🔎【Public Lecture｜Open to All】Qian Mu's Former Residence, Su Shu Lou Lecture Hall – Historical Biographies and Life Series: "Li Guang's Difficulty in Obtaining a Title: The Biography of General Li", Professor Jiang Yitai, March 21, 2016
🚪Registration website: AnyDoor (Welcome to register and reserve your seat / On-site and online registration are both available):
https://www.beclass.com/rid=3052519697054f7dac98
That year, General Li was merely a young attendant. He accompanied Emperor Wen on his travels, drawing his bow and charging into battle. The emperor, watching his heroic figure, couldn't help but exclaim, "What a pity! You were born at the wrong time. If you had lived during the reign of Emperor Gaozu, being enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households would have been a piece of cake!" However, neither the emperor nor his minister could have imagined that this "what a pity" would quietly accompany Li Guang throughout his life. Centuries later, whenever people lament the cruel twists of fate, they still remember this tragic hero who fought over seventy battles, large and small, against the Xiongnu, his might resounding beyond the Great Wall, yet died without ever being enfeoffed as a marquis.
Sima Qian, in his *Records of the Grand Historian*, poured immense sympathy into Li Guang, meticulously portraying his legendary life. He was taciturn and unambitious, courageous and resourceful, loving his soldiers like his own children, and a master of horsemanship and archery. His military leadership and personal conduct were imbued with a spirit of swift justice and vengeance. The Xiongnu called him "The Flying General of Han," and dared not invade the counties he guarded. Li Guang served under three emperors—Wen, Jing, and Wu—during which time many men of far less talent and reputation than him rose to the highest ranks, and his subordinates were successively ennobled for their merits. But Li Guang was never among them. He never received even a small fiefdom.
In the fourth year of Emperor Wu of Han's Yuanshou era, the sandstorms of the northern deserts concealed the traces of the Xiongnu. The over-sixty-year-old "Flying General" lost his way and missed his appointed time in the final battle of his life. He protected his subordinates and took full responsibility, but unwilling to suffer the humiliation of being punished, he resolutely drew his sword and committed suicide. The entire army wept, and the people shed tears. Li Guang's personal fate thus came to a tragic end, but his story left an endless echo in history.
Sima Qian, at the end of the biography, neither defended Li Guang nor offered a definitive judgment; he merely quoted a proverb: "Peach and plum trees do not speak, yet a path is formed beneath them." In the latest lecture series at Qian Mu's former residence, Professor Jiang Yitai will guide us in rereading this tragic yet controversial biography, leading us to consider: how do a person's talent, character, and the era in which they live both make and shackle us? And with what perspective did Sima Qian use to record all of this between the lines?
📆Lecture Time: March 21, 2016 (Saturday), 14:10 – 16:00
🏡Lecture Location:
Room C508, 5F, Qinpu Building, Boai Campus, Taipei City University (No. 1, Aiguo West Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City)
"Qian Mu's Former Residence - Open Course Channel" (Live Online Broadcast)
https://www.youtube.com/@chienmu.house.classroom
👨🏫Lecture Speaker: Professor Jiang Yitai, PhD in Chinese Literature from National Taiwan University, currently teaches at the Department of Chinese Literature at National Taiwan University and the Department of Languages at Taipei Municipal University. He follows the strict rules of the Spring and Autumn Annals within the Faculty of Arts, yet also enjoys exploring the intersection of history and literature. While observing worldly affairs with the sharp eye of Sima Qian, he most admires the passion and romanticism of humanity for its ideals. He transforms classical Chinese texts into stories of human nature observation, always able to find familiar souls in the yellowed pages that resonate with modern readers.
🔔Lecture Fee: Free admission
🚀Online lecture information:
After the lecture begins, the live stream link will be announced on the "Qian Mu's Former Residence YouTube Channel" and the "Qian Mu's Former Residence Facebook Fan Page". Feel free to leave comments and participate in the discussion!
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# Historical Records # Biography of General Li
# Li Guang # General Li # Flying General
# Emperor Wu of Han # Emperor Wen of Han
# Wei Qing # Xiongnu # Han-Xiongnu War
# Sima Qian # Historian's Writing Style
# Western Han Politics # The Plot at Mayi
# Jiang Yitai # Su Shulou Lecture Hall
# Public Lectures # Free Lectures
# Online Courses # Online Lectures
# Humanity # History # Qian Mu's Former Residence
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🔎【Public Lecture｜Open to All】Qian Mu's Former Residence, Su Shu Lou Lecture Hall – Historical Biographies and Life Series: "Li Guang's Difficulty in Obtaining a Title: The Biography of General Li", Professor Jiang Yitai, March 21, 2016
