Lu You: The Poet Who Fought with Pen and Sword for His Country

Today, we’ll talk about Lu You, a renowned poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, who devoted his life to the restoration of China’s northern territories, channeling his unfulfilled ambitions into over 9,000 poems that express his deep patriotism and sorrow.

Transcript

Lu You: The Poet Who Fought with Pen and Sword for His Country

Today, we’ll talk about Lu You, a renowned poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, who devoted his life to the restoration of China’s northern territories, channeling his unfulfilled ambitions into over 9,000 poems that express his deep patriotism and sorrow.

2025 marks the 900th anniversary of the birth of Lu You, a well-known writer, historian, and patriotic poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, which lasted from 1127 to 1279.

There are many symbols associated with Lu You: longevity, patriotism, sorrow, and infatuation. But perhaps patriotism is the most important “label” of all. Former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai once said about him, “Lu You’s patriotism is very prominent; he did not grieve for personal reasons but rather for his nation. He was a patriotic poet with backbone.” Yet, this great patriotic poet’s lofty aspirations were never fulfilled. So, what, in fact, did he experience? We’ll talk about his story today.

Lu You was born in 1125, the same year the Jin army advanced southward to attack the Song Dynasty. Due to the Song army’s lax defense and weak combat capabilities, the Jin forces swept through with unstoppable momentum and soon reached the gates of the Northern Song capital, Bianjing, modern-day Kaifeng in central China’s Henan Province.

The Song emperor, Zhao Ji, also known as Emperor Huizong, who had always been absorbed in poetry and art and had little interest in state affairs, panicked. In a hurry, he abdicated the throne to his son, Zhao Huan, also Emperor Qinzong, and fled to the south to seek refuge.

Faced with such a father, Emperor Qinzong had no choice but to reluctantly take over the mess, though he too was no capable ruler. In the first month of the following year, Emperor Qinzong signed a humiliating treaty with the Jin, agreeing to pay a massive ransom of 5 million taels of gold and 50 million taels of silver, as well as cede the strategic military towns of Zhongshan, modern-day Dingxian of Hebei province, Hejian, and Taiyuan in Shanxi Province. This was done in exchange for a temporary withdrawal of Jin troops.

By the time Lu You was two years old, the Jin Empire’s demands grew even more insatiable. They launched another southern campaign, captured Bianjing, and took Emperor Qinzong, Emperor Huizong, the imperial family, nobles, close ministers, and over 14,000 people, including skilled craftsmen, as prisoners. They looted the city of Bianjing completely. This was the most humiliating disaster in the history of the Northern Song Dynasty: the Jingkang Incident.

Lu You’s father, Lu Zai, was already over 50 years old at the time. As a civil official, he was powerless to change the disastrous political situation and could only endure the humiliation of returning to his hometown of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. There, he tried his best to protect his family’s safety while also focusing on raising Lu You to become a capable man.

During Lu You’s childhood, one of the most familiar scenes to him was his father often discussing state affairs with a few friends at home. When the conversation became emotional, his father would often break into loud sighs or burst into tears, unable to control his sorrow.

A small seed was quietly planted in Lu You’s heart. He dreamed of growing up quickly, going into battle, reclaiming lost territories, making his father proud, and restoring peace to the country and its people.

When a person has a goal, it can spark boundless energy. As a teenager, Lu You studied both literature and martial arts. In his adolescence, he was proficient in poetry and literature as well as a skilled swordsman becoming a young prodigy known for his talents in both civil and military pursuits.

In 1140, at the age of 15, Lu You went to the Southern Song capital, Lin’an, now Hangzhou, to take the imperial examination. He performed well, but his essays were filled with passionate expressions of his ambition to “restore the Central Plains” and contained criticism of the powerful minister Qin Hui. As a result, he failed the examination.

Three years later, in 1143, Lu You took the imperial exam for the second time. In his writings, he expressed his anger over the execution of General Yue Fei and the “Shaoxing Peace Treaty.” He strongly advocated for continuing to fight the Jin forces to the end, arguing that seeking peace was an extreme humiliation. Such outspoken views, of course, did not sit well with Qin Hui, and Lu You failed again.

In 1153, Lu You took the imperial examination for the third time, now 28 years old, nearing the age of maturity. However, his rebellious spirit was still as strong as ever. In this exam, he again firmly expressed his resolve to lead a northern campaign against the Jin. Fortunately, the chief examiner this time was Chen Zhimao.

Chen Zhimao was an exceptionally upright official. Although he received an order from Qin Hui before the examination, demanding that his grandson Qin Xun be named first, Chen Zhimao was not intimidated. He chose to place Lu You, whose essay was more outstanding, in the first position, while Qin Xun was ranked second. This decision enraged Qin Hui.

When Lu You advanced to the Ministry of Rites for the second round of exams, Qin Hui issued a secret order declaring, “Lu You must not be admitted”. However, the officials at the Ministry of Rites upheld their sense of justice and still awarded Lu You the first place, sending him to the final palace examination.

