The Pity of Zhong-Yong王安石：伤仲永

There is a tendency within Chinese culture to emphasize hard work rather learning aptitude in achieving academic success. Negative responses towards ‘aptitude’ are obvious in the Chinese context, dating back to Wang Anshi’s (1021-1086) work of ‘The Pity of Zhong Yong’ in the Song Dynasty. The story tells of an intelligent child named Shang Zhong Yong, who when he was young showed much aptitude for reading and memorization abilities, but years later he was found to be no different from other people. This story suggests that ‘aptitude’ is not emphasized in a Chinese educational context. As such, intelligent tests are rarely encouraged in Chinese schools.

Below is the story told by Wang Anshi.

In my hometown Jinxi, there was a person called Fang Zhong Yong. His family has been peasants for generations. At the age of five, Zhong Yong had never known any writing tools. Suddenly one day he cried and asked for these things: pen, paper, ink, etc.His father was very surprised and borrowed ones from the neighbor. Zhong Yong immediately wrote a quatrain Jueju poem, and signed his own name. His poem was talking about supporting parents and people from the same clan should get along harmoniously with each other in accordance with seniority and the patriarchal relationship. The poem generated big buzz among scholars of the entire township.

Since then, Zhong-Yong could immediately complete a poem about any assigned issues and objects. And his poems are of literary talent and sound rationale. People in the whole county were surprised by his incredible talent. Gradually, people started to treat his father as special guest with respectful courtesy; some even paid money in order to ask for Zhong Yong’s poems. His father felt that this was profitable and lucrative. So he let Zhong Yong visit people one day after another and would not let him study at school.

I’ve heard this matter for a long time. In Mingdao Era (1032-1033), I returned to hometown with my father. At my uncle’s house I met Zhong Yong. He was already twelve or thirteen years old by then. I asked him to write a poem. His poetry couldn’t meet the reputation of the past.

It took another seven years when I came back from Yangzhou. Once again I came to uncle’s home, asked about Fang Zhong Yong’s current situation. He replied: ‘Just like ordinary people.’

Wang Anshi commented: Zhong Yong’s special intelligence was gifted at birth. He was endowed with much higher talent than average talented people. However, he eventually became an ordinary person, because he did not receive proper education afterward. As naturally intelligent to such an extent as Zhong Yong was, he became an ordinary person without proper education. Well, nowadays, for those who are not born smart, if they do not receive proper education, could they beat child prodigy Zhong-Yong and still become “ordinary people”?

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中华文化倾向于强调‘勤奋’而不是‘天资’为学习成功之要素。这种对‘天资’或‘才能’的负面看法在中国古书中是明显的，可以追溯到宋朝王安石（1021-1086）所写的‘伤仲永’的一篇文章。该故事说一个小孩小时候显示了很好的才能与记忆力，可是后来却与一般人没有两样。这个故事说明‘才能’不是中国教育所重视。所以，在中国学校中，‘才能测试’一向来是不被鼓励的。

以下《伤仲永》选自《王文公文集》：

金溪民方仲永，世隶耕。仲永生五年，未尝识书具，忽啼求之。父异焉，借旁近与之，即书诗四句，并自为其名。其诗以养父母、收族为意，传一乡秀才观之。

自是指物作诗立就，其文理皆有可观者。邑人奇之，稍稍宾客其父，或以钱币乞之。父利其然也，日扳仲永环谒于邑人，不使学。

余闻之也久。明道(宋仁宗年号，只有两年，1032-1033）中，从先人还家，于舅家见之，十二三矣。令作诗，不能称前时之闻。又七年，还自杨州，复到舅家，问焉，曰“泯然众人矣。”

王子曰：仲永之通悟，受之天也。其受之天也，贤于材人远矣。卒之为众人，则其受于人者不至也。彼其受之天也，如此其贤也，不受之人，且为众人；今夫不受之天，固众人，又不受之人，得为众人而已耶？

Mazu Culture 妈祖文化

Every year on 23rd day of the third lunar month (this year, it was on 6 May), the birthday of Mazu, and on 9th day of the ninth lunar month, the anniversary of Mazu’s death, locals and thousands of overseas believers come to Meizhou Island in the Fujian Province of China and hold worshipping ceremonies.

Among the crowds of people there is usually a group of women whose clothes are particularly eye-catching. They wear tall, sail-shaped hairstyles and half-red, half-blue wide-legged trousers. People call them "Meizhou Women" and their outfits are said to be modelled on the costume Mazu used to wear. As Mazu is the goddess of the sea and protector of boats, her hairstyle is reminiscent of a sail, and the symbol of her identity as the Holy Mother in Heaven is the red outfit she wears when she flies through the sky. Since women in the human world are subordinate to her and therefore must not wear identical clothes, their trousers are only half red.

Mazu(959-987) is widely worshiped in the south-eastern coastal areas of China and neighbouring areas in Southeast Asia, especially Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, and Vietnam, all of which have strong sea-faring traditions, as well as migrant communities elsewhere with sizeable populations from these areas. Mazu also has a significant influence on East Asian sea culture, especially in China and Taiwan.

