Wang Shixiang's Books: The Front and Back Poems on Lychees by Li Zhongding Gong of the Song Dynasty

Author: Zeng Jiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The stele for Wang Shixiang's book "The Front and Rear Odes to Lychees by Li Zhongding of the Song Dynasty" was erected in Li Gang's Cemetery. It was specially commissioned for Wang Laoshi to inscribe it during the restoration of Li Gang's tomb in the year 2000. The stele is approximately six meters long and two meters high. "The Front and Rear Odes to Lychees by Li Zhongding of the Song Dynasty" was composed by Li Gang when he was exiled to Shayang and Changle. Li Gang (1083–1140) was a famous patriotic prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty, styled Boji, and known as Liangxi, native to Shaowu, Fujian. He served as prime minister for only seventy-five days before being dismissed. He passed away in Fengzhou's Lingyan Hermitage and was posthumously titled Zhongding. His mausoleum is located on the southern slope of Dajia Mountain in Guangming Village, Jingxi Town, Minhou County. Wang Laoshi was born into a renowned official family in Minzhong. His ancestors moved from Jiangxi to Fujian Minhou during the Ming Dynasty and became one of the prominent families in Fuzhou. His great-grandfather, Wang Qingyun, held positions such as Inspector of Shaanxi and Shanxi, Governor of Sichuan and Guangdong, and Minister of Works. His grandfather, Wang Rendong, served as an Inner Court Secretary and Jiangning Taotai, after which his family moved from Minhou to Beijing. His uncle, Wang Renshan, became the top scholar in the Dingchou year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty and served as the magistrate of Zhenjiang and Suzhou. His father, Wang Jizeng, was a famous diplomat. His mother, Jin Zhang, was a member of the Chinese Painting Research Association and a renowned fish and algae painter.