The program of “Eight Masters of the Tang and Song” unveils the magnificent and dramatic life story of a generation of grandmasters through the mode of “immersive real-life performance + cinematic filming + XR innovative presentation”, and explores the moments of the birth of “Tang and Song masterpieces”.
Immersive real-life performance: The “Cultural Exploration Team” personally experiences the plot, with scenes built on real-life settings.
Cinematic filming: Through techniques such as plot rhythm and camera movement, the visuals are crafted to have a cinematic texture, enhancing the artistic and aesthetic qualities of the work.
XR innovative presentation: By combining reality and virtuality through computers, it brings the participants a seamless immersion between the virtual world and the real world.
Let us follow the “Cultural Exploration Team” of the program “Eight Masters of the Tang and Song” and step into the depths of history to take a look at the experience of Han Yu in the great Tang Dynasty.
Han Yu lost his parents at a young age. At the age of 12, his older brother Han He passed away in Shaozhou, and Han Yu returned to Heyang with his sister-in-law to bury his brother. Since then, the burden of supporting a family of over thirty people fell on the shoulders of his sister-in-law alone.
Han Yu and his nephew, Shier Lang, were inseparable and never separated. At that time, both of them were still young, so they tied their hair into two small buns, known as “Zongjiao”. Han Yu wore a sweatshirt with half sleeves on top, while Shier Lang wore a round-necked robe. Han Yu's sister-in-law, Zheng, wore a Qixiong skirt and a simple bun, without any jewelry.
After living in Heyang for a short period of time, Han Yu, his sister-in-law and nephew moved to Xuan Cheng, Anhui to escape the war. At the age of 19, Han Yu went to Chang'an to take the imperial examination.
At that time, the Han family could only support one person to go to the capital, and although Twelve Lang was full of aspirations to contribute to the country, he stayed at home to help his mother. When they bid farewell, Han Yu wrote “Farewell to the Nephew of Xuzhou”. At the time of parting, both of them wore Futou on their heads and round-necked robes. Han Yu wore a leather belt around his waist, while Twelve Lang wore a cloth belt.
At this time, Han Yu also carried a Xianglong, which can be considered as the artifact of ancient people traveling and rushing to the capital for the imperial examination. They can hold books, study materials, and daily necessities, and the canopy can also help shade and shelter from rain.
After arriving in Chang'an, Han Yu went to seek refuge with his elder cousin Han Yan. At that time, Han Yan was a subordinate of General Ma Sui, the Prince of Beiping County, but he was informed that his elder cousin had already died. From then on, Han Yu drifted without a home in the city of Chang'an, relying only on copying books for others and writing epitaphs to make a living. It was during this period that he wrote the famous line, “A million households in Chang'an, yet nowhere to go when I leave the house.”
In the year 792 AD, the examination allowed Han Yu to meet Meng Jiao. Han Yu, like other candidates who rushed to the capital for the examination, would go to buy the popular delicacy at the time – horseshoe pastry.
In the year 793 AD, at the age of 26, Han Yu heard that the counselor Yangcheng was known for his wisdom, but he had never remonstrated in his five years in office. Therefore, Han Yu wrote “Zheng Chen Lun” to criticize Yangcheng's inaction.
Two years after, the prime minister Lu Zhi was falsely accused by malicious people. Yangcheng defended Lu Zhi and was subsequently demoted, ultimately dying in exile in Daozhou. In the same year, Han Yu's sister-in-law Zheng passed away, so Han Yu returned to Heyang to mourn.
In the year 795 AD, after failing the imperial examination, Han Yu wrote to the prime minister, but received no reply. When Han Yu wrote to the prime minister, he was still wearing a round-collared robe, but the way he wore it was slightly different. The left side of the round-collared robe was turned out, revealing the pattern inside.
In the tenth year of Chang'an, although Han Yu passed the imperial examination, he never obtained an official position. With frustration over his unappreciated talent, he wrote the everlasting masterpiece “Ma Shuo”. In the year 796 AD, Han Yu successively served as a staff member in Bianzhou and Xuzhou. After taking on the role, Han Yu's clothing changed from pure white to black, with more exquisite details.
In the year 799 AD, Han Yu was appointed as the military chief of the Xusi Military Commissioner. At that time, the Huaixi Military Commissioner rebelled, and the court failed to make a judgment. Zhang Jianfeng, the Xusi Military Commissioner, held his troops and remained indifferent to the war. Unable to bear seeing the people suffering from the chaos of war, Han Yu expressed his concerns and urged Zhang Jianfeng to send troops to assist the court in making a judgment on the Huaixi rebellion.
However, Zhang Jianfeng refused, so Han Yu resigned from his position as a staff member and wrote “Farewell to Zhang of Xuzhou”. While watching the program, it can be seen that Zhang Jianfeng also wore a round-collared robe with a hat, but the patterns on his clothes were more elaborate.
After being rejected by Zhang Jianfeng, Han Yu returned home. At that time, his wife Lu was holding their child. Han Yu looked at the child in the swaddling clothes and felt even heavier in his heart. After much contemplation, he decided to return to Chang'an. Lu wore her hair in a loose bun, with simple hair accessories, and she was dressed in a blue shirt and a Qixiong skirt, appearing dignified and gentle.
In the year 800 AD, Han Yu returned to Chang'an with his family. The following year, he passed the examination conducted by the Ministry of Personnel and became a teacher of the Guozijian. In the year 802 AD, he wrote “Shi Shuo”.
