Wuzhong Three

Zhang Fengyi(張鳳翼),Zhang Xianyi(張獻翼)and Zhang Yanyi(張燕翼) are brothers in the Suzhou area. They are well known as The Three Elites of the Zhangs.(吳中三張) They have very important roles in the history of opera, poetry and arts in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). The thesis will be related to the several aspects:Zhangs family background, biographies, acquaintanceship, and their poems and articles. The whole background of this thesis is the urbanisation of the Wuzhong area in the Ming Dynasty.The thesis is composed by three chapters.The first part of this thesis is focused on the Zhangs family. Through the first hand materials, the thesis researches the family and descent, narrates the origin of the family, and draws the pedigree of the family. The thesis still analyses the reasons for theirs successes and flourishes. The favorable economic conditions, dense culture atmosphere and a wide range of acquaintanceship are the most important factors for them to develop the family and win the reputations.The second chapter pays attention to the Zhangs biographies. Among them, the eldest brother Zhang Fengyi has been researched for several times, and the youngest brother Zhang Yanyi was died too early, so the thesis chooses Zhang Xianyi as the main object of study. This chapter first puts emphasis on the reason of his death. Through the documentaries, we can find that the reason of Zhangs death is not because of the quean, but for the political affair. Second, the thesis discusses the acquaintanceship of Zhangs. Through his friends, we can discover the impacts that affect his poems and articles. And third, the author will analyses the effects that give birth to Zhang Xianyis madness, includes the social effects and himself.The third part of the thesis mainly discusses the Zhangs works. The Zhangs brother hand down many literature works to generations. The article will unscramble the works in two aspects: the regional culture of Wuzhong area and the urbanisation of it.Through research the Zhangs family, we can know the general pictures of the similar family during the Mid-Ming dynasty in the area of regions that south of the Yangtze River. And through the research of their works, we can know the development of the literature in Ming dynasty. They are the typical case for researching the Family and literature in Wuzhong area during Ming dynasty.