1037-1101
Poet And Essayist

Political Career. Su Shi was born into the family of a humble, self-taught scholar in Sichuan Province. He was influenced by his father, Su Xun (1009-1106), who had managed to secure an official position through diligent study and hard work. When he was twenty-one, Su Shi and his younger brother, Su Che (1039-1112), passed the civil examinations to earn the jinshi (presented scholar) title. Su Shi's early political career was promising, but his life soon became filled with difficulties, mainly caused by policy changes. Serving first in a provincial post and then in the capital, Su joined his examiner Ouyang Xiu in opposing the reformist prime minister Wang Anshi. Having chosen the wrong side, Su ended up in jail for a short time. After his release, although he had been a sincere Confucian, he sought to ease the anxieties of his political...