Collection of Xin Qiji

Author: Wang Zengbin / Wang Li
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Where to gaze upon Shangzhou?
The world is filled with the scenery of Beigu Tower.
Through the ages, how many tales of rise and fall?
Eternal and boundless, the Yangtze flows on.
At a young age, in countless armor, he sat and fought in the southeast without rest.
Who could rival the heroes of the world?
Cao and Liu.
To be born a son, one should be like Sun Zhongmou.
—Xin Qiji, "Nanxiangzi · Ascending Beigu Pavilion with Nostalgia"
A nation's culture has its source and stream.
At the very least, the broad masses of the people should know what the true source of traditional Chinese culture is, and what its fundamental stream is.
As publishers, we have no need to explore this issue, but we have the obligation to present publications that embody the essence and mainstream of Chinese culture to the people.
Thus, we have this series, "Essential Library for Chinese Families."
This is a publishing plan that is almost boundless, but it reflects the sincere hearts of us as publishers.
We know that the Chinese family is the fundamental unit of Chinese culture.
If Chinese cultural families possess the fundamental classics and representative works of the Chinese nation,
then it will undoubtedly contribute to promoting our excellent national culture and forging our great national spirit.
This is the original intention behind publishing this series.
Therefore, this series is based on classic traditional cultural masterpieces and is divided into six volumes:
Volume of the Hundred Schools of Thought:
Includes 16 pre-Qin canonical works such as the Book of Songs, Book of Changes, Analects, Mencius, Han Feizi, etc.
These are the source of life for the Chinese nation.
Zhang Zhidong said, "Pre-Qin works are worth a thousand gold per character."
This accurately summarizes the pre-Qin works of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Volume of Selected Works of Famous Poets:
Includes personal selected works of 21 renowned literary figures such as Tao Yuanming, Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Yuan Haowen.
This selection focuses on Tang and Song Dynasty literary masters, representing the highest achievements of Chinese lyrical literature.
Volume of Historical Masterpieces:
Includes the Zuo Zhuan, the Four Histories, and the Zizhi Tongjian.
These are the essence of Chinese historiography.
To understand history, one must start here.
Volume of Comprehensive Selections:
Includes Tang Dynasty poetry, Song Dynasty ci poetry, Yuan Dynasty qu poetry, A Thousand Poems for a Thousand Homes, and Essentials of Classical Chinese.
These are all tested and renowned selected works, intended to broadly supplement the shortcomings of the Volume of Selected Works of Famous Poets in capturing the essence of Chinese literature and poetry.
Volume of Notes and Miscellaneous Works:
Includes 15 widely accepted miscellaneous works from the Three-Character Classic to the Zeng Guofan Family Letters.
In fact, they embody the deeper connotations of the excellent culture of the Chinese nation.
Volume of Dramas and Novels:
Includes 18 dramas and novels from the Romance of the West Chamber to the four great classical novels.
These represent the peak of Chinese literary creation.
To some extent, they are like the Three-Character Classic in that they contain the fundamental spiritual nourishment that has nurtured the Chinese people.
For the sake of readers, we do not seek immediate success in publishing but adopt a strategy of gradual expansion through successive volumes.
We do not aim for immediate economic benefits from a single book or time but strive to continuously expand our readership.
Our hearts are in harmony with the broad readership, so we are confident in having a wide market.
Xin Qiji (1140–1207), styled You'an, was known as Jiajiaxuan and was from Licheng (now Jinan, Shandong).
At birth, Shandong had already been occupied by the Jin forces.
At the age of 21, he joined the anti-Jin resistance army and soon returned to the Southern Song Dynasty, serving as an assistant to the governors of Hubei, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, and Zhejiang.
During his tenure, he took active measures to gather refugees, train armies, reward farmers and warriors, suppress corrupt and powerful officials, and focus on stabilizing people's livelihoods.
He firmly advocated resistance against the Jin throughout his life.
In his memorials such as the Ten Arguments on the Beauty of Qin and the Nine Discussions, he analyzed the political and military situation of the time, forcefully refuting those who exaggerated the strength of the Jin forces and advocated for compromise and surrender.
