HSK 6 · Article · 692 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/su-dongpo-dongpo-pork-story

苏东坡：诗人和吃货

Su Dongpo, poet and cook: the story behind Dongpo pork

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在zài杭州hángzhōu的de饭馆fànguǎn里，你nǐ常常chángcháng能néng看到kàndào一yí道dào菜cài：一块yíkuài块kuài方方正正fāngfāng-zhèngzhèng的de五花肉wǔhuāròu，颜色yánsè红hóng亮liàng，入口即化rùkǒu-jíhuà，肥而不腻féi’ér-búnì。它tā叫jiào“东坡肉dōngpōròu”。可是kěshì你知道吗nǐzhī-dàoma？“东坡dōngpō”不是búshì一yí个gè地名dìmíng，而是érshì一yí个gè人rén的de名字míngzi。他tā是shì中国zhōngguó历史lìshǐ上shàng最zuì有名yǒumíng的de诗人shīrén之一zhīyī，也yě是shì一个yígè出了名chūlemíng的de“吃货chīhuò”。

这zhè个gè人rén本běn名míng叫jiào苏轼sūshì，后hòu人rén习惯xíguàn叫jiào他tā苏东坡sūdōngpō。他tā1037年nián出生chūshēng在zài四川sìchuān眉山méishān，从小cóngxiǎo就jiù和hé弟弟dìdi苏辙sūzhé一起yìqǐ读书dúshū。兄弟xiōngdì俩liǎ年纪轻轻niánjì-qīngqīng就jiù同时tóngshí考上kǎoshàng了le进士jìnshì，一下子yíxiàzi成chéng了le京城jīngchéng里的de名人míngrén。苏东坡sūdōngpō的de诗shī、词cí、文章wénzhāng和hé书法shūfǎ样样yàngyàng出色chūsè，被bèi看作kànzuò中国zhōngguó文化wénhuà里li难得nándé的de全quán才cái。

可是kěshì，才华cáihuá并bìng没有méiyǒu给gěi他tā带来dàilái好运hǎoyùn。他tā说话shuōhuà直zhí，又yòu爱ài写xiě诗shī讽刺fěngcì当时dāngshí的de新xīn政策zhèngcè，结果jiéguǒ在zài1079年nián，有人yǒurén抓住zhuāzhù他tā的de几jǐ首shǒu诗shī不bú放fàng，说shuō里面lǐmiàn有yǒu不满bùmǎn朝廷cháotíng的de意思yìsi。他tā被bèi关guān进jìn监狱jiānyù一百多yìbǎiduō天tiān，差点儿chàdiǎnr丢diū了le命mìng。出来chūlái以后yǐhòu，他tā被bèi贬biǎn到dào湖北húběi的de黄州huángzhōu，做zuò一个yígè没有méiyǒu实权shíquán的de小xiǎo官guān。

在zài黄州huángzhōu，苏东坡sūdōngpō的de日子rìzi过得guòde很hěn苦kǔ。为了wèile养家yǎngjiā，他tā在zài城东chéngdōng的de一块yíkuài坡地pōdì上shàng开荒kāihuāng种田zhòngtián，还hái因此yīncǐ自称zìchēng“东坡居士”，“苏东坡sūdōngpō”这zhè个gè名字míngzi就是jiùshì这么zhème来lái的de。有yǒu一yì首shǒu据说jùshuō是shì他tā写xiě的de小xiǎo诗shī，开头kāitóu就jiù说shuō：“黄州huángzhōu好猪肉zhūròu，价jià贱jiàn如rú泥土nítǔ。”诗shī里li说shuō，这么zhème好hǎo的de猪肉zhūròu，有钱人yǒuqiánrén不bù肯kěn吃chī，穷人qióngrén又yòu不会búhuì做zuò。做法zuòfǎ其实qíshí很hěn简单jiǎndān：水shuǐ要yào放fàng得de少shǎo，用yòng小火xiáohuǒ慢慢mànmàn地de炖dùn，火候huǒhou到dào了le，味道wèidao自然zìrán就jiù好hǎo了le。不过búguò，学者xuézhě们men对duì这zhè首shǒu诗shī是不是shìbúshì他tā写xiě的de，一直yìzhí有yǒu怀疑huáiyí。

后来hòulái，苏东坡sūdōngpō到dào杭州hángzhōu做官zuòguān。他tā带dài人rén清理qīnglǐ西湖xīhú，用yòng挖wā出来chūlái的de泥ní修xiū了le一yì条tiáo长堤chángdī，就是jiùshì今天jīntiān的de“苏堤sūdī”。相传xiāngchuán杭州hángzhōu的de百姓bǎixìng为了wèile感谢gǎnxiè他tā，纷纷fēnfēn送sòng来lái猪肉zhūròu，他tā就jiù让ràng家人jiārén按àn自己zìjǐ的de办法bànfǎ做zuò好hǎo，再zài分给fēngěi修湖干活gànhuó的de人rén吃chī。大家dàjiā吃chī了le都dōu说好shuōhǎo，便biàn把bǎ这zhè道dào菜cài叫做jiàozuò“东坡肉dōngpōròu”。

