Cao Xun, A Native Of The Song Dynasty, Made Northern Literature Research

Cao Xun was a politician and literati between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty.He served four emperors of the Song Dynasty and was an important envoy who was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Jin Dynasty at the earlier stage of the Southern Song Dynasty.His life experience was abundant.However,posterity's evaluation of Cao Xun biased towards negative on account of his choice that he sided with surrendered during his third mission to the Jin Dynasty.This article selects his literature which were written on his way to Jin Guo as the research object.Make a study of this part of the literature can help us grasp the changes in Cao Xun's thoughts and help us meet the real him by restoring this historical figure.At the same time,his literary works about visiting Jin Guo as a diplomatic envoy truly reproduce the diplomatic situation in the early Southern Song Dynasty,and has a certain value of historical date.This thesis is divided into five parts.The introduction offers a brief overview of the research status about the Emissary Literature in the Song Dynasty,including the study of Cao Xun.Moreover,the significance of this thesis topic and the emphasis of study are elaborated.As an important part of Song Dynasty literature,the Ambassador Literature has attracted the attention of academic circles in recent years.However,the overall research on Cao Xun's emissary literature are rather rare.The first chapter reviews Cao Xun's life experience,family history,official career and social circle.Cao Xun's family background was not prominent,until his father Cao Zu got some prestige.Cao Xun benefited from his father,and then became a official.Although he became supreme government official,who in charge of military affairs in later years,his official career was full of frustrations.Cao Xun sized up the situation and showed great discrimination in his choice of friends.Therefore,the more complicated friends he made,the more clear defining of different friends he would distinguish.The second chapter sorts out Cao Xun's four experiences of going to the north.Cao Xun followed Huizong to go "North Hunting" in 1126.As a diplomatic envoy he was going to Jin Guo in July 1141,but failed.He was deported from Huai River because of a low ranking position.Several months later,Cao Xun was sent on a diplomatic mission to Jin Guo again and succeed in bringing empress dowager Wei back from Jin Guo.Some time later,Cao Xun visited Jin Guo for the third time in 1159.When he came back,he told lies which made rulers misunderstand the situation.This four experiences of going to the north corresponded to the process of Cao Xun's thoughts.The third chapter discusses the content of Cao Xun's Emissary Literature.This part of literature has different genres include Shibei Poems,Shibei Ci,Shibei Fu,and Beishang Notes.Although this is not a large number,it has diversified subjects and emotions.For example,it can reflect the sorrow of a conquered nation,the melancholy of a helpless drifter,especially the grief from slaves who lived under the rule of foreign power.Cao Xun's Emissary Literature shows us the real Cao Xun,who is quite different from historical evaluation.The fourth chapter analyzes the creative characteristics of Cao Xun's Emissary Literature.Cao Xun's Emissary Literature both have documentary and literary.The documentary is reflected in many prefaces which can confirm the current events in the Song Dynasty.The literariness is reflected in his overall feeling of sadness and depression,which is different from the Emissary Literary Works of the Northern Song Dynasty.At the same time,Cao Xun's Emissary Literature presents the division of official's character and scholar's moral.