The Study On The Association Of Three Famous Scholars In Qianlong Dynasty

During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty,Yangzhou was economically prosperous and culturally developed.In this period,Yangzhou had a strong emphasis on education and its cultural influence was spread to the vast areas of the country.Jiang Shiquan,Zhao Yi,and Yuan Mei are collectively known as the "Three Great Masters of the Qianlong Dynasty",both of them are good at poetry.Moreover,Jiang Shiquan who is known as the"First Place of Imperial Scripts" and the "First Scholar of Qianlong Opera",has gained outstanding achievements in traditional Chinese opera.In addition,Zhao Yi also had a significant impact on the historical writings,which named him as one of the "Three Great Historians of the Qing Dynasty".Yao Nai,one of the "Three Ancestors of Tongcheng School",has had a great influence in the fields of ancient literature,prose,and other fields.Generally speaking,Jiang Shiquan,Zhao Yi,and Yao Nai were renowned scholars during the Qianlong Period.Coincidentally,they came to Yangzhou successively to host the academy of classical learning after resigning in their middle age.Jiang Shiquan was the earliest one who gave lectures at Anding Academy from the spring of 1772 to the first moon of 1775.In the autumn of 1776,Yao Nai was invited by Zhu Ziying,the salt commissioner of the Two Huai River region,to preside over Meihua Academy in Yangzhou.Four years later,Yao Nai went back to Anqing.Furthermore,on the strength of Agui’s recommendation,Zhao Yi first taught at Yizheng Leyi Academy,then in 1783,he was transferred to teach at Anding Academy until 1786.From 1788 to 1792,Zhao Yi lectured at Anding Academy once again,which made him the longest resident in Yangzhou among the three.Besides giving lectures,Jiang Shiquan,Zhao Yi,and Yao Nai met literary friends,founded a poetry and wine party,and visited famous landscapes of Yangzhou.They have a wide range of acquaintances,including officials at all levels,scholars,monks,and salt merchants,with whom leave massive related poems and essays.Jiang Shiquan created four plays during his residence in Yangzhou such as "Sixian Qiu".Zhao Yi wrote works such as"Gaiyu Congkao".Yao Nai compiled "Guwenci Leizuan" as teaching material.These writings were quite popular among people at that time,and had a great influence in their respective fields.After ending their teaching life in Yangzhou,Jiang Shiquan,Yao Nai,and Zhao Yi entered a new stage in their lives:Jiang Shiquan returned to his hometown to observe filial piety for three years,afterwards left for Beijing to resume his official career;Yao Nai went to several academies like Anqing Jingfu Academy to continue his teaching career until his death due to illness.As for Zhao Yi,he traveled between Changzhou and Yangzhou,occasionally some other places,enjoying beautiful scenery with friends.It can be considered that Jiang Shiquan,Zhao Yi,and Yao Nai all have deep feelings for their experiences in Yangzhou.They have made certain contributions to the education of Academy in Yangzhou.However,it should be noted that Jiang Shiquan,Zhao Yi,and Yao Nai did not have close contact with early Yangzhou School Scholars during their stay.Similarly,they did not show too much enthusiasm in textual research,which was an academic trend at that time.Their activities showed different scenes of daily life from Han scholars’ in the era Qian-Jia.Everything above are related to their respective academic interests,thus reflect the diversity of Yangzhou’s academic culture during the Qianlong period.