Title

The Yuanshi baiyi chao and the Reception of Yuan Poetry in the Qianjia Period: A Discussion of Its Poetic Value and Its Position in the Wuchaoshi biecai ji

Author

Chan Hon-man

Genre

Article

Pages

465-504

DOI

10.6503/THJCS.201909_49(3).0003

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

Yuanshi biecai ji元詩別裁集, Yuanshi baiyi chao元詩百一鈔, Wuchaoshi biecai ji五朝詩別裁集, Shen Deqian沈德潛

Abstract

The Yuanshi biecai ji 元詩別裁集 is a well-known Yuan poetry collection that was integrated into the Wuchaoshi biecai ji五朝詩別裁集 in the mid-Qing period. The collection, originally titled the Yuanshi baiyi chao元詩百一鈔, was anthologized by the Qing scholars Zhang Jingxing張景星 (n.d.), Yao Peiqian姚培謙 (1693-1766), and Wang Yongqi王永祺 (1701-1766), and published in the 29^th year of Qianlong’s reign (1764). The text’s content was partially taken from Yao Peiqian’s Yuanshi zixi元詩自攜 with some additional selections. This article demonstrates that the Yuanshi baiyi chao projects a specific facet of Yuan dynasty poetry, one which represents different views toward poetic expressions and styles. By situating this specific facet of Yuan verse in the poetry criticism of the Qianjia period, I argue that the Yuanshi baiyi chao has its own distinctive features and that it differs from other collections in the Wuchaoshi biecai ji. I further suggest that the Yuanshi baiyi chao should retain its original name in order to emphasize its poetic value as well as its contribution to the dissemination of Yuan era poetry both in China and overseas.