"Three Hundred Songs of the Song Dynasty - Color Illustration Edition"

Author: Shangjiang Village Resident
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features:
Ci, initially known as quzi or quzi ci, refers to sung lyrics set to music. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, music from the Western Regions gradually blended with folk music, forming Yan Yue (Court Music), and ci ci was the lyrics paired with this music. Later, ci ci gradually detached from music, evolving into a poetic form, simplified as ci. Early ci poems originated from the (folk), created by folk artists or literati. After the mid-Tang dynasty, some literati began composing ci. In the late Tang, more literati started writing ci based on the rhythmic patterns of the tunes (), filling in lines according to musical beats. Zhang Zhihe's "Fisherman," Wei Yingwu's "Diao Xiao Ling," and Liu Yuxi and Bai Juyi's "Remembering Jiangnan" are all examples of how these authors learned from folk songs and absorbed their artistic essence. The late Tang and Five Dynasties period was marked by frequent warfare and social turmoil, yet it was a crucial stage in the development of ci. At that time, ci composition had two centers: Western Shu and Southern Tang. The Flowering Pavilion School (), represented by the late Tang poet Wen Tingyun, was named after the Flowering Pavilion Collection () compiled by Zhao Chongzuo during the Five Dynasties. Their works were mostly composed for singing, serving as entertainment at banquets, with a style characterized by soft, rich, and (vibrant) aesthetics. Song dynasty poets like Yan Shu and Ouyang Xiu inherited the style of the late Tang and Five Dynasties, deeply influenced by Southern Tang ci. They primarily wrote xiaoling (small orders), with a poetic style that was elegant and (subtle and graceful). Su Shi's ci holds an extremely important position in the history of ci. Zhou Bangyan of the late Northern Song dynasty is considered the master of Northern Song ci. Xin Qiji, contemporary with Lu You, was one of the most (outstanding) ci poets of the Southern Song dynasty. Gao Qian was another highly influential great ci poet of the Southern Song. In the late Southern Song, Wu Wenying had a (rich and dense) style, with profound and (profound) artistic expression.
Regarding the artistic features of ci, the discussions of predecessors are innumerable. The late modern scholar Wang Guowei had a keen insight, extracting the term "yijing" (, artistic conception) and elevating "yi (meaning) and jing (scene) merging" as the highest realm of ci creation.