Biography of Wang Wei

Name: Biography of Wang Wei
ISBN: 9787513943598

Zhang Qinghua民主与建设出版社 · ChinaDec 2023

3.9

Word count: 91K words
Chapters: 33
ISBN: 9787513943598

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Summary

In crisp, lucid prose, this biography traces the life of the High Tang poet Wang Wei. Taking Wang Wei's years spent moving between official service and reclusion as its warp and his classic poems as its weft, it portrays a poet who is deeply alive to life and at ease among mountains, waters and Chan Buddhism. The author brings Wang Wei back into the High Tang, vividly recreating his political environment and daily life, his close friends and more, and seeks to restore a real Wang Wei within the context of his age. It offers a penetrating analysis of his circumstances, conduct and thought, thereby providing a compelling interpretation of the title "Poet Buddha" and a clear presentation of his artistic achievements, personal temperament and spiritual outlook, while also touching on High Tang history and culture, and the evolution of poetry and Chan, with rigorous scholarship and rich content.

Editor's review

Professor Zhang Qinghua's Wang Wei: A Biography is not merely a life of the poet but a scholarly work of depth that interprets High Tang culture and the spiritual world of the literati. With rigorous historical scholarship and delicate literary prose, it sketches the full arc of Wang Wei's life, from his early success in youth through the vicissitudes of officialdom in middle age to his final years of reclusion at Wangchuan. The author deftly interweaves Wang Wei's poetry, painting and Chan practice with the historical background and political changes of his time, revealing the complex inner conflicts and spiritual strivings behind the title "Poet Buddha": a man unable to relinquish entirely his ambitions in office yet longing for release in nature and Chan. The readings of representative works such as the Wangchuan Collection are especially fine, analyzing not only their artistic achievement but also their philosophical import and spatial aesthetics. Unlike other biographies, this book's distinctive value lies in moving beyond mere life narrative to place Wang Wei and his art within the entire spiritual history of Chinese scholar-officials, offering readers a key to understanding the collective mentality of the "dilemma of service and reclusion" among Tang and later literati. Reading this book is like walking with Wang Wei through mountains and waters, experiencing the breadth and depth of "walking to where the water ends, sitting to watch when the clouds rise."

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a strong interest in classical Chinese literature, especially Tang poetry and High Tang culture
Students and scholars wishing to deepen their understanding of literati painting, Chan aesthetics and the Chinese scholar-official spiritual tradition
Thoughtful readers facing the choice between withdrawal from and engagement with the world at different stages of life, seeking spiritual reference
History and literature lovers who enjoy seeing an era through the lens of a biography

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting fast-paced, novelistic narrative or sensational historical stories
Readers seeking only simple appreciation of Wang Wei's poetry and impatient with deeper historical and philosophical discussion

Reading tips

Reading alongside Wang Wei's poetry collection and writings on painting (or reproductions of his paintings) is recommended for a deeper appreciation of his artistic ideal of "painting in poetry, poetry in painting"
Pay particular attention to the book's depiction of social upheaval and the literati's predicament around the An Lushan Rebellion, which helps explain the roots of Wang Wei's intellectual transformation in his middle and later years
In the sections on the Wangchuan estate, readers may slow down to savor the descriptions of nature, space and states of mind, and experience the biography's immersive quality

About the publisher

民主与建设出版社 China · Founded in 1994

Founded in 1994, Democracy and Construction Press organizes its publishing around economic management, the humanities and history, and united front culture, while also covering foreign literature and classic works. Among the 732 titles in the collection are translations of foreign classics such as The Brothers Karamazov and On War, fantasy literature such as The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Illustrated Collector's Edition, and modern literary masterpieces including Lao She's Four Generations Under One Roof and Camel Xiangzi · The Problem of Nothing, and Lu Xun's Call to Arms. Translators Geng Jizhi and Wang Jinhua, together with authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Carl von Clausewitz, form the resource base for its combination of scholarly translation and general reading. As public information is limited, this description focuses on the publishing profile reflected in the titles held in the collection.

版权信息
第一章金色结少年
名门寒士：宿世谬词客，前身应画师
早慧诗人：余力文章秀，生知礼乐全
东溪诗友：春风何豫人，令我思东溪
王公贵客：看花满眼泪，不共楚王言
少有大志：忘身辞凤阙，报国取龙庭
第二章坎坷萦仕途
被谪济州：微官易得罪，谪去济川阴
济州四年：谁有近音信，千里阻河关
淇上徇禄：几回欲奋飞，踟蹰复相顾
长安风雨：尝从大夫后，何惜隶人余
巴山楚水：赖谙山水趣，稍解别离情
第三章动为苍生谋
积极入仕：解薜登天朝，去师偶时哲
凉州烽燧：关山正飞雪，烽戍断无烟
摩诘参禅：山中多法侣，禅诵自为群
知南选臣：江流天地外，山色有无中
第四章宦海终顿悟
终南隐逸：行到水穷处，坐看云起时
塞北之行：日暮沙漠垂，战声烟尘里
辋川幽居：来者复为谁？空悲昔人有
交游裴迪：风景日夕佳，与君赋新诗
山水小诗：独坐幽篁里，弹琴复长啸
母丧丁忧：杜门不欲出，久与世情疏
第五章晚年惟好静
陷贼称病：顽疏暗人事，僻陋远天聪
复官志禧：自怜黄发暮，一倍惜年华
忘年好友：山月随客来，主人兴不浅
普济众生：聊持数斗米，且救浮生取
附录
王维年谱
主要参考书目

FAQ

Is this book academically demanding? Is it suitable for general readers?

The author, Zhang Qinghua, is a renowned scholar; the research is solid and richly documented, with considerable academic depth. Yet the writing is clear and fluent, combining narrative with analysis and explaining key concepts appropriately, so general readers with some grounding in history and literature can read it with ease and profit.

What distinguishes this biography from other lives of Wang Wei?

Its main distinction is its comprehensive perspective. It does more than recount a life: it integrates poetry analysis, appreciation of painting and calligraphy, the influence of Chan thought and examination of the broader historical background, interpreting Wang Wei as a three-dimensional cultural symbol with a broader scholarly vision.

How does the book handle the historical controversy over Wang Wei's acceptance of a puppet post?

The author does not avoid it, devoting considerable space to a meticulous reconstruction, based on historical sources, of the complex process by which Wang Wei was captured during the An Lushan Rebellion, forced to accept a puppet post, later rescued, and his inner remorse. The analysis focuses on the dilemmas of his time, his personal character and his self-examination in later poems and prose, striving to present objectively the many sides and struggles of a historical figure.

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About the author

Zhang Qinghua Author · China · 1963

Zhang Qinghua, born in October 1963 in Boxing, Shandong Province, holds a doctorate in literature and is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Chinese Language and Literature, Beijing Normal University. He has long engaged in the study of contemporary Chinese literature and poetic criticism, and also writes poetry and essays; fifteen of his works are included in this catalog. His writing follows roughly two lines. One is poetic theory and criticism, represented by On the Trend of Contemporary Chinese Avant-garde Literature and Speculating on God's Poetics, which focus on close reading and theoretical construction in contemporary poetry. The other is essays and lecture notes on classics and history, such as Heidelberg Notes, The Road to Narrative: Ten Lectures on Fictional Writing, and a biography of Wang Wei. He has also edited and annotated collections of Han Yu's writings, bringing the classical tradition into contemporary reading. His style combines scholarly rigor with a writer's attentiveness, linking literary appreciation with the teaching of creative writing.