Tao Yan Meng Yi: West Lake Dream Chasing

Author: Zhang Dai (Ming Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-01-01
Features: A Dream of the Red Chamber and A Dream of the West Lake, written by Zhang Dai, a late Ming prose master. Zhang Dai (1597–1679), styled Zongzi and also known as Shigong, styled Tao'an and Die'an, was a native of Shanyin (now Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province). He was a scion of a scholarly family and spent his early life in the romantic and extravagant lifestyle of a feudal scholar-official, as he wrote in his self-composed epitaph: "In my youth, I was a carefree young man, deeply fond of luxury, loving fine residences, beautiful maids, young boys, splendid clothes, exquisite food, fine horses, dazzling lanterns, firecrackers, opera, music, antiques, flowers, and birds. I also indulged in tea and oranges, and was obsessed with books and poetry. After a life of toil, all became but a dream." In his later years, when recalling his past, he deeply regretted and self-reproached. Though he had a strong affinity for Buddhist thought, he was not a devout follower of Buddhism. Born into a family of poetry, literature, and etiquette, his thoughts were, however, free and unrestrained. Yet he had a strong sense of national identity. After the Qing army's southward advance, he felt the profound sorrow and indignation of a lost nation and homeland, and "shaved his head and entered the mountains," expressing his dissatisfaction and protest against the Qing rulers. Though he lived as a commoner, ate vegetarian food, and even faced hunger, he never regretted it. Looking back, he felt a sense of "fifty years having all been but a dream." Thus, he wrote A Dream of the Red Chamber and A Dream of the West Lake, as well as The Stone Coffin Records to document the Ming Dynasty's history, to his longing for his homeland.
A Dream of the Red Chamber consists of eight volumes and is one of Zhang Dai's most famous works. It records miscellaneous events he personally experienced, presenting various aspects of life to the readers, such as teahouses and taverns, storytelling and performances, cockfighting and bird breeding, lantern festivals and temple fairs, as well as landscapes, handicrafts, and calligraphy and painting. These constitute a folk art scroll of Ming Dynasty social life, particularly a magnificent "River Scene at Qingming Festival" of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. While it reflects the leisurely and romantic life of aristocratic youth, it more so portrays social life and customs.
A Dream of the West Lake consists of five volumes, recalling the past splendor of West Lake to the grief of Ming loyalists and his longing for his homeland. Though it borrows from Tian Rucheng's A Record of West Lake Touring, Zhang Dai's perspective on West Lake's scenic beauty surpasses that of A Record of West Lake Touring. The author comprehensively describes the important landscapes, Buddhist temples, and shrines of Hangzhou, following a spatial order of general records, northern, western, central, southern routes, and outer scenes, presenting the ancient and modern aspects of Hangzhou to the readers. Most importantly, after each entry, the author selects several poems or essays by scholars and contemporaries, enhancing the brilliance of the landscapes. These collected poems and essays form a selection of West Lake literature. Among the seventy-two entries, many concern the rise and fall of temples, providing rich material for Buddhist studies.
From the perspective of prose creation, Zhang Dai lived during the late Ming Dynasty and was deeply influenced by the "Gong'an School" and the "Jingling School." Yet he also drew from the strengths of various schools, forming his own unique style. In the preface to his Lanfang Poetry Collection, he wrote: "In my youth, I admired Wen Chang and studied his poetry. Because Wen Chang admired Wen Zhonglang, I also studied Wen Zhonglang's poetry. Before Wen Chang and Wen Zhonglang, I had no teachers. Later, I admired Zhong Xing and Tan Yuanchun's poetry and wanted to study it, but I was too busy. Then I began to regret and burned all the works that resembled Wen Chang's, cleansing my mind and stomach. Without Zhong Xing and Tan Yuanchun, I dared not put pen to paper. After ten years of hard work, the works I had studied from Zhong Xing and Tan Yuanchun again did not resemble them." The Gong'an trio advocated "expressing one's own spirit freely without adhering to rigid conventions, refusing to write unless it flowed from the heart." The Jingling School's Zhong Xing and Tan Yuanchun emphasized "lonely emotions and quiet solitude," meaning works should possess subtlety and depth, reflecting the author's individual spirit. Zhang Dai combined the strengths of both schools in his writing, making him the most outstanding figure in late Ming prose. His prose is fresh, delicate, and full of charm, meticulously crafted yet without the of artificiality, like a lotus blooming naturally in clear water. The over one hundred short essays in A Dream of the Red Chamber, ranging from a hundred to over five hundred words, are vivid, lively, and unique. Works such as Watching Snow at Lake Heart Pavilion, West Lake in July, West Lake Fragrance Market, Liu Jingting's Storytelling, and Yan Yu Pavilion are all celebrated masterpieces.