A Study Of Hu Quan’s Political Career

Hu Quan(1105-1180)was an important people who resists Jin Dynasty in the early and middle Southern Song Dynasty.He was honest and brave.He was banished to Ling Nan area for a long time,and was reinstated in his later years.In the second year of the Song Xiaozong Jianyan(1128),Hu Quan had passed the imperial examination that he was able to display his apirations.Hu Quan was a typical patriotic scholar image in Southern Song Dynasty.He was not only striking literary talent,but also straightforward and fearless.Because of this,Hu Quan,Li Guang,Zhao Ding,Li Gang were called“the Four Famous ministers of the Southern Song Dynasty”by later generations.Xiao Zong praised him as Ji’An in Han Dynasty and Wei Zheng in Tang Dynasty,and he can be said to know others.Hu Quan had been deeply influenced by his family,teacher and friends before he went into politics.Hu Quan’s family had long history,which was found in the Three Kingdoms Period.Later,all the family members moved house from Jinling to Luling.The theme of Hu Quan’s family rules was loyalty.His family style was extremely rigorous.Hu Quan who was one of the family members,was deeply influenced by his family style.His great-grandfather,grandfather and father hadn’t been minister before,but he was also nuutured the culture by the farmer family.Hu Quan’s father Hu Zai was noble and unsullied,diligent and thinking.He had good relationship with Hu Quan’teacher Xiao Chu.Hu Quan’s mather who was hardworking and frugality,was paid attention to Moral Education.Hu Quan’s wife was filial and kind.Because of his teacher and friends,Hu Quan had become both talent and virtue.In the childhood,Hu Quan learning from Xiao Chu,who was a famous Confucian Scholar with noble and unsullied character.He also made a profound study about Chun Qiu.Hu Quan’s friends Zhang Jun,Yang Wanli,Zhou Bida,Li Guang,Wang Tinggui,Chen Gangzhong and other literatis had been his constant companion in a lifetime.Facing the ups and downs of life,they were concerned with each other in writing letter.When Hu Quan was in danger because he made mean politician in power angry,his friends tried their best to save him.Hu Quan’s attitude which was faced to others in offcialdom,was imperceptiable influenced by his family,teacher and friends.His family,teacher and friends were rigorous and integrity,not only displayed his standard of choosing friends,but also was the root of his style and political ideas.Hu Quan was born in normal family,it was relied on his ability for he could be a minister.His first official experience was from the second year of the Song Gaozong Jianyan(1128)to the twelfth year of the Song Gaozong Shaoxing.When he began working,he made a contribution to guarding the town.But in this time,his father was died.So he had to obseve mourning for his father three years.Although he worked in Lin’an,he was endowed privy councillor which was not an important position.Hu Quan was disgraced for 23 years because he asked Song Gaozong to kill three traitor ministers: Wang Lun,Qin Hui,Sun Jin.Relegation life was difficult and poor,but Hu Quan never forgot making the world better.He paid attention to local education and spread central culture.Hu Quan’s second official experience was from the twenty-third year of the Song Xiaozong Shaoxing(1162)to the seventh year of the Song Xiaozong Qiandao(1171).This time,he was more valued than before and was promoted many times.He hadn’t failed to live up to Song Xiaozong’s expectations and made useful suggestions when he came back.He retired as bachelor of Zi Zhengdian.He was awarded “Zhongjian” as posthumous title when he died.Hu Quan’political ideas were from his ample political experience.It could be summarized into three points: the Thought of People First,the Thought of Official Administration,respect great and supplant barbarisms.These political ideas were not only the epitome of the traditional literati,but also showed Hu Quan’s personal style.They are the product of the influence of the background of the times,family,education and life experience.