苏东坡sūdōngpō的de一生yìshēng，起起落落qíqǐ-luòluò，被bèi贬biǎn的de地方dìfang也yě越来越yuèláiyuè远yuǎn。年nián近jìn六十liùshí，他tā被bèi贬biǎn到dào了le广东guǎngdōng惠州huìzhōu，后来hòulái又yòu被bèi贬biǎn到dào海南岛hǎinándǎo，那nà在zài当时dāngshí几乎jīhū是shì天涯海角tiānyá-háijiǎo。可是kěshì他tā走zǒu到dào哪里nálǐ，就jiù吃chī到dào哪里nálǐ。在zài惠州huìzhōu，他tā写下xiěxià了le一yí句jù至今zhìjīn还hái常cháng被bèi人rén说起shuōqǐ的de诗shī：“日rì啖dàn荔枝lìzhī三百sānbǎi颗kē，不bù辞cí长作zuò岭南lǐngnán人rén。”意思yìsi是shì，要是yàoshì每天měitiān能néng吃chī三百sānbǎi颗kē荔枝lìzhī，就算jiùsuàn一辈子yíbèizi留liú在zài岭南lǐngnán，我wǒ也yě愿意yuànyì。

所以suóyǐ，下次xiàcì你nǐ吃chī东坡肉dōngpōròu的de时候shíhou，不妨bùfáng想xiǎng一yì想xiǎng：这zhè道dào菜cài的de背后bèihòu，是shì一个yígè被bèi命运mìngyùn一次次打击dǎjī，却què总zǒng能néng从cóng生活shēnghuó里找到zhǎodào滋味zīwèi的de人rén。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
红	hóng	red
诗人	shīrén	poet
诗	shī	poem; poetry; verse
书法	shūfǎ	calligraphy
出色	chūsè	outstanding; remarkable
看作	kànzuò	to regard as; to look upon as
难得	nándé	rare; hard to come by; seldom
好运	hǎoyùn	good luck
命	mìng	life (as in 生命)
据说	jùshuō	it is said; reportedly
如	rú	such as; for example
学者	xuézhě	scholar; academic

English (for the teacher)

In Hangzhou restaurants you’ll often see one dish: neat square chunks of pork belly, glossy red, melting in the mouth, rich but never greasy. It’s called Dongpo pork. But did you know? “Dongpo” isn’t a place name; it’s a person’s name. He is one of the most famous poets in Chinese history, and a famous foodie too.

His real name was Su Shi, but later generations got used to calling him Su Dongpo. He was born in 1037 in Meishan, Sichuan, and grew up studying alongside his younger brother Su Zhe. While still very young, the two brothers passed the highest imperial exam in the same year, and all at once they were famous in the capital. Su Dongpo excelled at everything, poetry, song lyrics, prose and calligraphy, and is seen as one of the rare all-rounders of Chinese culture.

But talent didn’t bring him good luck. He spoke bluntly and liked to mock the new policies of the day in his poems, and in 1079 someone seized on a few of them, claiming they showed discontent with the court. He was locked up in prison for more than a hundred days and nearly lost his life. When he came out he was demoted to Huangzhou in Hubei, to a minor post with no real power.

In Huangzhou, life was hard for Su Dongpo. To feed his family he cleared a piece of sloping land east of the town and farmed it, and so he took the name “Layman of the East Slope”, which is where “Su Dongpo” comes from. A little poem said to be his begins: “Huangzhou has fine pork, as cheap as dirt.” The poem goes on: the rich won’t eat such good pork, and the poor don’t know how to cook it. The method is simple: a little water, a low fire, slow stewing, and when the heat has done its work the flavour comes by itself. Scholars, though, have long doubted whether he really wrote that poem.

Later Su Dongpo went to Hangzhou as an official. He led the clearing of West Lake and used the mud dug out of it to build a long causeway, today’s Su Causeway. Legend has it that the people of Hangzhou, to thank him, sent him pork from all sides, and he had his family cook it his way and share it out among the workers on the lake. Everyone who ate it praised it, and so the dish came to be called Dongpo pork.

Su Dongpo’s life was full of ups and downs, and each place he was banished to lay further away. Nearly sixty, he was sent to Huizhou in Guangdong, and later on to Hainan Island, which at the time was almost the ends of the earth. But wherever he went, he ate well. In Huizhou he wrote a line people still quote today: “Three hundred lychees a day, and I’d gladly stay in the south for good.” It means: if I could eat three hundred lychees every day, I’d be happy to stay in Lingnan for the rest of my life.

So next time you eat Dongpo pork, think about this: behind the dish is a man whom fate knocked down again and again, yet who always found something to savour in life.