Su Shi (Dongpo) (苏轼 (东坡)) — The Renaissance Foodie & Optimist
Dynasty: Northern Song Dynasty (1037-1101)
Exiled across the empire, he turned every hardship into poetry, cuisine, and unconquerable joy.
Life Footprint & Journey Nodes
Meishan, Sichuan (四川眉山) - Age 19
Foothills of Mt. Emei, Sichuan (Panda & Culinary Heartland)
A Prodigy Born in the Gentle Foothills of Mount Emei
Born into an intellectual household in Meishan. His mother taught him classical history and moral courage, while his father Su Xun nurtured his broad worldview.
Ten thousand green bamboos by the gate; four treasure vaults of books in the study hall.
门前万竿竹，堂上四库书。 (Mén qián wàn gān zhú, táng shàng sì kù shū.)Kaifeng (Imperial Exam Triumph), Henan (河南开封 (嘉祐及第)) - Age 21
Imperial Capital Kaifeng (The 11th-century New York with 1M+ citizens)
Stunning the Imperial Capital at Age 21
At age 21, Su Shi passed the highest imperial civil examination with flying colors. The grand literary master Ouyang Xiu declared: 'In a few years, everyone will speak of this young genius!'
To stand head and shoulders above all peers.
出人头地 (Chū rén tóu dì)Meishan (Filial Mourning Period), Sichuan (四川眉山 (丁母忧守丧)) - Age 21
Foothills of Mt. Emei, Sichuan (Panda & Culinary Heartland)
Three Years of Mourning: The Moral Legacy of Mother Cheng
Just after his triumph in the examinations, news arrived that his mother Lady Cheng had passed away. Su Shi immediately declined official appointment and hurried back to Meishan for twenty-seven months of filial mourning. He recalled his mother teaching him the fearless integrity of ancient patriots, a lesson that shaped his unwavering moral spine for life.
When my father was away, my mother took upon herself the noble family burden, raising us with rigorous virtue and moral courage.
昔吾先君之殁也，太夫人受其遗诫，率诸孤以居…… (Xī wú xiānjūn zhī mò yě, tài fūrén shòu qí yíjiè, shuài zhū gū yǐ jū...)Three Gorges, Yangtze River (长江三峡 (奉节夔门至夷陵)) - Age 23
Dramatic Yangtze River Gorges from Qutang Gorge to Yiling, Hubei/Chongqing
The Epic Yangtze River Voyage: Birth of 'The Southbound Collection'
In late 1059, having completed the mourning period, Su Shi left Sichuan forever with his family by boat down the Min and Yangtze Rivers. Sailing through the breathtaking Three Gorges, the perilous rapids and monumental canyon walls inspired over a hundred poems co-authored with his brother, forming 'The Southbound Collection'. This dramatic water journey forged his magnificent, free-flowing literary spirit.
The craggy peaks recede as the raging waters calm; the river widens vastly with rolling, surging waves.
山平水怒稍平帖，江阔波翻远荡潏。 (Shān píng shuǐ nù shāo píngtiē, jiāng kuò bō fān yuǎn dàngyù.)Kaifeng (Imperial Decree Exam), Henan (河南开封 (汴京·制科及第)) - Age 25
Prosperous Northern Song capital, modern Kaifeng, Henan
Triumph in the Supreme Imperial Decree Exam
Reaching Kaifeng in late 1060, Su Shi prepared for Emperor Renzong's rare Imperial Decree Examination in 1061. Submitting twenty-five profound statecraft essays, he was ranked in the legendary third class—the highest achieved in Song history. Emperor Renzong rejoiced: 'Today I have gained two future prime ministers for my descendants!' He was promptly appointed assistant magistrate of Fengxiang.
The greatest peril under heaven is when people follow the status quo without understanding why.
天下之患，莫大于不知其然而然。 (Tiānxià zhī huàn, mò dàyú bùzhī qí rán ér rán.)Fengxiang, Shaanxi (陕西凤翔) - Age 25
Historic Tang/Song administrative bastion in western Shaanxi, modern Baoji
First Government Post & The Fleeting Nature of Life
Serving his first post in Fengxiang, he built the public East Lake for citizens. While parting with his brother, he composed the eternal verse on how humans leave brief footprints on melting snow.
