Wang Anshi Collection -- Basic Collection of Chinese Family Books

Author: Wei Xiaohong
Review
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-10-01
Features:
Yu lu xiang jun lou sheng can, jian jian qing feng zhen zhen han. Chun se nao ren mian bu de, yue yi hua ying shang gan lan. — Wang Anshi, "Ye Zhi"
Jingkou guazhou yi shui jian, zhongshan zhi ge shu zhong shan. Chun feng you lv jiang nan an, ming yue he shi zhao wo huan? — Wang Anshi, "Bo Chuan Guazhou"
A nation's culture has its source and stream. At the very least, the broad masses of the people should know what the true source of traditional Chinese culture is and what its basic stream is. As publishers, we have no need to explore this issue, but we have an obligation to present publications that embody the essence and mainstream of Chinese culture to the people. Thus, we have created this series, "Essential Library for Chinese Families."
This is a publishing plan that is almost boundless in scope, but it reflects the sincere hearts of us as publishers. We know that the Chinese family is the basic unit of Chinese culture. If Chinese cultural families possess the fundamental classics and representative works of the Chinese nation, then this will undoubtedly help promote our excellent national culture and forge our great national spirit. This is the original intention behind publishing this series.
Therefore, this series is based on classic traditional cultural masterpieces and is divided into six volumes:
Volume 1: Classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought — Includes 16 pre-Qin foundational works such as the Book of Songs, Book of Changes, Analects, Mencius, Han Feizi, etc. They are the lifeblood of the Chinese nation. Zhang Zhidong once said, "Pre-Qin writings are worth a thousand gold for a single character." This accurately summarizes the value of pre-Qin philosophical works.
Volume 2: Selected Works of Famous Poets — Includes personal selected collections of 21 renowned literary figures such as Tao Yuanming, Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Yuan Haowen. This selection focuses on Tang and Song Dynasty literary masters, representing the highest achievements of Chinese lyrical literature.
Volume 3: Masterpieces of Historiography — Includes Zuo Zhuan, the Four Books of Han Dynasty, and Zizhi Tongjian. They are the essence of Chinese historiography. To understand history, one must start with these works.
Volume 4: Comprehensive Selections — Includes Tang Dynasty poetry, Song Dynasty ci poetry, Yuan Dynasty qu poetry, Qianjia Shi, and Guwen Guanzhi. These are all tested and renowned selected works, intended to broadly supplement the shortcomings of the Selected Works of Famous Poets in capturing the essence of Chinese literature and poetry.
Volume 5: Notes and Miscellaneous Works — Includes 15 widely accepted miscellaneous works from Three-Character Classic to Zeng Guofan's Family Letters. In fact, they embody the deeper layers of the outstanding culture of the Chinese nation.
Volume 6: Dramas and Novels — Includes 18 dramas and novels from Romance of the West Chamber to the four great classical novels. These represent the peak of Chinese literary creation. To some extent, they are like Three-Character Classic in that they contain the fundamental spiritual nourishment that has nurtured the Chinese people.
To be responsible to readers, we do not seek immediate success in publishing but adopt a strategy of releasing volumes gradually to build a larger scale over time. We do not aim for economic benefits from a single book or a single time but strive to expand our readership. Our hearts are in harmony with the broad readership, so we are confident that we will have a wide market.
Wang Anshi (1021–1086) was a famous litterateur and statesman of the Song Dynasty, born in Fuchuan, Linchuan (now Fuzhou, Jiangxi). In his youth, his writings were outstanding and praised by Ouyang Xiu. At the age of twenty, he passed the imperial examination and served as a local official for several terms. During his tenure as magistrate of Yinzhou, he faced severe disasters and the dire living conditions of the people. Wang Anshi improved water conservancy, enhanced transportation, and administered the region with remarkable efficiency. In the second year of Emperor Shenzong's Xining era, he actively promoted reforms to alleviate the people's hardships. However, in the eighth year of the Yuanfeng era, the new reforms were abolished, and Wang Anshi, filled with grief and frustration, fell ill and died the following year. Throughout his life, Wang Anshi struggled to realize his political ideals, closely linking literary creation with political activities. His writings were deeply political, serving directly as tools for his political struggles.
Wang Anshi's prose was predominantly political in nature. These works addressed contemporary issues, proposed clear based on thorough analysis, and possessed strong persuasive power. For example, in Reply to Sima Guang's Advice, he analyzed Sima Guang's criticisms of the new reforms concisely, yet firmly and tactfully, demonstrating his unwavering political stance. Wang Anshi's prose placed great emphasis on theoretical persuasion and paid less attention to creating atmosphere or depicting scenes to emotionally engage readers. As a result, his prose was often profound, logical, and concise, reflecting his literary principles.
Like his prose, Wang Anshi's poetry was rich in political content, with clear leanings that expressed his sympathy for the people, his melancholy about the future of society, and his resistance to traditional thought. His works fully conveyed his grand political ambitions and positive attitude toward life. Many of his poems on subjects and ancient history also reflected his political aspirations and critical spirit. In his later years, after being dismissed from his post and living in seclusion, changes in his life and mood led to shifts in his poetic style. He wrote more poems describing lakes and mountains, and he paid greater attention to refining the art of poetry. Many of his later works, such as Bo Chuan Guazhou, are innovative and skillfully crafted, showing greater artistic maturity than his earlier poems. However, the political fervor that once filled his earlier works had greatly diminished.
This book selects 83 poems, 5 ci poems, and 35 prose pieces by Wang Anshi, all from The Collection of Linchuan. Some words and phrases have been corrected based on comparative studies, though these changes are not individually noted in the annotations. The selection focuses on works related to Wang Anshi's political reforms, ideas, and proposals, while also considering the diversity of themes, content, and artistic expression. The arrangement of the poems and prose follows a chronological order, with content as a secondary criterion. The dates of composition are primarily based on Cai Shangxiang's Brief Examination of Wang Jingong's Chronology and Li Bi's Annotations on Wang Jingong's Poetry. To facilitate readers' use of the book, appendices include a "Brief Chronology of Wang Anshi," "Major Works on Wang Anshi," and "Quotations from The Collection of Wang Anshi."
Wang Anshi's writings cover a wide range of fields, including history, politics, economics, and culture.