The General’s Preference For Literature:the Literary Activities And Creative Achievements Of Du Wenhuan,the "General Confucian" Of The Ming Dynasty

Du Wenhuan(1581—1650),also known as Tao Wu and Rizhang,called himself Yuan He Yishi,Yuan Hezi and Han San Yishi.Du Wenhuan came from a family of martial generals in Yulin,and at the age of thirteen,he inherited a title of shade,and became a partisan general in Yansui,and later promoted to the general officer of Yansui,and then to the governor general of the right military governor’s office,and was a military general of great fame in the late Ming Dynasty.Most people have a single impression of him as a mere martial artist,but what cannot be ignored is Du Wenhuan’s activities and achievements in the field of late Ming literature.He was good at literature and elegance,well versed in scriptures,history and sons,and also good at poems and songs,and had dealings with famous people in the late Ming literary world,such as Shen Shixing,Yuan Hongdao,Jiao Hong,Li Weizhen,Tang Xianzu,etc.He was also highly praised in the literary world.The introduction section of this article mainly introduces why General Du Wenhuan was chosen as the research object,the significance of studying this person,and previous research reviews on Du Wenhuan.The main text is divided into five parts.Chapter I Textual Research on Du Wenhuan’s Life,based on historical materials such as Ming History,Ming Shilu,and Yansui Town Journal,Du Wenhuan’s family history and biography are examined,and his military career,the three religions and literary creation are briefly introduced from the unique titles of “General Bai Biao” and “Han San Yi Shi”.By distinguishing between the concepts of “confucian general” and “general confucian”,he argues that Du Wenhuan was a “general confucian”.Chapter II Du Wenhuan’s Communication.We focus on Du Wenhuan’s mentorship and friendships,and understand the influence of Tu Zongjun,Yiqi Taoist and Master Wu Si on the formation of his own character and the transformation of his thinking.In addition to his own distinguished background and hard work,Du Wenhuan’s ability to occupy a place in the political and literary circles was also closely related to his social interactions.Chapter III Du Wenhuan’s Literary Thought.Pay attention to Du Wenhuan’s literary thought.Du Wenhuan’s recognition of his identity as a “general confucian” put forward the view that military officials and civil officials can both carry out literary creation activities.In particular,Du Wenhuan put forward that military officers can also create,which is a helpless move in the face of the great environment of emphasizing literature and ignoring military forces in the Ming Dynasty;As for the reason of creation,Du Wenhuan inherited the thought of “feeling things”in “Records of Music”,believing that feeling things generates feelings;For the aesthetic pursuit,he is more inclined to gorgeous diction,and advocates the beauty of decoration.Chapter IV Literature Research of Taixia Dong Ji,the discussion focuses on Du Wenhuan’s collection of works,Taixia Dong Ji.It briefly introduces the formation and selection of the Taixia Dong Ji Collection,and analyzes mainly the content of poems,lyrics,compositions,and ancient writings based on different genre categories.The works are rich in subject matter and the number of compositions is considerable,reflecting the creative characteristics of both majesty and elegance.The poems and writings mostly use allusions to convey emotional aspirations.As a historian of the Three Religions,Du Wenhuan advocated the unity of the three religions,consciously accepted the aesthetic influence of the three religions,and naturally expressed his respect for the three religions between the lines.Chapter V Du Wenhuan’s Literary Status and Influence.We focus on the literary status and creative influence of Du Wenhuan.In the general environment of Ming Dynasty,which emphasized literature over martial arts,the group of “general confucian” represented by Du Wenhuan and Qi Jiguang not only had outstanding military achievements on the battlefield,but also were quite active in literary activities.Although they were not the core of literary creation,they injected new blood into the late Ming literary scene and showed a new style of literary creation.As a representative of the “general confucian” group,his cultural intercourse became a typical example of “the general’s preference for literature ” in Ming society,adding a new cultural connotation to the diverse society of the late Ming Dynasty.