The Legends of Su Dongpo

"The Legends of Su Dongpo" is a collection of legends about Su Dongpo, a great writer of the Northern Song Dynasty. Su Dongpo is a very glorious figure in history. Even before his death, many legends about him had been circulating among the people. Some of them were recorded in the classics of the Song and Yuan Dynasties. They were enriched in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and continue to this day.

"The Legends of Su Dongpo" spread wide and far. During the reviewing and editing of "The Collection of Chinese Folktales", legends about Su Dongpo were included in the volumes of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hebei, Shandong, Shaanxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Guangdong, Hainan and other provinces. Of these, the legends about Su Dongpo’s life in Hangzhou are the most numerous and prominent. Su Dongpo served as an official in Hangzhou twice, the first time as Tongpan (the county-level administrative officer), and the second time as Zhizhou (mayor), with a total of five years. During that time, a large number of legends and stories about Su Dongpo were born. "The Legends of Su Dongpo in Hangzhou" edited by Dong Xiaochang alone included 56 legends about Su Dongpo that are still circulating in contemporary times.

The Legends of Su Dongpo can be broadly divided into three categories: one tells of his concern for the people, putting himself in their shoes in everything, and helping them solve their problems; One singles out Su Dongpo's talents, saying that he was eloquent, intelligent, quick-witted, and contributed to many well-told tales; Another category is often associated with local customs.

The Legends of Su Dongpo came to the attention of the literati relatively early, and they were repeatedly recorded in the notes of the literati, becoming an important subject in popular literature and art. Literary works based on the legends are magnificent and diverse, and various literary and artistic adaptations of the legends, such as opera, folk art, and film and television, are also popular among the people. At the same time, as a unique cultural phenomenon, “The Legends of Su Dongpo” is deeply imprinted on the hearts of the people. "The Legends of Su Dongpo" has been closely integrated with the local culture of Hangzhou (including the culture of other places where he once lived), and has become an indispensable cultural tradition.