Part 1: Feelings and Aspirations • 17
6 The way ahead is long, and I do not see any ending, yet high and low I’ll search with determination
Soiling my gown, to plead my case I kneeled; The ancestral voice the path to me revealed. Swift jade-green dragons, birds with plumage gold, I harnessed to the whirlwind, and behold, At daybreak from the land of plane-trees grey, I came to paradise ere close of day. I wished within the sacred brave to rest, But now the sun was sinking in the west; The driver of the sun I bade to stay, Ere with the setting rays we haste away. The way ahead is long, and I do not see any ending, Yet high and low I’ll search with determination.
— Qu Yuan, LiSao
About the Author Qu Yuan (cir 340 B.C. – cir 278 B.C.), otherwise known as Ping, Yuan, Zhengze, and Lingjun, was a native of Danyang in the State of Chu during the latter part of the Warring States period, and was a descendant of Qu Xia, a son of Xiong Tong who was King Wu of the State of Chu. Qu Yuan was one of the prominent poets of romanticism in China, a famous patriot and statesman. He is considered to have created the “Chu- elegy” style of verse and also the tradition of the “Beauty of the Fragrant Grass.” His representative works include LiSao (The Lament), JiuZhang (Nine Chapters), JiuGe (The Nine Songs), and TianWen (Heavenly Questions). Qu Yuan in his early official career was a trusted, favoured counsellor of his kinsman Huaiwang, the ruler of Chu. He served as Court Minister and Master of the Three Gates. He often discussed national affairs with Huaiwang and participated in the making of laws; he advocated making clear law and regulations, promoting the worthy and employing men 18 • Famous Chinese Sayings Quoted by Wen Jiabao
of ability, reforming the political structure, and joining the State of Qi to fight against the State of Qin. At the same time, he was also in charge of diplomatic affairs. Later, he gradually became estranged from Huaiwang, and was exiled to Hanbei. During his exile, Qu Yuan began his literary creation. His works were full of his passion for the place and the customs and mores of Chu, his feelings towards the people of Chu and patriotism towards his motherland. His works are bursting with rhetorical flourishes of exquisite imagination, unique metaphors and deep meaning, becoming a model for Chinese literature. In 278 B.C., when the capital of his state was plundered by the conquering army of Qin, Qu Yuan, in total despair, he clasped a big stone to his chest and drowned himself in the Miluo River.
Background to the Quotation See Article 5.
Remarks
The line “the way ahead is long, and I do not see any ending/yet high and low I’ll search with determination” comes from the LiSao, a well- known work of Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan, above all, was a patriot and a poet admired and respected by posterity. Premier Wen’s worrying about the nation and love towards people makes him a successor in spirit to Qu Yuan. His intention in quoting the line is to express the following: in the search for truth, the road ahead is still long, but I’ll not yield in spite of setbacks, and I’ll spare no effort to pursue it and find it “above the heaven and below the earth.” When Premier Wen quoted Qu Yuan’s words, he was not expressing so much dejection and depression about the situation, but more of a kind of expectation of the future as a result of long-term efforts. The expression xiuyuan in the poem means “the road is long,” emphasizing the “distance of the road.” The expression xiong guan ru tie emphasizes “the weight Part 1: Feelings and Aspirations • 19 of one’s responsibility.” The future responsibility is heavy and the road is long, and the government under Premier Wen’s leadership has to ceaselessly cross the summit and search repeatedly on its road to a great power.
7 Who can say that the heart of inch-long grass will repay the sunshine of spring
Needle in the hands of a loving mother, Works into the clothes on the travelling son. She sets the stitches firmly and closely before he departs, For fear that he will be slow to return. Who can say that the heart of inch-long grass, Will repay the sunshine of spring.
— Meng Jiao, “Song of a Travelling Son”
About the Author Meng Jiao (751-814), styled Dongye, was a poet of the Tang dynasty. He was a native of Wukang in Huzhou (present-day Deging County in Zhejiang Province). Meng Jiao lived in poverty during his early years. He travelled to such places as Hubei, Hunan and Guangxi to take civil service examinations but was unsuccessful. He finally obtained the jinshi degree, the highest in the civil service examination, at the age of forty-six, but it was not until he was fifty that he was appointed a minor position as Sheriff of Liyang. This poem was written when he held this position. In the early years of the reign of Yuanhe, Meng Jiao was nominated to serve as Clerk for Land-water Transhipment in Henan as well as Assistant Musician, and he settled in Luoyang. At the age of sixty-four, he died of poverty and sickness, and was given the posthumous title of “Mr Zhenyao ” by his friend Zhang Ji.