Studies On Ni Zan's Life And Friends, Case About History Of Social Culture During Late Yuan And Early Ming

As a famous poet and artist, Ni Zan has been paid many attentions to by the scholars working on the art history and a lot of works and articles concerning have been published. Most of those writings are made from the viewpoint of the art history, and those are discussed from the viewpoint of the social history lack in the contents or lucubration. In the thesis, the author is trying to study on Ni Zan through seeing about two parts of his life and his friends to make up to the academic blanks.The article has been divided into three chapters: the first one will express at greater length and in greater details Ni Zan's lifetime that may be divided into two periods before or after 1355. During the first period, Ni Zan born in a rich family led in a comparatively stable pastoral life. He had been wandering all round during the last period consisting of two parts with the term limit of 1366 when Zhang Shicheng's ruling was destroyed. Before 1366, moving to the vicinity of Pingjiang prefecture where it was much more peaceful than other areas, Ni Zan had got the close touch with the officials of the local government established by Zhang Shicheng who set up a separatist regime by force of arms and gave special treatment to scholar-bureaucrats. After 1366, Ni Zan drifted from place to place homeless and miserable in order to escape from possible persecution. So it could be supposed that he took a hostile attitude to the new dynasty. And Ni Zan's suffering experiences were the reflection of politics, economy and culture during the period of the late Yuan and the early Ming.The other two chapters focused on Ni Zan's friends among whom there were the Taoist Zhang Yu, the official Zhang Jing, the hermits in the countryside Gu Ying and Xu Dazuo. Scanning the relative objects in the abovementioned paragraghs, we can draw a conclusion as follows: Laying on the foundation of the cultural deposition since South Song and economic development since Middle Yuan, it had flourished in the literate productions' composing and cultural relics' collecting, with the materials provided by the native magnates and gentlemen and assembly presided by retired officials and literators.