Zuo Tang Zong (18 12- 1885) was born in Zuojiaduan, Xiangyin County, Hunan Province. He was born in a scholarly family for generations. His grandfather was born in imperial academy and his father was a scholar. He makes a living by teaching. When Zuo was born, his family was in difficulties, and the whole family lived a life of bran cakes to satisfy their hunger. Nevertheless, at the age of 3, he began to study Confucian classics with his grandfather and father. 14 years old, took the boys' exam for the first time and won the second place in the county. However, because my mother was seriously ill and needed care, she could not participate in the "hospitalization examination"; Soon, my father died of illness and my family became poorer. /kloc-entered Chengnan College at the age of 0/9, studied under the famous Confucian He Xiling, and had a large collection of books. Seeing that he is clever and studious, he often lends him books to read. Every time he comes to borrow books from the left, He Lao will "take the stairs to get the books himself, count the landings, and don't bother", and often discuss the problem of reading with him. In the 12th year of Daoguang (1832), 20-year-old Zuo took the provincial and township examinations and was selected with his brother. This is the only time that he became famous in the imperial examination. After that, he went to Beijing to take three exams, all of which failed, which was a great blow to him, so he gave up his lyrics and devoted his energy to practical application for beneficial study. Through his careful study of geography, especially his works on the historical geography of northwest and western regions, he deepened his concern about social security and his understanding of the importance of frontier defense in northwest China, and formed a broader political vision.
In the seventeenth year of Daoguang (1837), the left was a lecturer at Liling Lijiang Academy. In this year, Tao Shu, the governor of the two rivers, returned to Anhua, Hunan Province, passing by Liling, and read the couplet he wrote for Tao Shu on behalf of the magistrate of a county: "The spring temple is calm, the mountain has lived for 20 years, and the enlightenment stone is there; The river flows day and night, and the children of Bazhou look forward to the public return. " The story of Tao Shu's "Stone House Emptying" was cleverly embedded in the couplets, and he was praised and invited to chat with him until late at night. Later, he proposed to marry his children's parents-in-law, which was indeed a good opportunity to seek wealth from the left, but he declined politely, and Tao Shu was highly valued for his personality. Since then, the two have maintained close contact. In the 19th year of Daoguang (1839), after Tao Shu died of illness, Zuo Tang Zong was entrusted by He Xiling to undertake the heavy responsibility of educating Tao Zi. He taught in the Taoist school for 8 years, learned a lot, paid more attention to current affairs and looked for ways to save the decline of the Qing Dynasty.
In the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), Zuo was ordered by Zeng Guofan to take charge of the four military palaces. He recruited 5,000 people to form the "Chu Army", that is, the left-wing Xiang Army. He became a general who led the troops and held real power, even kept pace with Zeng Guofan, participated in the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and became a "famous minister of Zhongxing" in the imperial court during the Tongzhi period.
Where there are places of interest, there must be contributions from literati. The famous work of Yueyang Tower should start with Fan Zhongyan's The Story of Yueyang Tower. It is the publication of this heroic article that gives this building literary beauty.
Fan Zhongyan (989- 1052) was born in Wuxian County, Suzhou (now Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province). Young and lonely, he lost his father at the age of two, remarried with his mother and changed his name to Zhu said. When you come of age, give back your last name and change your name. He is not very interested in doing exercises and studies hard. "Day and night are endless, and winter is very tired. I also use water to make noodles, don't give food, and drink porridge. People can't compare with it, and Chinese cigarettes are not bitter. " His hometown, Tianpingshan, Suzhou, still retains the "curse bowl temple" that he studied hard when stirring porridge. In the eighth year of Dazhong Xiangfu (10 15), he entered the official career and set foot in political affairs.
There are many less famous ones. There are still many people who are not from Yueyang, but they have left many stories in Yueyang.