At that time, the emperor was the weak and indecisive Song Gaozong. He was intimidated by Lu You’s firm political stance on continuing the northern campaign, and as a result, Lu You was eliminated from the examination.

Lu You’s failure in the imperial examination also had consequences for his examiner, Chen Zhimao. Chen was soon dismissed from his post and sent back to his hometown, where he quickly passed away.

After this setback, Lu You’s hope of entering government service through the imperial exams became even more difficult. It wasn’t until 1155, after Qin Hui’s death, that Lu You finally had an opportunity to enter the official ranks. He was appointed as the assistant magistrate of Ningde County in Fujian Province, a minor position, but Lu You, despite his low rank, remained deeply concerned about the country. He began to voice his opinions to the court repeatedly.

On one occasion he said, “Only those of royal blood or imperial in-laws and those who have made significant contributions should be granted royal titles and nobility.”

He also said, “The emperor should not indulge in distractions and let them diminish his wisdom, as it would tarnish his virtue. I suggest the emperor be strict with himself.”

And he became rather famously known for saying, “The court should continue the northern campaign against the Jin and reclaim the Central Plains.”

Lu You’s frank and outspoken advice not only offended a large number of people, but his petitions were repeatedly rejected by the emperor. Despite this, his principled nature remained unyielding. As a result, for the following years, he was increasingly sidelined – either relegated to remote regions or dismissed from office.

In 1172, at the age of 47, Lu You finally received an opportunity to serve his country. Wang Yan, the Governor of Xuanfu in Sichuan Province, decided to move his office from Guangyuan in Sichuan to Nanzheng in Shaanxi Province, hoping to inspect and plan for the military situation on the frontier with the goal of restarting the war against the Jin. To strengthen the military, he invited Lu You, who had always been outspoken about his political views, to serve as a military advisor at the front.

Lu You was thrilled beyond measure and immediately accepted the position. He threw himself into the work with all his energy, dedicating himself fully to the cause of reclaiming lost territories and defeating the enemy. He was wholeheartedly focused on achieving victory. However, he only served for eight months before Wang Yan was called back to the capital, and the military advisory office was dissolved. As a result, Lu You’s chance to serve his country was abruptly cut short.

This experience remained a lifelong regret for Lu You. In the following decades, he was relegated to ordinary posts or dismissed from office by the court, never able to fulfill his ambitions of leading a northern campaign to eradicate the Jin.

Perhaps because his grand ambitions were never realized, Lu You had ample time to devote himself to creative pursuits. He became one of the most prolific poets in Chinese history, leaving behind more than 9,000 poems – currently the largest collection of works by any poet. His poems were incredibly diverse in genre, including agricultural poems, pastoral poetry, romantic poetry, frontier poems, patriotic poems, and many others.

Although Lu You wrote a vast body of work, his great patriotic sentiments remained the eternal essence of his life and poetry.

He wrote, “The barbarians are not yet defeated, yet my hair turns grey; tears flow in vain. This life is hard to predict; my heart lies in Tianshan, but my body is old in Cangzhou.”

In another passage he expressed, “At night, I lie listening to the wind and rain, and the sound of iron horses and frozen rivers enters my dreams.”

Later, he lamented, “The day the imperial army reclaims the Central Plains, do not forget to tell my ancestors at the family altar.”

In 1203, at the age of 78, after completing his historical works Three Dynasties History and Two Dynasties Annals, Lu You submitted his resignation and returned to his hometown of Shaoxing.

Three years later, Lu You finally heard news of Emperor Ningzong’s northern campaign. Overjoyed, he placed all his hopes in this endeavor, believing it would succeed. However, the Song army was soon defeated, and the “Jiading Peace Treaty” was signed. Once again, Lu You fell into a deep despair and sorrow.

In 1209, at the age of 84, Lu You passed away, leaving behind the sorrowful regret of not witnessing the reunification of the country. 

Throughout his life, though he endured persecution and setbacks, Lu You never abandoned his desire and determination to lead a campaign to restore the country. He could only channel his emotions through pen and paper, expressing his frustration and hopes through poetry.

Lu You’s poetry was not as free-spirited as Su Shi’s or Ouyang Xiu’s, nor as ethereal and graceful as Li Bai’s or Wang Wei’s. Every line, every word he wrote conveyed the pain and sorrow of “every inch of land and blood” lost in the struggle for his homeland.

Though Lu You’s grand ambitions were never realized, his literary integrity and the beautiful lines of his poetry continue to inspire and move generations, making him a distinguished representative of patriotic poets.

Well, that’s the end of our podcast. Our theme music is by the famous film score composer Roc Chen. We want to thank our writer Lü Weitao, translator Du Guodong, and copy editor Pu Ren. And thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please tell a friend so they, too, can understand The Context.