Tang and Song Eight Masters' Essays Anthology with Annotations and Critical Evaluations/Full Nine Volumes ((Full Nine Volumes))

Author: Gao Haifu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-09-01
Features: Poetry in China has a long history and is renowned for its brilliance, earning the country the title of a "poetic nation." However, this does not mean that Chinese prose is inferior or unworthy of mention. On the contrary, over two thousand years of literary history, prose has also been vibrant and diverse, reaching heights of brilliance that are dazzling to behold. The prose discussed here focuses on ancient Chinese works and includes essays, historical accounts, various types of miscellaneous writings, and parallel prose, not limited to what is today referred to as literary prose or the "classical prose" called "" after the Tang and Song dynasties. Tang and Song prose, inheriting from the pre-Qin, Han, Wei, and Six Dynasties periods and paving the way for the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, represents a crucial period in the history of Chinese prose. During this time, writers flourished, each with unique styles, and the literary forms were abundant and varied, greatly expanding the realm of prose. Many masterpieces from various genres have been passed down through the ages, marking an unprecedented and historically significant era. The Collected Works of the Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Prose was initially published in 144 volumes, including 16 volumes of Han Yu's works, 12 volumes of Liu Zongyuan's works, 32 volumes of Ouyang Xiu's works, 16 volumes of Wang Anshi's works, 10 volumes of Zeng Gong's works, 10 volumes of Su Xun's works, 28 volumes of Su Shi's works, and 20 volumes of Su Zhe's works. During the Ming Wanli era, Mao Kун's grandson re-edited and added 20 volumes of Mao Kун's annotated History of the Five Dynasties to Ouyang Xiu's works, resulting in the 164-volume edition now in common circulation. For this annotation, the 20 volumes of Luling History were extracted to restore the original structure and avoid the imbalance of uneven distribution.