To what should we compare our fleeting life? To a wild swan touching down upon the snowy mud, leaving a few casual tracks before flying on.
人生到处知何似，应似飞鸿踏雪泥。 (Rénshēng dàochù zhī hésì, yīng sì fēihóng tà xuěnī.)Hangzhou (First Term), Zhejiang (浙江杭州 (一任通判)) - Age 35
Hangzhou West Lake (China's poetic paradise and romantic freshwater lake)
Falling in Love with West Lake in Rain and Sunshine
Disagreeing with radical reforms, Su Shi requested a post in Hangzhou. Here he found profound peace touring the West Lake, composing poems that defined Hangzhou forever.
If West Lake were compared to Lady Xishi, light or rich makeup would always grace her peerless beauty.
欲把西湖比西子，淡妆浓抹总相宜。 (Yù bǎ Xīhú bǐ Xīzǐ, dànzhuāng nóngmǒ zǒng xiāngyí.)Mizhou, Shandong (山东密州 (知州)) - Age 38
Near modern Qingdao (Shandong breezy coastal frontier)
The Mid-Autumn Moon and a Brother's Longing
Serving in Mizhou, he caught locusts to save crops. On the Mid-Autumn night of 1076, missing his brother Su Zhe, he created the crowning masterpiece of Mid-Autumn poetry.
May we all be blessed with longevity, though miles apart, we share the beauty of the graceful moon.
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。 (Dàn yuàn rén chángjiǔ, qiānlǐ gòng chánjuān.)Xuzhou, Jiangsu (江苏徐州) - Age 41
Martial crossroads of four provinces, modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu
The Hero Mayor Who Defeated the Yellow River Flood
When the Yellow River flooded and threatened to submerge Xuzhou, Su Shi personally stayed on the city battlements for over 40 days, successfully holding the floodwaters back.
The bright moon like frost, a fine breeze like water—boundless clear scenery.
明月如霜，好风如水，清景无限。 (Míngyuè rú shuāng, hǎo fēng rú shuǐ, qīngjǐng wúxiàn.)Huzhou & Imperial Prison, Kaifeng (浙江湖州与开封御史台狱) - Age 42
Imperial Capital Dungeon (China's earliest trial of poetic satire)
Arrested for Poetry: About 130 Days in Death Row
Arrested over satirical poems in the notorious Crow Terrace Trial. Facing execution, he wrote farewell poems to his brother before being saved by reformist leader Wang Anshi and the Empress Dowager.
May we remain brothers through every lifetime, renewing this unfinished bond in ages to come.
与君世世为兄弟，更结来生未了因。 (Yǔ jūn shìshì wéi xiōngdì, gèng jié láishēng wèiliǎo yīn.)Huangzhou, Hubei (Dongpo Rebirth) (湖北黄州 (东坡诞生)) - Age 44
Near modern Wuhan on the Yangtze River (Birthplace of Dongpo Pork)
From Imperial Death Row to Farming and Inventing Dongpo Pork
Exiled to Huangzhou as a disgraced minor official under surveillance. Here, Su Shi achieved complete spiritual rebirth, took the title 'Dongpo Jushi', invented Dongpo Pork, and wrote the immortal Red Cliff Odes.
Straw sandals and a bamboo cane beat any horse; who cares? In a woven cloak of mist and rain, I let life unfold at its own pace.
竹杖芒鞋轻胜马，谁怕？一蓑烟雨任平生。 (Zhúzhàng mángxié qīng shèng mǎ, shuí pà? Yī suō yānyǔ rèn píngshēng.)Mount Lu & Changzhou Transit (江西庐山途次 · 常州乞居) - Age 47
Prosperous water town of Jiangnan, modern Changzhou, Jiangsu
Seeing Mount Lu's True Face — and Begging for a Plot of Land
In 1084 Su Shi left Huangzhou for a Ruzhou posting. At Mount Lu he composed 'Inscription on the Wall of Xilin Temple'. After meeting Wang Anshi near Jinling and suffering the death of a young son, he petitioned to buy land and live in Changzhou.
I cannot recognize the true face of Mount Lu, simply because I am standing inside the mountain.