He called for strengthening military preparedness and boosting morale to recover the Central Plains.
However, his proposals for resisting the Jin were not adopted and he was persecuted by the peace faction, leading to long periods of exile in Shangyao and Qianshan in Jiangxi.
Later, when Han Tuozhou came to power, he was briefly reinstated but soon died of illness.
His poems express his patriotic sentiments in striving to restore national unity, his frustration at being unable to fulfill his ambitions, and his exposure and critique of the humiliating surrender of the Southern Song ruling class.
He also wrote many poems praising the rivers and mountains of his homeland.
His artistic style is diverse, but his dominant style is heroic and unrestrained.
His works are passionate, full of grandeur and sorrow, and his brushwork is powerful, earning him a place alongside Su Shi as "Su and Xin."
Xin Qiji was skilled in prose and poetry but was renowned for his ci poetry.
His Collection of Jiajia Ci contains over 620 poems, and in both quantity and quality, they are unmatched in the Song Dynasty.
He was a peerless man and a dragon among ci poets.
His ci poems have long been called "poems of heroes."
These poems primarily reflect the poet's heroic self-identity and his ambition to restore the Central Plains.
He often recalled his youth when he broke into the Jin camp and captured the traitor Zhang An'guo.
For example, in the upper part of Zhugu Tian, he writes:
"During my youth, banners surged among ten thousand men,
And I rode in fine armor across the river at first.
At night, the Yan army sharpened their silver-hoofed steeds,
And in the morning, Han arrows flew like golden pheasants."
Xin Qiji's poems also express the frustration of unfulfilled ambitions and the inability to serve his country.
For instance, in the upper part of Shuilongyin · Ascending Jiankang's Shangxin Pavilion, he writes:
"Across a thousand miles of Chu's autumn, the water flows endlessly with the sky.
At a distance, I gaze upon the distant peaks, offering grief and sorrow, like jade hairpins and snail-shaped hair ornaments.
At the tower's summit under the setting sun, amidst the cries of distant swallows,
I, a Jiangnan wanderer, gaze upon the Jiu hook and beat the railings.
No one understands my sentiments as I ascend for a view."
Through the typical actions of gazing upon the Jiu hook and beating the railings, the poem vividly portrays the poet's frustration at being unable to find a place to showcase his talents.
These "poems of heroes" by Xin Qiji are mostly composed with passion and talent, filled with passion and sorrow, and written in a heroic and unrestrained style.
In addition, Xin Qiji also wrote some poems about rural scenery and pastoral life, such as Qingping Le · Village Residence:
"Under the low roof, the stream flows green with grass.
In a drunken state, the Wu dialect sounds harmonious,
Whose white-haired elders are they?
The eldest son plows beans by the stream,
The middle son weaves chicken cages.
The mischievous youngest lies by the stream,
Peeling lotus pods."
Xin Qiji's poems also include some that are lyrical and profound in meaning, such as Qingyu'an · Yuanxie:
"In the upper part, the poem describes the joyous scene of the Lantern Festival.
In the lower part, it shifts to a secluded woman who lives differently from the crowd:
"Swallow-shaped earrings, golden threads, and laughter fill the air with fragrance.
In the crowd, I search for her a thousand times,
But suddenly, I turn around and find her—
In the dim light of the dying lanterns."
In reality, the poem reflects the poet's feelings of solitude and self-pity.
In summary, Xin Qiji, with his unique heroic ambitions and passion, wrote with vigor and freedom, expanding the themes of ci poetry and forming a dominant style of melancholic heroism.
He also incorporated lyrical subtlety, profound meaning, and fresh simplicity, melting together the styles of the Hundred Schools and expressing himself freely, creating a rich and diverse tapestry.
This book is a selected collection for the general reader.
It includes 18 poems and 82 ci poems by Xin Qiji, as well as 5 prose works.
To facilitate reader use, it includes an appendix with "A Brief Chronology of Xin Qiji's Life," "Major Sources for Research on Xin Qiji," and "Quotations from the Collection of Jiajia."