Ruyuan Shi Hua

Author: Zhong Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: The Story of the Willow Garden records anecdotes and stories of literary figures from ancient and modern times, evaluates poets and their works. It advocates the importance of temperament, learning, and spiritual resonance, establishing a poetic theory and criticism system centered around the "theory of spiritual essence." The "theory of spiritual essence" originates from Zhong Rong and the Southern Song Dynasty's Yang Wanli, but it is more directly inherited from the late Ming Dynasty's "School of Independent Spirit," which emphasized "expressing one's unique spirit without adhering to rigid conventions." It holds that poetry should express the true nature of a person's emotions. The term "spiritual essence" primarily refers to the natural and light-hearted expression of genuine emotions. While emphasizing "spiritual essence," the author also advocates for poetry to possess fresh flavors, flexible brushwork, and to focus on the talent, personality, and originality of the poet. This anti-traditional, anti-mimetic, and innovative characteristic represents a new development based on the progressive ideas of predecessors and challenges the literary orthodoxy of the Qing Dynasty and later. The Story of the Willow Garden stands out due to its elements of emerging social thought and has made significant contributions to Chinese literary theory.