Collection of Poems and Prose by Xiao Cang Shan Fang (Complete Four Volumes)

Author: Yuan Mei (Qing Dynasty), edited and annotated by Zhou Benchun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1988-01-01
Features: During the Qing Dynasty, the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns witnessed arduous efforts that led to economic development, prosperity in people and resources, and the emergence of outstanding talents. By the Qianlong era, the empire was renowned as the height of its glory. Among scholars of the time, none could match Yuan Mei in terms of longevity, fame, breadth of connections, or luxurious living. Yuan Mei (1716–1797), styled Zicai, styled Jianzhai, styled Suoyuan, and later self-styled as Cangshan Jushi, was a Qing Dynasty poet and poet theorist from Qiantang, Zhejiang. He was a jinshi (imperial scholar) during the Qianlong era, renowned for his exceptional talent and literary achievements that dominated the Jiangnan region. He was known as the "Southern Yuan" alongside Ji Xiaolan (the chief compiler of the Qing Dynasty's Siku Quanshu) as the "South Yuan, North Ji." Yuan Mei was one of the representative poets of the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods, alongside Zhao Ji and Jiang Shiquan, forming the "Qianlong Three Greats." He passed the imperial examination in the fourth year of the Qianlong reign (1739) and was appointed as a shujishi (assistant scholar) in the Hanlin Academy. In the seventh year of the Qianlong reign, he was transferred to a government post and served as a magistrate in places like Jiangning and Shangyuan. He was highly regarded for his good governance and earned the admiration of the viceroy Yin Jishan. At the age of thirty-three, after his father's death, he resigned from his post to care for his mother. In Jiangning (now Nanjing), he purchased the abandoned Sui Dynasty garden and renamed it "Suoyuan," building a residence there and becoming known as the "Suoyuan Master." He was celebrated throughout his life for his unrestrained pursuit of passion and distinctive style. He once described himself as "not bowing at the gates of Confucius and Zhengzi, nor lingering at the seats of Cheng and Zhu." He loved poetry, beauty, wealth, travel, friendship, and the natural world—flowers, birds, rocks, and springs—preferring not to "become a slave to high office." While serving as a magistrate in Jiangning (now Nanjing), after establishing Suoyuan, he developed the thought that "if I were to serve as an official here, I would only come once a month; but if I were to live here, I would come every day." Thus, he resigned from his post, ultimately exchanging "one official post for this garden."