Guwen Guanzhi Notes and Comments (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Wu Chucai, Wu Diao Hou
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Since its publication in the 34th year of the Kangxi reign (1695), "Guwen Guanzhi" has been in circulation for over three hundred years. It flows like a long stream, though winding and, it has never dried up, always maintaining a fresh appeal and vibrant vitality for generations of readers. As a popular literary reader, "Guwen Guanzhi" seems to embody the "permanent 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 the little-known Wu Chucai and Wu Diao Hou of the Qing Dynasty for use in schools. According to the preface written by Wu Xingzuo, a native of Shaoxing who once held the position of Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Wu Chucai was his nephew, and Wu Diao Hou his cousin. In the 17th year of the Wumu reign of Kangxi (1678), Wu Chucai and Wu Diao Hou accompanied Wu Xingzuo to his post as Governor of Fujian and studied at a private academy alongside Wu Xingzuo's son. Wu Chucai was naturally filial and friendly, deeply devoted to studying, skilled in the eight-legged essay, and particularly fond of reading classics and histories. Wu Diao Hou was extraordinary and ambitious. Both possessed talent and strove to improve themselves through classical studies daily, writing thousands of words in the blink of an eye. In the spring of the 34th year of the Kangxi reign, when Wu Xingzuo led his troops to Yunzhong (now Datong, Shanxi), he received "Guwen Guanzhi" sent by Wu Chucai and Wu Diao Hou. He was delighted to find that it filled the gap in popular selections of classical literature and believed it had made significant contributions to inspiring future scholars. Thus, he had it printed and wrote a preface in support.
The "classical literature" in "Guwen Guanzhi" refers to prose in classical Chinese, excluding parallel prose and the eight-legged essay. The book includes biographies, records, discussions, letters, prefaces, memorials, edicts, eulogies, epitaphs, prose poems, memorials, policy proposals, funeral orations, 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! Rou you ta Yue, wo bu gan qing yu." It means: "The music and dance I haveed have reached the highest level. If there are other performances, I dare not request to anymore." Thus, "Guanzhi" signifies reaching the pinnacle of artistic appreciation. The book borrows this term to highly praise the ideological depth and artistic realm 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 pieces being short, making it very 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," "Yi Guo," "Li Ji," "Zhan Guo Ce," and "Shiji"; Wang Xizhi, Tao Yuanming, Li Bai, and the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song" (Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Ouyang Xiu, Su Xun, Su Shi, Su Zhe, Zeng Gong, and Wang Anshi); as well as Song Lian, Liu Ji, Gui Youguang, Yuan Hongdao, and others. Famous works include "Cao Jie on the Battle of Wei," "Zou Ji's Persuasion to King Qi to Accept Advice," "Memorial on Expelling Foreign Guests," "Letter to Ren An," "On the Conquest of Qin," "Memorial on Sending Troops," "The Peach Blossom Spring," "Petition for Personal Reasons," "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion," "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng," "Letter to Han Jingzhou," "Inscription on the Humble Abode," "The Eulogy of the Epang Palace," and "Record of Yueyang Tower," as well as masterpieces by the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song" and Ming Dynasty works like "The Seller of Oranges," "Biography of Xu Wenlang," and "Epitaph for the Five People's Tomb," among others, too numerous to list. These are the core of "Guwen Guanzhi" and the essence of classical literature, celebrated for millennia and enduring in popularity.