Chen Zhang Research

Chen Zhang is an important poet of Yangzhou in the reign of Qian Long in Qing dynasty. He did not chase money and vanity, instead, learning was all he wanted. Through all his life, he was very poor. His little brother Chen Gao and he himself were famous in the literature circle at that time.Chen Zhang was good at writing poem, represented by twenty-two volumes of Meng Jinzhai Poem, two volumes of Zhu Xiangci. Meng Jinzhai Essays, and some other lost poem, articles and letters.A considerable of poem were collected in the Meng Jinzhai Poem, but the circle has by far not had an overall analysis of it. Meng Jinzhai Essays were left with scripts. Few know their existence. This paper, on the basis of Chen Zhang's family, experience, and friends, explores the poem in the Meng Jinzhai Poem, probes into its thought, and analyzes its values in the aspect of literature and historiography. This paper includes three parts:introduction, the main body, and conclusion.The introduction is about the current research status of Chen Zhang and its poem, and elaborates the purpose and the meaning of the topic.The first chapter tells about the family, experience of Chen Zhang and his intercourse situations. An overall introduction to his works is made, and the author will make an analysis of the versions of the Meng Jinzhai Letters in Yangzhou library and the book's author. A search of his lost poem and articles is made to have an understanding to his work. When looking for Chen Zhang's experience, his the closest friends are analyzed to investigate his intercourse situations.In the second chapter, Chen Zhang poem's thought and artistic characteristics are analyzed. Several kinds of his poem that reflects the features and his personality will be chosen, which include:the kind of his feel to the world; the kind of the people's living situation; the kind of the friendship and memories. And then this paper analyzes the artistic characteristics of his poem. It is concluded that his poem are related to the ordinary life and nature, mild-tempered, and are full of knowledge. Finally some specific poem will be analyzed.The third chapter is to explore the literature and historiography values of Meng Jinzhai Essays. By analyzing its preface and postscript, combining his opinions on poem, this paper probes into his views like "poem should be natural" and " poem should imitate the old ones". Content like preface, postscript, biography, and some memorial essays are analyzed to find out their historiography values.The conclusion part makes an objective evaluation of Chen Zhang's literature position in the literature circle of Qing dynasty.