Collected Works of Wei Yingwu with Annotations and Corrections

Author: Wei Yingwu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-12-01
Features: Preface Wei Yingwu (c. 733–c. 793), from Du Ling (now southeastern Xi'an, Shaanxi), was a member of the illustrious Wei family of Sanfu. His sixth-generation ancestor, Fu, was indifferent to fame and fortune, and though he was summoned ten times, he refused all appointments. When Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou ascended the throne, he treated Fu with great respect, presented him with a poem, and enfeoffed him as Duke of Xiaoyao. His fifth-generation ancestor, Chong, served as Minister of Personnel during the Sui Dynasty. His great-grandfather, Ting, held various high-ranking positions under Emperor Taizong of Tang, including Vice Minister of Personnel, Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Grand Censor. His great-great-grandfather, Dai, served as a minister under Empress Wu Zetian and became Minister of Personnel. During the Tang Dynasty, the folk saying "The Weis and Dus of the southern city are but five feet from heaven" reflected the family's prominence. Wei Yingwu was a descendant of this distinguished lineage. However, by the time of his grandfather and father, the family's fortune had gradually declined. His grandfather, Lingyi, held only mid-level positions such as Vice Minister of Border Guards and Vice Minister of Imperial Ancestral Worship. As for his father, Wei Bian, historical records are silent about him, though the "Record of Famous Books of the Tang Dynasty" mentions that he once served as "Vice []." Notably, despite his lack of official success, Bian and his brother Jian, as well as his son Ou, were renowned calligraphers, as documented in Zhang Yanyuan's "Record of Famous Calligraphers of Past Generations." As for Wei Yingwu himself, he repeatedly mentioned in his poems that he was "poor and had no ancestral wealth" (from "Farewell to My Elder Brother in Guangling and Addressing Changsha"). After becoming the county magistrate of Nengshuo, he resided at the Shangfu Monastery in Lishang. Later, as the prefect of Chuzhou, he lived near Xijian in Chuzhou. After becoming the prefect of Suzhou, he settled at Yongding Temple in Suzhou, never returning to Du Ling, indicating that he had no substantial property left in his hometown. In summary, Wei Yingwu came from a noble family with a glorious lineage and a tradition of seclusion, yet he belonged to the relatively impoverished branch of the family that was rich in artistic refinement. Born around the twenty-first year of the Kaiyuan era (733), he entered the service of Emperor Xuanzong at the age of fifteen (around 747) through his family's influence, becoming one of the emperor's attendants. He later studied at the Imperial Academy. During the An Lushan Rebellion, he fled to places like Wugong for safety. Around the time of Emperor Shaozong, he served as a subordinate official in Heyang. In the Guangde era of Emperor Daizong, he became the magistrate of Luoyang. In the first year of the Yongtai era (765), he was dismissed from office after punishing unlawful soldiers and was sued for removal. He then lived in seclusion at Tongde Temple in Luoyang. In the fourth year of the Dali era (769), he traveled south to Yangzhou. Later, he became a subordinate official in Henan Prefecture. In the eighth year of the Dali era, he resigned due to illness and returned to live at Tongde Monastery in Luoyang. In the ninth year, he became a subordinate official in the Jingzhao Prefecture and served as the acting magistrate of Gaoling. In the thirteenth year, he became the magistrate of Dengxun. The following year, when the prefect of Jingzhao, Li Gan, was disgraced, Wei Yingwu was implicated and reassigned as the magistrate of Liyang. He soon claimed illness and resigned, settling at Bofu Monastery in Lishang. In the second year of the Jianzhong era (781),