History of Song Ci (Color Illustration Classic Collection)

Author: Qian Faping
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not Available
Features: The ci poem is a literary form that lies between poetry and song. It is a new musical form created by the fusion of foreign music and Han Chinese music. It was first passed down among folk artists and entered the popular scene; later, due to the involvement of scholars, it began to enter the imperial court. During the Song Dynasty, from the highest nobles to the common people, everyone took pride in composing and singing ci poems. In literary history, the Song ci is generally divided into three major schools: the gentle and graceful school represented by figures such as Liu Yong, Qin Guan, Zhou Bangyan, and Li Qingzhao; the bold and unrestrained school represented by Su Shi, Xin Qiji, Zhang Xiaoxiang, and Zhang Yuqian; and the refined and elegant school represented by Jiang Kui, Wu Wenying, and Zhang Yan. The prosperous urban life gave rise to the gentle and graceful school, while the threat of foreign invaders and border crises gave voice to the bold and unrestrained school. After the Southern Song Dynasty moved south, extravagant music spread throughout the court, leading to an unbroken pursuit of refined and elegant style in terms of phonetic rules and elegant diction, giving rise to the refined and elegant school.
This book breaks the traditional model of ci poetry anthologies in its editorial format, adopting a "left history, right poetry" approach. On the left page, there is an introduction to the historical background of the Song ci, while the right page provides annotations and analysis of the works. This innovative editorial format offers readers two reading threads: one introduces the life and customs of the nobles, scholars, and common people during the 319 years of the Song Dynasty, as well as the etiquette of the time; the other focuses on the annotations and analysis of the ci poems. This is also what distinguishes this book from other contemporary ci poetry anthologies.
For years, undergraduate students in Chinese departments of universities in China have generally studied about 40 ci poems, while graduate students in classical culture have studied about 70 to 80. This book selects works based on these standards and makes appropriate extensions. The appendix introduces the festivals of the Song Dynasty, along with brief biographies of the ci poets and explanations of relevant terms related to ci poetry. The book also includes over 400 exquisite illustrations. While readers savor the meaning of the ci poems, these beautiful images will surely bring them aesthetic pleasure.