Wang Yingshi Poetry Collection: An Annotated Chronology

Author: Sun Wang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-03-01
Features: After the catastrophe of An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang Empire rapidly declined, transitioning from the High Tang period to the Mid-Tang period. This greatly influenced the living conditions and cultural psychology of scholars active during the Dali and Zhenyuan eras, and prompted changes in poetic styles. The cultural spirit of the High Tang—characterized by active, optimistic confidence, heroic grandeur, and a full of dinosaur ideals—gradually faded with the decline of the nation's creative vitality, being replaced by an era marked by fatigue, decline, low, melancholy, and indifference. As an external manifestation, poetry also underwent changes in aesthetic orientation, shifting from the expansive and outward expression of the High Tang to a more restrained and introspective style. Among the poets of the High Tang era, the most evident transformation in both personality and poetic style was undoubtedly Wei Yingwu.
The works in this book were compiled over the years, arranged chronologically according to Wei Yingwu's life journey, from his time as a secretary in Luoyang to his tenure as the prefect of Suzhou, into nine volumes. Poems whose years of composition are uncertain were collected into a single volume and placed at the end. After each annotation, selected comments from previous scholars are appended for reference.
The collation of this book was based on the photolithographed Ming-era Huayun edition of Wei Jiangzhou Ji from the Four Treasures of the Four Libraries collection. The main reference texts used include the Song-era printed Wei Yingwu Ji, the Yuan-era Masha edition of Wei Suzhou Ji, and other complete sets, collectively referred to as Song Edition Yuan Supplement. Additionally, the photolithographed Ming-era Jigu Ge edition of Tang Six Great Poets Collection from the Hanfen Pavilion, the Qing-era edition of Tang Four Poets by Wang Liming, collectively referred to as Wang Edition, were also used as reference materials.