Cover reporter Zhang Jie Intern Zheng Hao
On August 10th, a message that “Su Bingtian is a descendant of Su Shi” was hotly searched. In fact, as early as after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, this message has already attracted a round of attention. There is also exposure of the Su clan temple in Su Bingtian’s hometown on the Internet. When Su Bingtian was introduced above, it was mentioned that Su Bingtian was the twenty-ninth generation grandson of Su Dongpo. However, looking at Su Bingtian’s social media, he did not mention that he was a descendant of Su Shi, and he did not respond to this. Some netizens questioned the authenticity of the ancestral hall, saying, “I’m afraid Su Bingtian is the last person to know about this.”
And no matter how Su Bingtian thinks about this hot search, some of the problems that arise from it also cause everyone to think: It has been more than 900 years since Su Shi lived to the present. Looking back from today, how accurate is a statement like “Su Bingtian is a descendant of Su Shi”? If a modern Su surname wants to know whether he is a descendant of Su Shi, what is the reliable channel? Is it feasible to judge based on the genealogy alone? With these questions, the cover reporter interviewed a number of scholars and writers to hear their views.
Zhou Yukai: genealogy is valuable, but professional judgment is required
Zhou Yukai, president of the China Su Shi Research Society and an expert on Su Shi research, said, “There are many descendants of Su Shi. Among the modern Su surnames, there must be some descendants of him, but it is difficult to accurately judge. It is a relatively difficult process for a person to accurately judge whether he is a descendant of Su Shi. “The genealogy has considerable reference value, but not any genealogy can be taken seriously, because the genealogy is easy to be missing, and some are posthumously recognized by the descendants. Especially in relatively distant ancient times, the people who wrote the genealogy were often scholars in the village, and there would be people with the same name who were more distant into the genealogy. If it is true or false, scholars need to make a certain comparison and professional judgment to ensure that there is no fabrication or deficiency. “
Zhou Yukai mentioned that in Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, genealogy is more reliable for families that have not moved for generations, but “people like Su Shi, he left his hometown of Meishan very early, and arrived in Meishan.” The North, the Central Plains, the South, and even Hainan Island. Whether his genealogy can continue to the present, or how reliable it is, I personally think it is questionable. “
In addition to studying Su Shi, Zhou Yukai is also an expert on Huang Tingjian. “Compared to Su Shi, Huang Tingjian’s genealogy is more reliable. There is a genealogy in his hometown archives. When I researched Huang Tingjian, I found that the genealogy and Huang Tingjian’s anthology still matched some content, so it was more reliable, at least the previous generations were no problem. I have never seen Su Shi’s genealogy. “
Xie Taofang, a researcher at the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, has been engaged in the study of Song Dynasty ciology for a long time, and has been involved in the fields of Dunhuang and Hakka. Some clues will be confused in the long river of history. “If a genealogy was compiled in the Qing Dynasty, then there are often vague and inaccurate records of distant ancestors. ”
Liu Chuanmei: If the genealogy is true, accurate and complete, it is possible
Liu Chuanmei, a native of Meishan, Sichuan and the writer who wrote “Three Sus”, expressed his concern to “Three Su”. Su” and his works have maintained his interest in reading and exploring for many years. He has published works such as “Meishan Su Xun” and “Su Xun’s New Biography”. Liu Chuanmei said that he saw news on the Internet that “Su Bingtian is a descendant of Su Shi”, “Actually this is Old news. When Su Bingtian achieved good results in the sports arena before, some people said that he was a descendant of Su Shi. “
Liu Chuanmei believes that it is possible to judge Su Bingtian as a descendant of Su Shi according to the genealogy, but the premise is that “this genealogy is true, accurate and complete.” Su Bingtian is from Zhongshan, Guangdong. The local ancestral halls are generally well maintained. If the genealogy they rely on is true, accurate and complete, there is still a relatively high possibility. “Liu Chuanmei said that the number of descendants of the Su family is relatively large,” the descendants of the Su family also established the Su Clan Association. A few years ago, many descendants of the Su family came to Meishan to recognize their ancestors, including the descendants of the Su family from Guangdong. “
And regardless of whether Su Bingtian is a descendant of Su Shi or not, both Su Shi and Su Bingtian can be established independently. There is no eternal hot search in the world. After the hot search, Su Dongpo is still a great writer of “people fans” , Su Bingtian is still an athlete on the sports field.