Research On The Poets In The Middle Of Wu District During The Period Of Late Yuan And Early Ming

In the late Yuan and early Ming, there were two groups of poets in the middle of Wu district (Mid-Wu thereafter), named "Yu Shan Ya Ji" and "Bei Guo Shi You", which started from 1348 and 1351, respectively. Yu Shan Ya Ji faded away in 1360, while the activities of Bei-Guo poets continued until early Ming. In the late Yuan and early Ming, Mid-Wu was a place that attaches great importance on the spiritual freedom of individuals, and the ideas and works of poets all show that they pursue the personal temperament. It is worth to mention that, up to now, academia has not treated both groups as the essential part of the poets in the middle of Wu district; literature lose sight of the inherent relationship between the two groups. In fact, in the aspect of pursuing personal temperament, the two groups both represent the typical path that the poets of Mid-Wu underwent from late Yuan to early Ming, that is, for the characteristics of the works, there was a transformation from "entertaining" to "literariness"; the works are more about the artistic deliberation of inside world, instead of spirit pursuing in formality. Regarding the theme of the poems, Bei-Guo poets, within whom Gao Qi is a representative, emphasized the importance of Tang poem, starting the pace of reforming softness style of poems. The pursuing of the personal temperament makes the creation of Bei-Guo poets in full of art spirit. Especially, the views which is Gao Qi emphasized is make a comprehensive requirement for poem from emotion and style two aspects. In the aspects of thought, Yu-Shan poets and Bei-Guo poets both pursued the personal temperament. The members of Yu-Shan poets are diverse, but they had a perfect world built by the wealth of Guo Ying. The philosophy of Bei-Guo poets is a hybrid of Ru, Shi and Dao. In term of creation, because of the replacement of dynasties, Yu-Shan poets and Bei-Guo poets both showed the complicate themes, they sometime rejected the reality, sometime blamed the government, sometime interested in official career, and sometime looked forward to seclusion. No matter which styles they adopted, it is always the emphasis of the personal temperament and the embarrassment among the replacement of dynasties.In chapter 1, we introduce the poets in Mid-Wu; we define the scope of Mid-Wu and its local culture, and we introduce the relationship in economics and politics among the poets. In section 1, basing on the collected materials, we classify how "Mid-Wu" comes from and what is its scope in the late Yuan and early Ming. Then, we analyze why the poets do not form a genre. With the above results and the related historical materials, such as Lie Chao Shi Ji Xiao Zhuan, Ming Shi Ji Shi, Zao Tang Ya Ji, and Yu Shan Ming Sheng Ji, et, al, we classify more than 160 poets in Mid-Wu. We conclude that, in the late Yuan and early Ming, there were mainly two groups of poets, named "Yu Shan Ya Ji" and "Bei Guo Shi You". Guo Yin is the leader of Yu-Shan group, and Gao Qi, Yang Ji, Zhang Yu, and Xu Bi are the outstanding representative of Bei-Guo group. In section 2, we analyze the culture of Mid-Wu and the philosophy of poets there, and find the relationship with their poems.In Chapter 2, we analyze how poets in Yu-Shan group sing poems to each other. We consider the spiritual leaders and executive leaders and the formal of singing poems to each other. In section 1, we find that the coming of Yang Weizhen as the spiritual leader brought the development of ancient Yue-Fu movement and the emphasis of the personal temperament; the special feature of Gu Yin’s personality, philosophy and family makes him the executive leader of Yu-Shan group. In section 2, we show the great prosperity of Yu Shan Ya Ji by introducing the diverse backgrounds of the poets, the refined elegance of activities venues, the frequency of the activities, and the integrity of recording the singing poems to each other. We divide its development into three stages, that is, it is born, it culminates, and it decays. We make some revision about the time of some works. In section 3, we conclude that the main art activity contends are singing poems to each other and paintings and music during the great prosperity of Yu Shan Ya Ji.In Chapter 3, we discuss the thought and poems of Gu Yin, and analyze the correlation between Yu-Shan group and Bei-Guo group. In section 1, according to the political attitude and thought of Gu Yin, we discover his invariant thought on displaying the real feelings. Yu Shan Ya Ji had a close relationship with the politics. Through his attitude to the