In the year 803 AD, Han Yu was appointed as an Imperial Censor, responsible for supervising the six ministries and local areas. This was also the first time we saw Han Yu's wife, Lu. Lu wore a red Qixiong skirt, with one end of the silk draped over her right shoulder and the other end wrapped around her left wrist, with a red floral hairpin on her forehead. Han Yu wore a blue round-collared robe with delicate hidden patterns.
During a severe drought in the Guanzhong region, the people suffered from hunger. Li Shi, the Intendant of Jingzhao, falsely claimed that the grain harvest was abundant and extorted the people. The courtiers dared not speak out because they feared Li Shi. A popular satirical remark mocking Li Shi led to the execution of a virtuous person from the common people.
Han Yu wrote “Memorial on the Drought and Famine” to directly remonstrate, but as a result, he was slandered and demoted to Yangshan. His students all went to see him off. When he first arrived in Yangshan, Han Yu wore a light pink round-collared robe, which appeared softer compared to his attire in Chang'an. Shortly after being demoted to Yangshan, Han Yu received news of the death of his nephew, Shier Lang. Overwhelmed with grief, he wrote “In Memory of Shier Lang”.
Having witnessed the suffering of the common people and experienced the loss of loved ones, Han Yu wrote “Yuan Dao”, formally proposing the theory of the transmission of Confucianism. In the year 813 AD, Han Yu was appointed as a teacher of the Guozijian again. When we saw Han Yu again, he had changed into a red round-collared robe with small floral patterns.
In the year 819 AD, Han Yu was once again demoted, this time to the post of Governor of Chaozhou, due to his writing of “Jian Fo Gu Biao” to criticize the prevalent superstitious beliefs in the government and society. His daughter, who was ill, accompanied him on the journey but died along the way. Chaozhou had a harsh natural environment, and the people were not skilled in agriculture and lacked proper etiquette. The crocodiles in the wicked river became a menace, but the people worshipped them as river gods.
Han Yu arrived in Chaozhou and immediately sought to establish the official school of Chaozhou with Zhao Dezhong. However, Zhao Dezhong believed that Han Yu only wanted to accumulate political achievements and advised him to focus on practical matters, as he believed that practical matters would benefit both Han Yu and the people. During their discussion, both Han Yu and Zhao Dezhong were dressed in dark-colored round-collared robes, sitting across from each other at a table.
Han Yu realized that promoting education was not easy, so he decided to first eliminate the threat of crocodiles. After successfully eliminating the crocodile threat, the superstitious people of Chaozhou took it upon themselves to remove other threats, and Han Yu gained some prestige as a result. He also donated his salary to help establish schools in Chaozhou, as well as assist Zhao Dezhong in teaching and writing textbooks.
During his time in Chaozhou, Han Yu also had an influence on the local cuisine. When eating seafood, he would add Sichuan pepper and orange, as can be seen in his work. “Han Gong Banquet” is still the preferred choice for Chaozhou people when hosting guests today.
During his eight-month tenure in Chaozhou, Han Yu worked for the benefit of the people in four ways: eliminating the crocodile threat, freeing slaves, caring for agriculture, and promoting education. As a result, the people of Chaozhou revered him as their “Mentor of Chaozhou”. After leaving Chaozhou, Han Yu was appointed as the governor of Yuanzhou, where he worked to combat drought, promote education, and free slaves, earning the admiration of the people of Yuanzhou.
After the “Anshi Rebellion”, some local military commanders took advantage of their own forces, causing chaos. The situation in Huai Xi was particularly complex, with several failed military campaigns by the court. In 814 AD, the Huai Xi military commander Wu Yuanji rebelled once again.
In 815 AD, the prime minister Wu Yuanheng and the chief censor Pei Du, who were staunch advocates for suppressing the rebellion, were assassinated on their way to the court, with one dead and one injured. Both the court and the public believed that the assassination of the two was related to their military actions in Huai Xi, and many suggested to appease Huai Xi. However, Pei Du and Han Yu volunteered to go and suppress the rebellion.
The court eventually appointed Pei Du as the special envoy for pacifying and disposing of Huai Xi, as well as the military commander of Zhangyi, and Han Yu accompanied him as the marching general. Before setting out, Han Yu bid farewell to his wife Lu Shi, dressed in a dignified and elegant blue dress with purple-red trim, draped with a Pibo hanging from the front of her chest and trailing behind her.
During his time in the army, Han Yu offered many valuable strategies. He recommended that Pei Du launch a surprise attack on Caizhou on a snowy night, achieving a great victory. He also advised on persuading the military commander of Chengde, Wang Chengzong, to surrender. The Huai Xi rebellion, which had lasted for over thirty years, came to an end. Han Yu commemorated this feat by writing the “Ping Huai Xi Bei” monument.
The following year, Wang Tingcou besieged the newly appointed military commander of Chengde, Niu Yuanyi, in Shenzhou. The court's repeated attempts to suppress the rebellion were in vain. Han Yu was then appointed as the special envoy for pacifying and appeasing, and at the age of fifty-four, he bravely entered the dangerous situation as a mere scholar.
As Shenzhou was under siege, Han Yu was extremely anxious. Concerned that the people would refuse to accept the imperial decree that prevented him from entering the city of Zhenzhou, he was willing to risk his life and eventually convinced the rebel general Wang Tingcou to release Niu Yuanyi from the siege.
When Han Yu first met Wang Tingcou, he was dressed in a purple round-collared robe, commanding a powerful presence. After returning to Chang'an, Han Yu was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel.
Throughout his life, Han Yu dedicated himself to the revival of Confucianism and Taoism, never forgetting the principle that “the ancient sages, when successful, benefited the people; when not successful, they cultivated themselves and were seen by the world.” He is still highly respected to this day and is considered the foremost of the “Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song”.