Guwen Guanzhi Notes and Comments, Volume 1 and 2

Author: Wu Chucai Wu Diao Hou
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Since its publication in the 34th year of the Kangxi reign (1695), Guwen Guanzhi has been in circulation for over three hundred years. It flows like a long stream, though winding and, never drying up, always maintaining a fresh appeal and vigorous vitality for generations of readers. As a popular literary reader, Guwen Guanzhi seems to embody the "permanent charm" mentioned by Marx. This phenomenon undoubtedly proves its immortal value. It can be compared only to Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty in its significance. Guwen Guanzhi was compiled and selected by the obscure Qing Dynasty scholars Wu Chucai and Wu Diao Hou for use in schools. According to the preface written by Wu Xingzuo, a Shaoxing native who once held the position of Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Wu Chucai was his nephew, and Wu Diao Hou his. In the 17th year of the Kangxi reign (1678), Wu Chucai and Wu Diao Hou accompanied Wu Xingzuo to his post as Governor of Fujian and studied at a private academy alongside Wu Xingzuo's son. Wu Chucai was naturally filial and friendly, dedicated to studying, skilled in the eight-legged essay, and particularly fond of classics and history. Wu Diao Hou was extraordinary and ambitious. Both were talented and strove to improve themselves through classical studies, writing thousands of words effortlessly. In the spring of the 34th year of the Kangxi reign, when Wu Xingzuo led troops to Yunzhong (now Datong, Shanxi), he received Guwen Guanzhi from Wu Chucai and Wu Diao Hou and was delighted to see it fill the gap in popular selections of classical prose. He believed it had great merit in inspiring future scholars. Thus, he had it published and wrote a preface in praise.
The "classical prose" (guwen) in Guwen Guanzhi refers to prose outside of parallel prose and the eight-legged essay. The book includes biographies, memorials, treatises, letters, prefaces, memorials to the throne, eulogies, epitaphs, miscellaneous poems, memorials, policy questions, and fables, covering a wide range of genres. However, it also selects four pieces of parallel prose, such as Record of the Pavilion of Prince Teng and Moving Essay from the Northern Mountain, to showcase this style.
The term "viewing to the limit" (guanzhi) in Guwen Guanzhi originates from the Zuo Zhuan, 29th year of the Xianggong reign: "Ji Jia viewed the music of Zhou" (see Volume 2 of Guwen Guanzhi): "I have seen the limit! If there is any other music, I dare not ask for it anymore." It means: "The music and dance I haveed have reached the highest level. If there is any other, I would not dare to request further." Thus, "viewing to the limit" signifies reaching the peak of artistic excellence. The book borrows this phrase to highly praise the ideological depth and artistic of the selected classical texts.
Guwen Guanzhi compiles 222 articles from the Zhou Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, divided into twelve volumes. The number is moderate, with most pieces being short, making it suitable for young students to study and read. It can be said that many famous works and authors from all dynasties are included, with few masterpieces overlooked. Such as Zuo Zhuan, Guoyu, Liji, Zhan Guo Ce, and Shiji; Wang Xizhi, Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, and the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties—Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, Su Xun, Su Shi, Su Zhe, Zeng Gong, and Wang Anshi—as well as Song Lian, Liu Ji, Gui Youguang, and Yuan Hongdao. Famous works include Cao Jie on Battle, Zou Ji's Persuasion to King Qi to Accept Advice, Memorial on Expelling Foreign Guests, Letter to Ren An, Argument on the Conquest of Qin, Memorial on Sending Troops, Journey to the Peach Blossom Spring, Memorial of Parting, Preface to the Orchid Pavilion, Record of the Pavilion of Prince Teng, Letter to Han Jingzhao, Inscription on the Humble Abode, Eulogy of the Epang Palace, and Record of Yueyang Tower, as well as masterpieces by the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, and Ming Dynasty works like The Seller of Oranges, Biography of Xu Wenlang, and Epitaph for the Five Martyrs, among others, too numerous to list. These form the core of Guwen Guanzhi and represent the essence of classical prose, celebrated and enduring for millennia.