Historical Zhu Zhi Ci (Complete 5 Volumes)

Author: Wang Liqi, Wang Shenzhi, Wang Zixin (compilers)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-12-01
Features: The Zhuzhi Ci (Song of Bamboo) originated as folk songs, and when it attracted the attention of scholars, it often reflected the customs and folk culture of remote and isolated regions. Thus, there were works like Barbarian Customs, Barbarian Songs, Folk Verses, and the Liu Yuxi Biography in Volume 160 of the Old Book of Tang. [Its sound is rustic and simple] (as stated in the Liu Yuxi Biography in Volume 93 of the New Book of Tang). Since the Tang Dynasty, when Liu Yuxi and Bai Juyi and others borrowed the traditional Zhuzhi style and created new verses, their simple and rustic style significantly influenced the literary creations of scholars. Poets competed to imitate it, and a fresh breeze swept across the poetic scene. Some scholars point out that the Zhuzhi Ci originally had the rustic tones of Ba Yu folk music and barbarian songs and dances, which few people paid attention to. When Liu and Bai emerged, with their keen insight, they first recognized its profound artistic value, and their contributions are truly undeniable. The Zhuzhi Ci is mostly written in seven-character lines, but there are also five-character and six-character Zhuzhi Ci, such as Yuan Mei’s Little Zhuzhi Ci of West Lake. There are also examples where each poem consists of two or five lines, such as Duan Cheng’s East Slope Zhuzhi Ci, which follows a 3-7-7-7 syllable pattern. Although many scholars have devoted their efforts to studying the evolution of the Zhuzhi Ci form, no definitive conclusion has been reached so far. Perhaps the publication of this Zhuzhi Ci through the Ages will help deepen the research on the Zhuzhi Ci.