wasted.” This shows his inner joy and preparation to show his ambition.
But not long after returning to Chang’an, Liu Yuxi wrote an impromptu poem while admiring peach blossoms in the Xuandu of Chang’an, which angered the powerful. They were both demoted again, but this time to a place farther away and with even more difficult conditions. Liu Zongyuan was demoted to Governor of Liuzhou, while Liu Yuxi was demoted to Governor of Bozhou.
At that time, Bozhou was extremely poor and the conditions were extremely difficult. Liu Zongyuan proposed to the court to exchange the position of Governor of Liuzhou for Liu Yuxi’s position as Governor of Bozhou through the exchange of Liu for Bo. Han Yu wrote in his “Epitaph of Liu Zihou”: “Zihou wept and said, ‘Bozhou is not inhabited by people, but I dream of being in the hall. I cannot bear to dream of being poor, and I have no words to justify it to his elders. Moreover, there is no mother and son who have gone to pay their respects.’ Please go to court and submit a memorial, willing to exchange Liu’s name for Bo. Although I have offended him severely, I will not hate him in death. With the help of Liu Zongyuan and others, Tang Xianzong was particularly grateful and transferred Liu Yuxi from Bozhou to Lianzhou.
Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan went south together to serve in a foreign land, because they had a long journey together. They traveled together, relying on each other for poetry and wine, exchanging poems and literature. Their friendship was deeper than that of brothers. When they arrived in Hengyang, the two were about to part ways and go their separate ways. At the moment of parting, Liu Zongyuan wrote in his poem “Farewell to the Dream of Hengyang”: “There is no need to bid farewell by the river this morning, just shed a thousand tears and wash your clothes.” Liu Yuxi wrote in his poem “Farewell to Liuzhou in Hengyang”: “The Guijiang River flows eastward across the Lianshan Mountains, and you can recite a long poem with some thoughts.
No one expected this parting in Hengyang, and the two would never see each other again in their lifetime.
After arriving in Liuzhou, Liu Zongyuan’s health deteriorated due to poor conditions in all aspects and a bad mood. In his fourth year in Liuzhou, Liu Zongyuan passed away due to illness at the young age of 47. At the moment of his death, Liu Zongyuan instructed to hand over all of his manuscripts to Liu Yuxi.
When Liu Yuxi heard the news of Liu Zongyuan’s death, he burst into tears and was filled with grief. In his book “Foreign Language of Liu Sacrifice Officer”, he wrote, “Looking south at the Gui River, I cry for my old friend. Afterwards, Liu Yuxi devoted his entire life to organizing Liu Zongyuan’s posthumous writings and compiling them into a collection.
For the past twenty years, everything has been the same. From their initial acquaintance to mutual understanding, Liu Yuxi and Liu Zongyuan have shared joys and sorrows, endured hardships together, supported and encouraged each other in adversity, and formed the most sincere friendship. Having a confidant in life is enough.