张炎

Zhang Yan is a Song-dynasty ci poet, though public information about his life and official career is limited; his dates of birth and death, nationality, and English name are not clearly recorded in the available data. The collection contains nine works attributed to him, mainly focused on ci scholarship. These include compilations of his ci poetry such as The Complete Ci of Zhang Yan, The Ci of Zhang Yan, and Ci of the White Clouds in the Mountains, as well as the specialized study Ciyuan. These works show that his writing centers on classical poetry, especially the ci form, and also covers the organization of tonal patterns, compositional methods, and theories of creation, with a refined and restrained style that emphasizes the harmony of sound and mood. The library also classifies related material under social fiction, folk literature, culture, and philosophy, indicating that his editorial writings extend into other subjects. Zhang Yan's works on ci scholarship offer reference texts and theoretical clues for later study of Song ci and hold a certain documentary value.