不识庐山真面目，只缘身在此山中。 (Bù shí Lúshān zhēn miànmù, zhǐ yuán shēn zài cǐ shān zhōng.)Kaifeng (Grand Academician), Henan (河南开封 (官拜翰林学士)) - Age 49
Prosperous Northern Song capital, modern Kaifeng, Henan
Summoned Back to the Top of the Imperial Court
Returned to the capital and promoted rapidly to Hanlin Academician. However, he refused to blindly dismantle all previous reforms, finding himself attacked by both sides.
When laws build on what came before, affairs succeed easily; when change is gradual, the people are not alarmed.
法相因则事易成，事有渐则民不惊。 (Fǎ xiāng yīn zé shì yì chéng, shì yǒu jiàn zé mín bù jīng.)Hangzhou (Second Term - Su Causeway) (浙江杭州 (修筑苏堤)) - Age 53
Hangzhou West Lake (Where he dredged the lake & built Su Causeway)
Dredging West Lake and Building the Immortal Su Causeway
Governing Hangzhou for the second time, he mobilized 200,000 workers to dredge the choked West Lake, using the silt to build the scenic 2.8 km Su Causeway.
Returning, I get drunk once more in West Lake rain—fifteen years without seeing those leaping pearl-drops.
还来一醉西湖雨，不见跳珠十五回。 (Huán lái yī zuì Xīhú yǔ, bù jiàn tiàozhū shíwǔ huí.)Huizhou, Guangdong (Lingnan Exile) (广东惠州 (远贬岭南)) - Age 58
Subtropical Guangdong frontier (Near modern Shenzhen / Guangzhou)
Banished Beyond the Mountains: 'Eating 300 Lychees a Day!'
Exiled far south to Lingnan past the mountains. Instead of grieving, Su Shi embraced local culture, designed piped spring water systems for Guangzhou, and feasted on tropical lychees.
Eating three hundred sweet lychees a day, I would gladly remain a native of Lingnan forever.
日啖荔枝三百颗，不辞长作岭南人。 (Rì dàn lìzhī sānbǎi kē, bù cí cháng zuò Lǐngnán rén.)Danzhou, Hainan Island (The Edge of the World) (海南儋州 (天涯海角/烤生蚝)) - Age 61
Tropical Hainan Island (The outer edge of the ancient world)
Banished to an Island: Cultural Pioneer & Grilled Oysters
Exiled across the ocean to tropical Hainan Island at age 61. Su Shi built the Dongpo Academy, tutored Hainan's very first imperial graduate (Jiang Tangzuo), and humorously warned his son not to tell court officials about the delicious grilled oysters.
Though I faced nine deaths in the southern wilderness, I harbor zero regrets—this wondrous journey stands supreme in my whole lifetime.
九死南荒吾不恨，兹游奇绝冠平生。 (Jiǔsǐ nánhuāng wú bù hèn, zī yóu qíjué guān píngshēng.)Changzhou, Jiangsu (The Peaceful Sunset) (江苏常州 (巨匠谢幕)) - Age 64
Prosperous water town of Jiangnan, modern Changzhou, Jiangsu
'My Life's Greatest Feats? Huangzhou, Huizhou, Danzhou!'
Pardoned and traveling north, Su Shi peacefully passed away in Changzhou at age 64. Before passing, he told his sons: 'I have done no evil in my life; my spirit will not fall. Weep not.'
If you ask for my life's greatest achievements: Huangzhou, Huizhou, and Danzhou.
问汝平生功业，黄州惠州儋州。 (Wèn rǔ píngshēng gōngyè, Huángzhōu Huìzhōu Dānzhōu.)
In-Depth Essays & Philosophical Inquiries on Su Shi (Dongpo)
Browse All Classical Wisdom Essays in Directory
- Who Was Su Shi? The Exiled Sage Su Dongpo
Trace the 66-year life of Su Shi (Su Dongpo) across 11 cities—from Sichuan prodigy and death row to gastronomic rebirth in Huangzhou and Hainan exile.
- How Dongpo Pork Was Born: Su Shi's Recipe for Resilience in Exile
How did a disgraced poet invent China's most famous braised pork belly?
- Su Shi vs. Marcus Aurelius: How Chinese Wisdom and Roman Stoicism Conquer Hardship
Compare Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Chinese poet-statesman Su Shi.
- Why Were Ancient Chinese Poets Exiled? The Strange Fate of Genius in Imperial China
From Qu Yuan to Su Shi, why were China's greatest minds repeatedly banished to desolate frontiers?
