A Selection of Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasty Ci Poetry (Famous Name Famous Selection Series)

Author: Xia Chengtao / Zhang Zhang (editors)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: As a cultural heritage, the term (ci poetry) naturally has its historical limitations. Originating from the folk, it initially reflected a relatively broad range of life. However, after being taken up by literati, it gradually bore the mark of the leisure class and became a conventional artistic form for them to elaborate on elegant phrases and express their hedonistic lives of dance and song. It gradually drifted away from real-life, even incorporating lowbrow elements. Many outstanding figures upheld the realist tradition in classical literature, making positive contributions to the healthy development of ci poetry. However, it cannot be denied that works centered on romance, beauty, and artifice, as well as formalist tendencies, were quite widespread. This requires us to analyze them from a historical materialist perspective, extracting the essence while discarding the dross. This collection includes 50 ci poems from the Jin Dynasty, 81 from the Yuan Dynasty, 120 from the Ming Dynasty, and 214 from the Qing Dynasty. By examining these texts, we can observe the rise and fall of ci poetry and, in the process, gain insight into one aspect of the social life of that era, providing a reference for enthusiasts of ci poetry. The selection prioritizes works with healthy themes and strong artistic merit. Those that are harmless yet artistically high and influential are also included in moderation to preserve the characteristics of different schools.