Classics at a Glance: A Journey Through Classical Literature for Middle School Students

Author: Li Min
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book, due to its selection of concise and impactful articles, many of which are widely read and easily memorized, has been favored by readers for nearly three centuries since its publication. It has also been widely circulated among the general public. The compilers of Guwen Guanzhi (Essentials of Classical Chinese) were Wu Chengquan and Wu Dazhi, uncle and nephew from Shanyin (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang) in the early Qing Dynasty. Chengquan, styled Chucai, dedicated his life to studying classical Chinese and had a fondness for reading classics and historical texts. In 1676 (the 15th year of the Kangxi reign), he assisted a teacher in Fuzhou in teaching the son of his elder brother in classical Chinese, and later devoted his entire life to teaching. In addition to participating in the compilation of Guwen Guanzhi, he also collaborated with Zhou Zhijiang and Zhou Zhicàn to compile a popular historical reader, Gangjian Yizhi Lù, using Zhu Xi's Tongjian Gangmu style. Dazhi, styled Diao Hou, was also passionate about "ancient studies" and possessed exceptional talent. His main life experience was teaching alongside his uncle in their hometown. Guwen Guanzhi represents the most brilliant, valuable, and representative classical Chinese selections, chosen with a sharp perspective from the vast Chinese literary ocean. Thus, this book is also the most outstanding classical Chinese anthology.