Selected and Annotated Poems of Wen Daoxi

Author: Zeng Wenbin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: This book selects and annotates 115 poems from over 600 poems by Wen Tingshi, strictly following a chronological order. It carefully chooses works closely related to the late Qing history, especially those reflecting major events such as the First Sino-Japanese War (1894), the Hundred Days' Reform (1898), and the Boxer Uprising (1900). In-depth analysis is conducted to highlight the epic quality of Wen's poetry. By using poetry to verify history and supplement historical records, readers can appreciate both the artistic value of Wen's poems and the historical context they depict. Moreover, this approach allows readers to understand the evolution of Wen's thoughts and character.
This book is more accurately titled Selected and Annotated Poems of Wen Daoxi (Wen Daoxi's Annotated Chronological Poems). My purpose in "reciting his poems and reading his books" is to "understand the person and discuss the era." The method employed is the mutual verification of poetry and history in a chronological arrangement, which determines the focus of the selection and annotations—on the person, the events, and the era. The intention is to use this annotated collection to reveal the tumultuous changes of the late Qing era as depicted by Wen Daoxi and the trajectory of the poet's inner transformation. Driven by this motivation, I have also added "Reading Notes" after the annotations.
The book may be subjective in nature, and there may be biases or omissions. I sincerely apologize for any shortcomings and hope for the readers' understanding.