The Ci Poetry of Liu Yong

As a collection of works by the representative figure of the Song-dynasty Wanyue (delicate and restrained) ci school, The Collected Ci of Liu Yong includes more than two hundred extant ci by Liu Yong. This edition from Shanghai Classics Publishing House is particularly rigorous in editorial work: it is complete and is accompanied by detailed annotations and collation, providing readers with a reliable text for an in-depth understanding of the artistic world of Liu Yong's ci. Liu Yong's ci are of pivotal significance in the history of Chinese literature. He wrote extensively in the manci long-tune form, broadening the capacity and expressive power of ci and leading its subject matter from the refined studies of scholar-officials into the broad realm of urban life and personal feeling. His language is both elegant and accessible, his melodies harmonious and graceful, creating the remarkable reach summed up in the saying that wherever there was well water, Liu Yong's ci could be sung. The editor believes that the value of this book lies not only in literary appreciation but also in its being a window onto Northern Song urban manners, the mentality of city dwellers, and the spiritual world of literati. Liu Yong's laments on the life of travel and lodging and his direct writing of love between men and women broke through earlier conventions and present a true and complex human face. In reading, attention is recommended to his pioneering artistic techniques, rich emotional layers, and the deep historical and social information contained in his ci.