Biography of Tang Guoli

闻海鹰Sino-Culture Press · ChinaApr 2025

Rating 3.4
Word count
124K words
Chapters
24
ISBN
9787507557138

Tags

General Biography Wuzhen TalentLife StoryLegendary LivesFemale Ci PoetPoetic LifeInspirationRural MemoryTraditional AestheticsModern Female FigureFemale Perspective

Summary

Tang Guoli (1883–1980), courtesy name Zhiying, art names Yingguan and Tiaoshang Laoren, was born into a common family in Wuzhen, Tongxiang, Zhejiang. Her father died when she was nine; while helping her widowed mother manage the household in the countryside, the studious girl used her two years of private-school grounding and a copy of the Kangxi Dictionary to study Bai Xiang Ci Pu and Shi Yun Da Quan, learning to compose poetry and ci. She pursued learning unremittingly all her life and became a renowned poet and ci writer of modern China.

Tang Guoli was a talented woman who emerged from a small town in Tongxiang, the most virtuous wife and most steadfast comrade-in-arms of the great scholar Zhang Taiyan, the shiniang most respected by Zhang's disciples such as Lu Xun and Qian Xuantong, the most resolute anti-Japanese fighter, the most enthusiastic cheerer of the founding of New China, and the patriot most wholeheartedly supportive of unification. Her wisdom and resilience inspire and encourage others; she was an admirable new woman of modern China.

Editor's review

This book is a biography of Tang Guoli, portraying a modern new woman who emerged from a common family in Wuzhen, Tongxiang. Her father died when she was nine; while helping her widowed mother manage the household, she studied Bai Xiang Ci Pu and Shi Yun Da Quan with only two years of private-school grounding and a copy of the Kangxi Dictionary, learned to compose poetry and ci, pursued learning unremittingly all her life, and became a renowned poet and ci writer. The book also presents her as Zhang Taiyan's wife and comrade-in-arms, as the shiniang respected by Zhang's disciples, and as a patriot who resolutely resisted Japan, enthusiastically welcomed the founding of New China, and wholeheartedly supported unification. Using a biographical approach, the author links the stages of her life, revealing both her poetic talent and her wisdom and resilience, which inspire and encourage readers. In reading, one may note her path of self-education under limited conditions, and how her personal fate intertwined with the changes of modern China; one may also note the mutual influence between her poetic creation and her family and social roles, so as to understand how a modern new woman maintained her learning and integrity amid the currents of the times.

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Reading tips

  1. Read chronologically, first grasping the subject's life trajectory from a Wuzhen girl to a modern new woman.
  2. When reaching passages on poetry and ci, consult basic ci manuals such as Bai Xiang Ci Pu to appreciate her self-study path.
  3. Read against the background of modern Chinese history to understand the weight of her choices to resist Japan and support unification.
  4. After reading, one may excerpt the subject's verses or key decisions and review how her wisdom and resilience ran through her life.

About the publisher

Sino-Culture Press China · Founded in 1987

Sino-Culture Press is known for publishing in history, social sciences and traditional Chinese culture, with a further reach into literary appreciation, classic works and foreign literature. Its library of 489 titles includes such works as The Road to Dongpo: The Evolution of Su Shi's Poetic Style, The Poetry and Life of Du Fu, The History of Qin and Han, and Six Hundred Years of the Forbidden City (collector's edition), while A Preliminary Survey of Ancient Architecture in Shanxi and Fen: Hand-drawn Records of Architectural Remains reflects an interest in documenting architectural heritage. Van Loon's Collected Classics and guided-reading editions of works such as Call to Arms and Notre-Dame de Paris serve general readers and classroom use. Its authors include scholars and popular writers such as Fu Junmai, Chen Linlin, Van Loon, Wang Longlin and Guan Ranrong, and biography is another direction. As public information is limited, this note focuses on the publishing profile shown by the titles in the library.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. “桐乡历史文化丛书”（第五辑）编委会
  3. 梅花的召唤（代序）
  4. 序
  5. 序曲
  6. 第一章 不知谁家吹玉笛
  7. 第二章 家住炉溪曲水前
  8. 第三章 夜阑灯下学吟诗
  9. 第四章 一任旁人窥冷眼
  10. 第五章 休言女子非英物
  11. 第六章 淑女必为名士妻
  12. 第七章 梁鸿得配孟光贤
  13. 第八章 恐有离人为断肠
  14. 第九章 历劫红尘终不悟
  15. 第十章 兴亡聚散两依依
  16. 第十一章 携将书剑隐小村
  17. 第十二章 后死之责遗志长
  18. 第十三章 埋骨故乡好湖山
  19. 第十四章 子规啼血慈母心
  20. 第十五章 知隔云山几万重
  21. 第十六章 冰霜嚼到淡无馀
  22. 附录
  23. 参考文献
  24. 后记

FAQ

Tang Guoli had no systematic education; how did she become a ci writer? According to the materials, her father died when she was nine, and she had only two years of private-school grounding; yet she used a copy of the Kangxi Dictionary to study Bai Xiang Ci Pu and Shi Yun Da Quan, learned to compose poetry and ci, and pursued learning unremittingly all her life. Her achievements thus came mainly from long-term self-study and perseverance rather than formal academic training.
Does this book cover only Tang Guoli's family life with Zhang Taiyan? No. The materials show that the book also covers her scholarly achievements as a renowned modern poet and ci writer, and her image as a patriot who resolutely resisted Japan, enthusiastically cheered the founding of New China, and wholeheartedly supported unification. Being Zhang Taiyan's wife and comrade-in-arms and the shiniang of Zhang's disciples is only part of her multiple identities.
What can ordinary readers gain from this biography? They can learn about the course of a talented woman from a small town in Tongxiang who educated herself under limited conditions, and feel her wisdom and resilience; through her life they can also see the multiple roles and era-defining choices of a modern Chinese new woman, and gain inspiration and encouragement. It is suitable as an inspiring work of cultural-history biography.

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About the author

闻海鹰 Author

Wen Haiying is a Chinese author about whom very little public information is available; no systematic record of personal background or career has been confirmed, and the author's profile emerges mainly through a single work. Within the available sources, Wen Haiying is the author of one title, A Biography of Tang Guoli, which is classified under general biography. Tang Guoli was a notable woman in modern Chinese history whose life touched on education, social activity, and literature, offering rich material for a biographical narrative. It can therefore be inferred that Wen Haiying's writing leans toward biography, following the subject's life course as a thread and tracing the connections between personal conduct and the historical setting. Such writing generally requires the author to balance careful use of historical sources with readable narration, respecting the facts while keeping the account accessible to general readers. Because only this one work is held and no author's notes, interviews, or publication statements are available, Wen Haiying's place of origin, education, profession, and any other writings cannot be confirmed. Readers wishing to understand the author's style and choice of subject can only do so by reading A Biography of Tang Guoli itself.