regimes of Yuan, Zhang-Wu, and Ming, we can find the evolution of Gu Yin’s thought and the political reason that Yu Shan Ya Ji decays. To pursue the personal temperament, Gu Yin was compatible and absorbable with both Shi and Dao. Even though he may support or reject the government, and he may sincerely seek for the ideas of Shi and Dao, the invariant lies on the thought on displaying the real feelings. In section 2, we analyze the three styles in Gu Yin’s poems, that is, salubrious, soft and sympathetic. We also discuss the hedonism in Gu Yin’s poems, for which we think it is his protection from politics at the time there is a contradiction between the reality and ideal world.In Chapter 4, based on some fragmentary materials, we analyze the secret communication and friendship between Yu-Shan poets and Bei-Guo poets. By the acceptance and criticism of Bei-Guo poets towards Yu-Shan poets, we find that there are inter-communication and moving between the two groups. For example, Zhou Di and Yang Ji were moving from Yu-Shan group to Bei-Guo group. These are examples to illustrate the development and changing of the peoms in Mid-Wu; a transformation from spirit pursuing in formality to the artistic deliberation of inside world. But, they were consistent in pursuing the way to the personal temperament.In Chapter 5, we analyze the singing poems activities within Bei-Guo poets. In section 1, we make it clear for two questions, how the name of Bei-Guo members comes from and why Bei Guo Shi You does not form a genre? Based on the historical materials, we think the name of Bei-Guo member changes from, Shi You, Shi Cai Zi, Bei Guo Shi You, to Bei Guo Shi Zi, which show their respect for the predecessors. Because they are lack of theory, art feather and champions, Bei Guo Shi You cannot be regarded as a genre. In section 2, based on some fragmentary materials, we describe the activities of Bei-Guo poets in the late Yuan and Early Ming. We think it is a gradually growth process for the singing poems activities. We find the activities in the late Yuan start from the first few years after 1351 and are mainly based on the activities of Xi Yuan Ya Ji, Lu Shui Yuan Ya Ji, Zhang Yu Zhai Shang Yue, He Piao Shan Fang, et, al. Although the decay of Bei-Guo activities in the early Ming, they break the constraint of time and communicate based on the spirit cooperation. In section 3, we analyze the complexity of thought for Bei-Guo poets, that is. the co-existence of the thoughts of pursuing of political positions and aspiring of seclusion. We point out that this is the efficient way for them to pursue the spiritual freedom of individuals and the personal temperament. We also analyze their proposals on learning from Tang poems and starting the pace of reforming softness style of poems. Gao Qi-led Bei-Guo poets pursue the personal temperament, which are displayed from their mental poems.In Chapter 6, we discuss the thought and poems of Gao Qi. In section 1, we investigate the evolution of Gao Qi’s thought from his childhood, the time of Zhang Shicheng, and the time of Ming. We think Gao Qi is a person emphasizing his personality spirit, which makes the destiny of his political idea of Yu unsuccessful. Consequently, he can only get his freedom in spirit under a free and easy living. In section,2, we analyze Gao Qi’s thought from learning, taste, emotion. We think Gao Qi was provided with the independent art character, which in certain sense changes the softness style of poems in the late Yuan. In section 3, we concentrate on some art characters of Gao Qi, like ironic, romantic and fresh. No matter it is a criticism of government, or an expression of ambition, or a depiction of view, without exception it is all about the real emotion and spirit.In Chapter 7, we analyze the poems by Bei-Guo Poets Yang Ji, Zhang Yu and Xu Bi et, al. In section 1, we discuss Yang Ji’s lifetime and poems. Because there are some discrepancies in historical materials about Yang Ji’s lifetime, we take a try to hackle it. We think that Yang Ji’s poems emphasize the freedom of personality and thus have a tendency of softness. In section 2, we analyze the three styles in Zhang Yu’s poems, that is, powerful, fluent, and steady. In section 3, we analyze Xu bi’s poems and classify the experiences, works and assessments of other Bei-Guo poets.In Conclusion, we identify the status of Mid-Wu poets in the history of literature by the comparison with the poets in the same period, e.g. Mid-Zhe, Mid-Min, Jiangyou, Lingnan, and with the poets in the different time along Ming dynasty, e.g. Mid-Wu Four Genius, Qian and Hou Seven Men, Tang Shun of Tang-Song School and Li Zhi.