Ruyuan Shi Hua

Author: Yuan Mei (Qing Dynasty), edited by Wang Yingzhi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-05-01
Features: Yuan Mei (1716—1798), styled Zicai, styled Jianzhai, styled Cunzhai, and known posthumously as Suoyuan Mr. and Cangshan Jushi in his later years. Born in Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang), his ancestral home was Cixi (now part of Zhejiang). He became a Jinshi in the fourth year of the Qianlong reign (1739) and was selected as a Cijiushi, entering the Hanlin Academy. In the seventh year of the Qianlong reign (1742), he was transferred to Jiangnan and served as a magistrate in Lishui, Jiangpu, Shuyang, and Jiangning. He resigned from office in the fourteenth year of the Qianlong reign (1749) and resided in Xiaocangshan, Suoyuan in Jiangning (now Nanjing, Jiangsu). Except for a brief tenure in Shaanxi from the second half of the seventeenth year of the Qianlong reign (1752), he remained completely detached from official life for the rest of his days. Yuan Mei led the Qianlong poetic circle as the spokesperson of the Xingling school. He was prolific in his writings, including works such as Selected Poems of Xiaocangshan, Collected Works of Xiaocangshan, Discussions on Poetry from Suoyuan, Notes on Strange Stories, Letters from Suoyuan, and (a collection of essays). His biographies appear in The Official History of the Qing Dynasty, Volume 485, among others. This book is the most influential poetics of the Qing Dynasty. Its structure is a list of individual entries, each discussing either a critique, a record of an event, or a selection of poems, written in a (note-taking) style. The compilation of this book aimed to advocate for Xingling poetic theory, opposing the prevailing styles of Shen Depan’s regulated verse and Wang Fanggang’s scholarly verse during the Qianlong era. The book began to be compiled after Yuan Mei’s resignation from office and was fully completed in the fifty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign (1790), published with the support of Bi Qian and others. The supplements were written until his death and completed during the Jiaqing reign. The primary value of this book lies in its exposition of Xingling poetic theory. Its essence is that the subjective conditions of creation must emphasize three essential elements: sincerity, individuality, and poetic talent. The Xingling theory of sincerity advocates:
1. Sincerity is the foremost condition for a poet’s creation, as stated, "A poet is one who retains the heart of an innocent child" (Volume 3), where "the heart of an innocent child" refers to Xingling (spiritual essence) and sincerity.
2. Sincerity is the main content of poetry, as stated, "From the Book of Songs to the present day, all poems that have been passed down are expressions of Xingling, not merely (stacking words)." (Volume 5).
3. Poetry’s primary aesthetic function is to move people through sincerity, as stated, "The sages said, 'Poetry can inspire,' because it is easily moving to people" (Volume 10). This argument critiques Shen Depan’s "poetic education" theory.
The Xingling theory of individuality advocates:
1. Poets must possess individuality, as stated, "Poetry writing cannot lack the self," and "if there is no self, one is a puppet" (Volume 10). The "self" refers to a unique individuality.
2. Artistic creation must be original, neither imitating the ancients nor blindly following fashion, as stated, "In essence, the key is to bring forth new ideas and discard worn-out phrases" (Volume 6).
3. Anti-imitation of the past and anti-regulated verse: "The Ming Seven Masters’ poetry theory was blind to the past and ignorant of the present" (Volume 3), and "singing only the grand tunes of pitch and rhyme easily breeds boredom" (Volume 4). This critique also targets Shen Depan, the successor of the Ming Seven Masters.
The Xingling theory of poetic talent advocates:
1. Poets must possess special talent. The original meaning of Xingling is the innate spiritual nature of a person, also referred to as spiritual talent. Yuan Mei distinguished between "pen with Xingling" and "pen with dullness" in his poetry discussions (see Supplements, Volume 2). "Pen with Xingling" indicates poetic talent, targeting Wang Fanggang’s scholarly poetry: "With deep knowledge in classics, his poetry is often obscure and unengaging—so-called scholarly poetry leaves one unhappy when reading" (Volume 4).
2. Poets experience inspiration during creation. First, when inspiration strikes, poets are at the peak of artistic thought, as stated, "When inspiration arises, it is easy to compose" (Volume 2). Second, inspiration lasts only a short time and is difficult to grasp; when "inspiration wanes," even "millions of efforts" cannot recreate it (see Volume 3). Inspiration is both and necessary. The book cites Tang poetry to illustrate: "All day long you search but cannot find it, sometimes it returns on its own" (Volume 2).
3. Artistic expression must be natural and effortless, hence praising "natural and miraculous talent" (Supplements, Volume 5); even in refining and polishing material, no trace of artificiality should remain.
4. Poetic images should be vivid, flexible, and engaging. The book cites Yang Wanli’s words, "Wind (style) is written by Xingling" (Volume 1), and repeatedly emphasizes "vitality" and "vivacity" (Supplements, Volume 3), advocating the expression of Xingling through lively and engaging imagery.
The essence of this book lies in its "Discussions," while its foundation is in "Poetry," hence it includes a large number of poems to substantiate its theories, regardless of era, school, author, or gender. The most notable feature is the inclusion of a substantial number of poems by women. The book also contains many anecdotes of the poetic world, tales of poetry, and biographies of poets, though some may be trivial, they provide a glimpse into the cultural scene of the Qianlong era.