Guo Maoqian
Encyclopedia
Guo Maoqian also known as Kuo Mao-ch'ien, compiled an important collection of lyrical pieces in his work Anthology of Yuefu Poetry, which contains almost all of the surviving Music Bureau style
, or Yuefu from the Han dynasty
through the Tang dynasty
and to the Five Dynasties
, and which includes such famous poems as "Hua Mulan
".
in the first half of the Eleventh Century, and that he was the first-born of five sons and five daughters. He, too, got a career in government, becoming a low-level official in Hunan
, in about the year 1084. He was a specialist in music and a poet. He is best known for compiling the Anthology of Yuefu Poetry. He also edited a no-longer extant anthology of other verse forms.
Music Bureau
Music Bureau , also known as the "Imperial Music Bureau", discontinuously and in various incarnations was an organ of the imperial governmental bureaucracy of several Chinese dynasties...
, or Yuefu from the Han dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
through the Tang dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
and to the Five Dynasties
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...
, and which includes such famous poems as "Hua Mulan
Hua Mulan
Hua Mulan is a legendary figure from ancient China who was originally described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan . In the poem, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army. She fought for 12 years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown...
".
Biography
No extensive biographical material about Guo Maoqian is known. However, it is known that both his father and grandfather were famous government officials in what is now ShandongShandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
in the first half of the Eleventh Century, and that he was the first-born of five sons and five daughters. He, too, got a career in government, becoming a low-level official in Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, in about the year 1084. He was a specialist in music and a poet. He is best known for compiling the Anthology of Yuefu Poetry. He also edited a no-longer extant anthology of other verse forms.
The Anthology of Yuefu Poetry
Guo Maoqian collected and published 5290 lyrical pieces, some of them variations of the same basic piece, in his yuefu anthology; which he elaborately categorized, beginning with twelve main categories. Although this work is invaluable for preserving the words for so many songs, for the most part the music is lost.See also
- Classical Chinese poetryClassical Chinese poetrythumb|right|300px|Attributed to [[Han Gan]], Huiyebai , about 750CE .Classical Chinese poetry is that type of poetry that is the traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese. It is typified by certain traditional forms, or modes, and certain traditional genres...
- Classical Chinese poetry formsClassical Chinese poetry formsthumb|right|350px|Poet on a Mountaintop by [[Shen Zhou]], about 1500 CE .Classical Chinese poetry forms are those poetry forms, or modes, which typify the traditional Chinese poems written in Literary or Classical Chinese...
- Hua MulanHua MulanHua Mulan is a legendary figure from ancient China who was originally described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan . In the poem, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army. She fought for 12 years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown...
- Music BureauMusic BureauMusic Bureau , also known as the "Imperial Music Bureau", discontinuously and in various incarnations was an organ of the imperial governmental bureaucracy of several Chinese dynasties...
- Yuefu