Guwen Guanzhi Notes and Comments (Set of Two Volumes)

Author: Wu Chucai, selected and compiled by Wu Di Hou, annotated and commented by Wang Yingzhi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Since its publication in the 34th year of the Kangxi reign (1695), "Guwen Guanzhi" has been for over three hundred years. It flows like a long stream, winding and, yet never drying up, always maintaining a fresh appeal and vibrant vitality to generations of readers. As a popular literary reader, "Guwen Guanzhi" seems to embody the "enduring charm" mentioned by Marx. This phenomenon undoubtedly proves its immortal value. Perhaps only "Three Hundred Poems of Tang" can be compared to it in this regard. "Guwen Guanzhi" was compiled and selected by Wu Chucai and Wu Di Hou, two obscure figures from the Qing Dynasty, for use in schools. According to the preface written by Wu Xingzuo, a Shaoxing native who once served as Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Wu Chucai was his nephew, and Wu Di Hou his. In the 17th year of the Kangxi reign (1678), Wu Chucai and Wu Di Hou accompanied Wu Xingzuo to his post as Governor of Fujian and studied alongside his son in a private academy. Wu Chucai was naturally filial and friendly, dedicated to learning, skilled in the eight-legged essay, and particularly fond of classics and history. Wu Di Hou was extraordinary and ambitious. Both were talented and strove to refine their classical knowledge daily, writing thousands of words in an instant. In the spring of the 34th year of the Kangxi reign, when Wu Xingzuo led troops to Yunzhong (now Datong, Shanxi), he received "Guwen Guanzhi" from Wu Chucai and Wu Di Hou. Impressed by its ability to fill the gap in popular selections of classical literature, he was delighted and believed it had great merit in inspiring future scholars. Thus, he had it published and wrote a preface in praise.
The "classical literature" in "Guwen Guanzhi" refers to prose outside of parallel prose and the eight-legged essay. The book includes biographies, records, discussions, letters, prefaces, memorials, edicts, eulogies, epitaphs, miscellaneous poems, memorials, essays, and fables, covering a wide range of genres. However, it also selects four pieces of parallel prose, such as "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" and "The Moving Essay on the Northern Mountain," to showcase this style.
The term "Guanzhi" in "Guwen Guanzhi" originates from "Ji Jia Guan Zhou Yue" in the "Zuo Zhuan" (Book of Zuo, 29th year of the Xianggong reign) (see Volume 2 of "Guwen Guanzhi"): "Guanzhi yi! Ruo you ta Yue, wu bu gan qing yu." It means: "What I have witnessed in music and dance has reached the highest realm. If there are other performances, I dare not request to see them anymore." Thus, "Guanzhi" signifies witnessing the pinnacle of artistic excellence. The book borrows this term to highly praise the ideological depth and artistic of the selected classical texts.
"Guwen Guanzhi" compiles 222 articles from the Zhou Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, divided into twelve volumes. The number is moderate, with most selections being short essays, making it suitable for young students to study and read. It can be said that many famous works and authors from various dynasties are included, with few masterpieces overlooked. For example, "Zuo Zhuan," "Guoyu," "Liji," "Zhan Guo Ce," and "Shiji"; Wang Xizhi, Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, and the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties—Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, Su Xun, Su Shi, Su Zhe, Zeng Gong, and Wang Anshi—as well as Song Liao, Liu Ji, Gui Youguang, and Yuan Hongdao. Famous essays include "Cao Jie on the Battle of Wei and Zhao," "Zou Ji's Persuasion to the King of Qi to Accept Advice," "Memorial on Expelling Foreign Guests," "Letter to Ren An," "On the Conquest of Qin," "Memorial on Sending Out the Troops," "The Peach Blossom Spring," "Petition for the State of Chen," "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection," "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng," "Letter to Han Jingzhou," "Inscription on the Humble Abode," "The Eulogy of the Epang Palace," and "The Record of Yueyang Tower," as well as masterpieces by the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, and Ming Dynasty works like "The Seller of Oranges," "The Biography of Xu Wenlang," and "The Epitaph for the Five Martyrs," among others, too numerous to list. These are the core of "Guwen Guanzhi," the essence of classical literature, and have been celebrated for millennia, enduring in popularity.