A Rare Gem in the World of Words: The Flowering Grove Collection – A Series Introducing Bashu Culture to Households Everywhere, Volume 3

Author: Wang Dingzhang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: The natural scenery of Bashan and Shu is enchanting, and the history and culture are brilliant. As one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization, the ancient land of Bashu has, after thousands of years of wind and rain and the hardships of generations of Bashu people, formed a mysterious, profound, and diverse Bashu culture, which has become an important part of Chinese culture and a highly valuable cultural treasure trove for Sichuan, and even for China. The focus of this book, of course, is The Flower-View Anthology. The Flower-View Anthology includes 500 poems by 18 poets from the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods. It was compiled by Zhao Chongzuo, who served in Later Shu, and was preface by Ouyang Jiong, a native of Chengdu (Shuangliu), Sichuan. Among the poets included in the anthology, in addition to Wen Tingyun, Huangfu Song, and He Ning, the rest were officials who served in Shu. Therefore, it is reasonable to consider this book as a literary achievement of Former Shu and Later Shu. The study of The Flower-View Anthology naturally focuses on the Huajian school poets and their works, but it is not entirely limited to The Flower-View Anthology. This book primarily follows two threads. One is to explore the subject consciousness and life awareness of the poets in The Flower-View Anthology, uncovering their humanistic spirit and cultural significance; the other is to promote and appreciate the Huajian poets and their works. Thus, it provides an objective evaluation and reasonable interpretation of the literary value and humanistic spirit of The Flower-View Anthology.