The Political Network Of Powerless Politician

Powerless politician in the Song Dynasty included at least the following two situations: one was when they served as an official outside the temple due to political discord or lack of political ability during the dynasty,and the other was when the politician was about seventy years old.Due to the peculiarities of the Cilu system,the powerless politician also had the political expectation of returning to the government,so they actively built a political network during the powerless period to prepare for their return to the government.Powerless politician may still be involved in party disputes or other political disasters after they have given their official posts.In this case,the powerless politician have to use their political influence to carry out political construction in order to seek self-protection and obtain a relatively stable old age.Under the background of the Song Dynasty attaching importance to officials,the government provided stable material guarantee for the powerless politician,which became the material basis for Zhou Bida to broaden the political network through making friends and outings in Luling.In addition,the Southern Song society attached great importance to the scholarly culture of integrity and honour,which enabled Zhou Bi to be able to obtain the "soft power" of corresponding social status in Luling even though he had no real power during the period when he was a powerless politician.Zhou Bida’s political career and personal growth are interlinked.Zhou Bida actively expressed his political opinions in crusade of against the people who got power of flattering,refused to draft for the people who got power of flattering,and returned to the hometown to win his reputation.During the powerless period,on the one hand,he placed his affection on the landscape to relieve the sorrow of the uncertain future;on the other hand,he took the initiative to participate in local politics,and the exchange of letters adjusted the tension between Jiangxi’s local officials.During the powerless period,although Xiaozong’s handling of "going abroad under the sun" has been in a long-term downturn,his close contact with officials such as Wang Huai has never stopped.This kind of exchange played a positive role in Zhou Bida’s later refusal to revive the court and continued to be powerless.During the two powerless periods,Zhou Bida encouraged the younger generation to write poetry muturally,for example with Zhao Fan and Wang Zijun.After returning to the government,he actively deployed the personnel network during the powerless period into a political network.During his powerless period,Zhou Bida suffered less substantive persecution during his involvement in the Qingyuan period.This was due to his use of letters with friends to gain insight into political trends during the Qingyuan period,so as to make quick and correct decisions to avoid political disaster.Zhou Bida united the wise literati of Zeng Sanyi and other powerless people with local officials to promote Luling culture together.Zhou Bida’s change of mentality from being active and promising to feeling a little powerless to actively catering to,working hard,and turning into silence between his powerless period is actually a microcosm of the political mentality of the powerless politician in the Southern Song Dynasty.From the case of Zhou Bida,we can see that on the basis of the material and social prestige provided by the Cilu system and Retire system in the Southern Song Dynasty,the powerless people in the Southern Song Dynasty do not have to worry about their material life,they can calmly plan the political layout and participate in the group representation of political activities.They use their cultural influence and political status to promote the development of local culture,carry forward the spirit of local sages,and coordinate the advancement of local officials’ political affairs.