The Research On Wan Shu's Ci Poetry

Wan Shu, a backbone of Yang Xian School of the Ci poetry in the early Qing Dynasty, was born in a family of elite government officials for generations in Yixing, a major town in the south of the Yangtze River. He suffered a heave blow in Ming and Qing Dynasty, lived a rough life, wandered about and depended on others. However, he had plenty of company. These experiences made a significant impact on his Ci poetry and research concerned.There is a wide and varied subject matter in Wan Shu's Xiang Dan Ci, which demonstrates sincere feelings and in which Jilv, Yongwu, Tihua, Songbie, Guiqing are five important themes and occupy a large proportion. These five themes manifest the writer's real life experience and rich emotions. Xiang Dan Ci shows the distinctive artistic characteristic, mainly including the style of Qing shu fang yi of the main body, suiting both refined and popular tastes in language art, artfully making use of words in writing skills. In addition, Wan Shu is an expert of Ci poetry. He actively involved himself in the stream of Ci poetry revival in the early Qing Dynasty and compiled Ci Lv. Moreover, being beneficial from years of writing practice, he formed his own thoughts on Ci poetry, particularly manifesting praising highly the style and enhancing the status of Ci poetry; maintaining strictly the rhythm, honoring the ancient while rejecting the newly; respecting for true feelings, and integrating sound with feelings. These thoughts reflect the ideas of Yang Xian School of Ci poetry and the thought of Ci poetry at that time, and have played a positive role for the development of Qing Ci poetry.In a word, based on the comprehensive and careful research on Wan Shu's life, his friendship and activities, writing practice and his thought on Ci poetry etc., we can reach a conclusion that Wan Shu played a crucial role in the Yang Xian School of Ci poetry, even in the whole circle of Ci poetry in the early Qing Dynasty, and had a profound influence on the later generation.