Preface to the Treatise on Plum Blossoms

王思任Jul 2024

2.8

Word count: 653 words
Chapters: 3

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought has a long history and is highly original, inventive, and literary. Early intellectual forms are distinctive: religious theology, classical medical texts, ancient military strategy, Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Hundred Schools thought, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, customs and local gazetteers—all rich and profound. This "Essence of Chinese Classics: Original Texts" series preserves the original appearance of the books, with the aim of conserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by ancient sages, readers cultivate character and quietly absorb the classics.

Editor's review

Wang Siren's Preface to the Mei Pu is a short preface written for a plum manual. Though brief, it reveals the preface writer's evaluation of plum blossoms, his understanding of the plum-painting tradition, and the craft of literati preface writing. Included in the "Essence of Chinese Classics: Original Texts" series, it preserves the original appearance of the book and serves as a supplementary text for understanding the circumstances in which the plum manual was compiled and literati views of plum blossoms. Its value lies not in providing painting steps but in showing how the preface writer argues on behalf of a plum manual: how he defines the character of plum blossoms, how he assesses the plum-painting tradition of earlier writers, and how he elevates a practical manual into a topic of literati taste. For readers who have already read the Mei Pu, this preface helps reconstruct the reception context of the time; for those studying preface and postscript writing, it is also an example of how a short classical essay opens, develops, turns, and concludes. It is best read alongside the Mei Pu, noting how the evaluative statements in the preface echo the specific painting methods in the manual.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have read the Mei Pu and want to understand its compilation and reception context
Students interested in the ancient preface-postscript genre and literati evaluative style
Literature and history enthusiasts studying plum culture who need short primary texts
Readers who enjoy close reading of short classical essays and making annotated comparisons

Not a good fit for

Painting students hoping to obtain specific plum-painting steps from the preface
Chinese majors needing a complete plum manual or systematic painting history
Casual readers who prefer long narratives and have no interest in preface-postscript writing

Reading tips

Read the original Mei Pu or excerpts first, then this preface, noting how the evaluations in the preface correspond to the painting methods in the manual.
Copy out the preface section by section, mark sentences evaluating the character of plum blossoms, and appreciate how a short preface builds its argument.
Find other prefaces to plum manuals on the same subject for brief comparison, seeing how different authors position their manuals.
After reading, write a three-sentence summary in your own words: why the preface was written, how it evaluates plum blossoms, and how it assesses the plum-painting tradition.

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FAQ

Can I read this preface directly without having read the Mei Pu?

Yes, but understanding will be reduced. Prefaces often speak directly to the manual itself, and without reading it one may see only surface praise. It is best to at least skim excerpts of the Mei Pu or related plum paintings to know that it discusses plum-painting technique and plum character before reading the preface, so you can see what its evaluations are aimed at.

Does this preface mainly discuss plum-painting technique or the character of plum blossoms?

Given the preface genre, it more likely focuses on arguing for the plum manual, evaluating plum character, and discussing the plum-painting tradition rather than teaching techniques point by point. Readers should pay attention to how the preface writer evaluates plum blossoms and positions the manual; specific methods still require the main text of the Mei Pu.

How does reading this preface help in appreciating plum paintings?

It provides a standpoint for viewing: what character is attributed to plum blossoms and what is valued in the plum-painting tradition. With these evaluations in mind, it becomes easier to notice the relationship between branch posture and moral expression rather than stopping at likeness.

Is this preface suitable as a text for memorization in classical Chinese?

Yes, but understand it before memorizing. It is short and suitable for reading section by section, focusing on how the preface opens its argument, evaluates, and concludes. Memorizing without understanding what it argues for yields limited benefit; it is best read alongside the Mei Pu.

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About the author

王思任 Author

Wang Siren was a well-known literary figure of the Ming dynasty. Publicly available information about his life and official career is currently limited, so his writing can be understood only through his extant works. Three of his works are included here: Record of Visiting the Scenic Sites of Hangzhou, Record of Visiting the Feilai Temple at Yuxia in Qingyuan, and Preface to the Plum Manual, covering travel writing and prefatory essays. Judging from these titles, he excelled at landscape travel records, writing with careful attention to the layering of scenery and the impressions of a journey, and his prose often carries the refined sensibility characteristic of a literatus. His preface to a botanical manual further shows his interest in evaluating plants and in the cultured pleasures of literati life. These works span literary appreciation and Eastern philosophy, offering insight into the approaches of Ming travel writing and reflecting the aesthetic inclination of literati to find meaning in mountains, waters, and plants; they thus retain reference value for reading and research today.