Living in the 1125-1210A.D. period, Lu You was one of the greatest patriotic poets in ancient China. His poems are endowed with extensive themes and abundant content. Spirit in the era was fully reflected in some of his poems on the theme of the resistance against Jin (an ethnic tribe in North China at that time) and the dedication to the nation. As his poems are featured by unconstrained style and grand verve, which is similar to those composed by Li Bai, Lu You was also named as “Junior Taibai“.
Living in the South Song Dynasty, Lu You received patriotic education in the family since he was a child. As a grown-up, he aspired to rejuvenate his nation and regain the lost territories. It is said that Lu You was endowed with prominent military talents and ever appointed by the court to hold official position. However, he was deposed afterwards and returned to his hometown. Living a reclusive life, he never gave up his belief on the reunification of the Central Plains. During his lifetime, Lu You composed numerous poems, of which over 9000 ones have been preserved till now. His unconstrained and grand poems are imbued with his political aspiration, people’s sufferings and criticism on the ruling clique’s surrender. All of them convey the poet’s intensive patriotic passion for the reunification of the nation. Before passing away, Lu You ever composed a poem named To My Son. It reads “Death ends all, that is sure; but what grieves me is not to have seen our land united; the day that imperial arms win back the Central Plains; remember to tell your old man in your sacrifice!“ Being spread far and wide, this poem is regarded as Lu You’s magnum opus. In his book Reading the Poetry Anthology of Lu Fangweng (Lu You) Liang Qichao in remarks: “Pomes were blown away by wind over thousands of years; souls of soldiers have faded away and the country’s soul has been scraped out; sons of the masses vied with each other to join the army; there is an imperishable hero named Fangweng“.
Also versed in composing Ci (a form of classical poetry) Lu You enjoyed a high position in the history of Chinese Ci writing. On the wall in Shenyuan Garden, the former residence of Lu You in Shaoxing there was one of his great Ci The Hairpin with a Phoenix on his own tragic love, which is regarded as a classic love poem by later generations.