The Creation Background of Han Xizai Banquet in the Five Dynasties

Han Xizai (AD 902 -970) was born in Beihai, Weizhou (now Weifang, Shandong) in the Five Dynasties, and was born in a noble family. In the late Tang Dynasty, he was a scholar in the same light year (923-926 AD), and his father was killed in the political chaos. In 926, he and Shi and others took refuge in Jiangnan and went to the State of Wu. In 937, Dr. Li established the Southern Tang Dynasty on behalf of Wu, calling Han Xizai the Secretary Lang. Prince Li Jing ascended the throne, and was regarded as a foreign minister, historian and doctor Tai Chang of the Royal Guards, and was highly valued. When I first entered the DPRK, I was quite ambitious and politically knowledgeable. In 947, Shi Jingtang of the late Jin Dynasty surrendered to Qidan, calling him the "emperor" and ceded a large number of Central Plains territories. He immediately went up and suggested seizing the opportunity to pacify the Central Plains. Excavate refused and missed the opportunity. Soon, the "five ghosts", such as Feng and others, attempted to seize power, and the result was a fiasco in Fuzhou. Han Xizai once wrote to exhort and advocated sanctions, but was falsely accused as a traitor by followers such as Song and Feng, and was relegated. Later, the Northern Zhou regime was established, and the North became stronger and stronger. However, some people made wild comments on the Northern Expedition. Han Xizai, judging the situation, put forward not to make a move, but excavate still refuses to accept. As a result, Jiangbei and Huainan lost 14 states in World War I and surrendered to the Northern Zhou Dynasty. When Li Yu was in power, the Southern Tang Dynasty became a vassal of the newly established Zhao and Song Dynasties, and its demise was a foregone conclusion. Li Houzhu drinks, writes poems and talks about Buddhism all day, and the situation in the country is getting worse. Han Xizai, then assistant minister of the Ministry of War, was pessimistic and disappointed, so he had to "self-defile" to protect himself. He once confided his inner difficulties to his good friend monk Deming. "The central plains always look at this. Once God comes out, Jiangnan will abandon its armor, and I can't be the laughing stock of the ages. " (Song Luyou, Book of Southern Tang Dynasty)

Frustrated in his later years, Han Xizai indulged in debauchery, saying that "what a good debauchery, it is for the banquet" (Postscript to the Banquet by Zhao Sheng, recorded by the iron net coral in Li Cun, Zhu Ming), "Wild play, unlimited names, unlimited festivals" (Ma Songling's biography of Southern Tang Dynasty and Han Xizai), and "exhaust its wealth and make it a prostitute. When he heard of the drought, he ordered Gu to draw a picture of Han Xizai's banquet as a warning: "Han Xizai is a left-hander and divided. It's begging to stay on the table chasing prostitutes. Stay when the Lord comes back. A few days later, the prostitutes got together again and drank as usual. The monthly salary will be distributed to prostitutes when it arrives, but it can't be given in the future. Those who taste bad clothes will hold a dulcimer, so that Shu Ya can take the board with him and beg Japanese food from beggars in the room. " (This volume "Han Xizai's Travels") After being moved to Ren Zhongshu as an assistant minister, it still did the same thing. Song Kaibao died in the third year (AD 970) at the age of 60.

A profound banquet

Gu, a native of Jiangnan, was in charge of the Painting Academy after the Southern Tang Dynasty and was good at figure painting, just like Zhou Wenju. There are two reasons for the creation of Han Xizai's Night Banquet. "Xuanhe Picture Book" records that the late master Li Yu wanted to reuse Han Xizai, but "he felt desolate, but he wanted to see the intertwined state of lights and candles, so he was destined to get a glimpse of it and paint it." The Supplement to the History of the Five Dynasties says that Han Xizai lived in poverty in his later years. "Although the pseudo-master knew it, he was angry, but he took hold of his minister and didn't want to point at him. He was ashamed because he was ordered to draw a picture for it, and Xi Zai knew that he was safe. " In a word, this painting was painted by Gu in the imperial edict. According to records, Zhou Wenju also wrote "Han Xizai's Night Banquet". Both of them were still there in the Yuan Dynasty, and today only Gu Ben is left.

The work faithfully reproduces the historical scene of Han Xizai, Minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty, giving a banquet to entertain guests, and describes in detail the lively scenes of playing the silk and blowing bamboo, singing and dancing, friction between host and guest, laughing and laughing, and profoundly depicts the complex character of the protagonist who is detached and unhappy. The whole picture is divided into five sections. In the first paragraph of "Listening to Songs", Han Xizai and Lang Zhen, the top scholar, sat on the bed, listening to the assistant's sister playing the pipa and sitting next to her brother. The guests present at the concert were Zhu, Doctor, his favorite pupil, and the family geisha Mountain. In the second issue of Watching Dance, everyone was watching Wu Wangshan Dance "Six Yao Dances", Han Xizai personally played "Jiegu", and his friend monk Deming met unexpectedly and stood awkwardly. In the third period of "temporary rest", Han Xizai and his prostitute were sitting on the bed, and Han was washing his hands; In the fourth issue of "Blowing", Han Xizai undressed and sat in a chair, enjoying five issues of "Farewell Banquet" performed by five singers and "pass the parcel" by Han, while the guests were teasing the poetess. The whole volume shows every plot in the form of a comic book, and each paragraph is separated by a screen partition and skillfully connected with each other, so that the scene appears unified and complete. The layout has ups and downs, the plot has ups and downs, and the characters are particularly vivid, such as Lang Mei's leaning posture, caring for her sister's kind eyes, and others clapping involuntarily. Wu Wangshan's petite posture, the embarrassing situation of Deming monk standing with his head on his back and so on. In the part of "watching dance", everything is well written and incisive. The most prominent is the portrayal of the hero Han Xizai. The shape of long beard and tall hat is consistent with the literature, and his words and manners reveal his complicated heart. On the one hand, he mingled with the guests at the banquet in an informal way, such as personally drumming for Wu Wangshan, listening to female music ensemble with open chest and bare arms, and hanging out with domestic prostitutes when leaving, which fully reflected his wild and unrestrained attitude and pursuit of life; On the other hand, he is absent-minded and full of melancholy, such as staring at the drums and not laughing, listening to the blow carelessly, and chatting with the maid opposite. These emotions all reveal his frustrated mentality in his later years. Han Xizai created by the painter is not only forced to be a portrait, but also deeply digs into his heart, with a three-dimensional personality, which can truly reproduce the original appearance of this historical figure.