Over 1,000 years ago, as the legend goes, a beautiful young girl by the name of Lin Mo was born at Meizhou Bay in Putian, Fujian Province. Clever, brave and kind-hearted, Lin Mu could forecast the weather and was happy to help fishermen in distress at sea. She encouraged the people to conquer nature and defeat evil, so she was much loved and esteemed by the people in her hometown. Unfortunately she died an early death at only 28. She was so well loved by people that they believed she ascended to heaven and became an immortal at Meizhou Bay. Rulers of past imperial courts upheld her and granted her the titles of ‘Heavenly Lady’, ‘Heavenly Empress’, and ‘Holy Mother on Heaven’. Meizhou Island became the centre of worshipping Mazu.

Over times she had also been bestowed with a series of loveable and respected names such as ‘Goddess of the Sea’, ‘Goddess of the Straits’ and ‘Goddess of Peace of the Straits. With the people migrating abroad, people spread Mazu culture there. Later Meizhou Island has been reputed as ‘Oriental Mecca’.

In 2009, the Mazu belief and custom was designated as "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

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每年农历三月二十三日（今年阳历五月六日）妈祖诞辰与九月初九妈祖忌辰，当地与上千海外的信徒来到中国福建湄州岛参加祭拜仪式。

在所有团体中，有一组的妇女们的服装特别引人注目。她们梳船帆式发髻、半截红半截篮长裤。人们称她们为‘妈祖女’，而她们所穿的据说是妈祖所喜爱穿的服装。因为妈祖是海上保护神与航海员的保护者，她的发型就像船帆，她穿的裤子的红色代表了她升天时的‘天上圣母’的形象。因为人间的民众是她的臣民，不能穿与她所穿的同样的衣服，所以裤子的红色只能做到半截。

妈祖(959-987)在中国的东南沿海的信徒很多，尤其是在浙江、福建、台湾、广东、海南、与越南。这些地区有很强的海务传统，他们也有很大的移居外地的移民社群。妈祖对东亚，尤其是中国，包括台湾，的海洋文化的影响很大。

传说在千多年以前，一个出生于福建莆田湄州口的美丽的姑娘叫林默（林默娘）。她勇敢、善良，会预测天气，还乐于帮助在海上遇到问题的船民。她鼓励人们与自然斗争，战胜邪恶，所以很受到乡亲的爱戴与尊敬。很不幸，她在二十八岁就去世了。人们对她的敬爱令他们相信她死后升天，并在湄州湾口对面成为神仙。过去的帝皇也拜祭她并封她为‘天妃’，‘天后’，及‘天上圣母’等封号。湄州也就成为祭拜妈祖的中心。

随着时间的过去，她被给予各样敬爱的称呼，例如，‘海上保护神’，‘海峡保护神’，‘天上圣母’。随着当地人民移居外地，妈祖文化也跟着散播到那里。后来，湄洲就成为了‘东方的麦加’。

2009年，妈祖信仰与风俗被联合国教科文化组织列为‘人类无物质文化遗产’。

Emperor Han Gaozu Built Xinfeng 汉高祖建新丰

The first emperor of Han dynasty Liu Bang was born in the city of Feng in the district of Pei. Liu is said to be the first commoner to found a Chinese dynasty and it was not surprised it took some getting used to adjust to the new found status and life style when he and his father moved to the capital Chang-an.

The following record comes from the ‘Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital’ written by Liu Xin (46 BC – AD 23).

The father of Emperor Gaozu (256 BC or 247 BC – 195 BC) of the Han Dynasty moved to the capital Chang-an from his hometown Feng and lived in the palace. He was quite unhappy after a while. The Emperor asked those close to his father in private what might be the reasons. They told him that when his father was in Feng, he got along with young butchers and hawkers who sold liquor, peddled cakes, held cockfights and played soccer ball games. Now that all this was over, he felt depressed. The Emperor gave an order to construct a new district, called Xinfeng (new Feng), in Chang-an, and had old folks in Feng move to this district. His father cheered up at last. That was the reason why ever since a great number of vagrants lived in the Xinfeng district, but not scholars the well-to-do.

When the Emperor was young, he often made sacrifices at a temple for mother earth in Feng. So he had an identical temple built in the new district as well. When Xinfeng and the temple completed, the streets and buildings were all the same as those of the old Feng. As the folks from Feng strolled in the streets, they would have no difficulty in recognising their old houses. Driving the livestock along the lanes, they could find their own homes without hesitation as well. All the folks who moved here were pleased with the resemblance and praised the architect Hu Kuan. They rewarded him a lot for it, and in a month or so, he received a hundred units of gold.

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汉朝开国皇帝刘邦出生于丰县（江苏省）的沛地区`（今`江苏沛县）。他是中国第一个（也是唯一的）平民出身皇帝。搬到首都长安，对于新的地位与生活，需要重新调整，那时不足为奇的。

劉歆(46 BC – 23) 《西京杂记》由以下的记载：

太上皇徙长安，居深宫，凄怆不乐。高祖窃因左右问其故，以平生所好，皆屠贩少年，酤酒卖饼，斗鸡蹴踘，以此为欢，今皆无此，故以不乐。高祖乃作新丰，移诸故人实之，太上皇乃悦。

故新丰多无赖，无衣冠子弟故也。高祖少时，常祭枌榆之社。及移新丰，亦还立焉。高帝既作新丰，并移旧社，衢巷栋宇，物色惟旧。士女老幼，相携路首，各知其室。放犬羊鸡鸭于通涂，亦竞识其家。其匠人胡宽所营也。移者皆悦其似而德之，故竞加赏赠，月余，致累百金。