Together, the characters form his birth name. However, he is arguably more famous by his “style name” or hao (号), 苏东坡 (Sū Dōngpō), which means “Resident of the Eastern Slope.” He adopted this name during a period of political exile when he lived and farmed on a piece of land he called the “Eastern Slope.”
Su Shi is the epitome of the Chinese ideal of the 文人 (wénrén), or the scholar-official. This concept, central to imperial China, held that the ideal person was not just a government administrator but also a cultivated artist, poet, and philosopher. Su Shi fulfilled this ideal more completely than perhaps anyone else. A useful comparison in Western culture would be a figure like Thomas Jefferson or Leonardo da Vinci. Like Jefferson, Su Shi was a statesman, an intellectual, and a man of wide-ranging tastes. Like da Vinci, he was a polymath who achieved mastery in multiple artistic fields. However, the comparison is not perfect. Su Shi's life was defined by the Confucian duty to serve the state, but his art and philosophy were deeply infused with Daoist principles of finding harmony in nature and Buddhist ideas of detachment, especially during his periods of exile. His significance lies in his humanity. Despite his genius, his writings reveal a man who suffered immense political setbacks, missed his family deeply, and found solace in simple pleasures like a good meal, a walk in nature, or a drink with friends. This combination of extraordinary talent and relatable human emotion is the key to his enduring legacy. He showed that one could face immense hardship with grace, humor, and unwavering optimism.
As a historical figure, Su Shi is “used” by being constantly referenced in modern life. His influence is everywhere.