Qian Qianyi
Encyclopedia
Qian Qianyi (1582–1664) was a noted late Ming
official, scholar and social historian.
). His style name was 'Shou Zhi' (受之) and his pseudonyms were 'Mu Zhai' (牧斋) and later 'Meng Sou' (蒙叟). He passed the imperial exam in 1610 at the age of 28.
His principal work and contribution to period history was the Liechao shiji 列朝詩集 (Lieh-ch'ao shih-chi), originally a lengthy anthology of poetry with attached biographies. At present the biographies alone are printed and the work has become an unmatched history of individuals from the middle and lower strata of 16th and 17th century Chinese society. His father gave him special instruction in a historic classics. Qian showed an early interest in the classic Shishuo xinyu, a work of historical anecdotes. Qian's classic of social history was published by his associate and printer Mao Jin, who like Qian himself, showed a concern for poorer scholars. Mao used money from his printing for charitable work and needy scholars. Mao also was the printer and producer of Qian's Liechao shiji. Like Qian Qianyi himself, others of his circle were closely involved in education and the revival of the study of antiquity as the basis of learning.
Qian knew many independent women from entertainment and artistic circles who he treated as equals. One was a Ma Ruyu from Nanking, a consummate actress. She had had a good formal education. In addition she could paint and produce calligraphy in the square style. In her time she intimidated the male literati around her. Like many others of her kind, she abandoned her stage life and took up religion, building a Buddhist retreat. Another was Liu Rushi
(1618–1684), who became his consort after he was impressed by her accomplishments. He treated her as his intellectual equal and companion on travels and social gatherings. Her poetry was preserved by Qian. Qian had important ties to the local writers and artists in the Jiading
and Kunshan
area outside modern Shanghai
.
Preceding this generation of individuals was the prose master Gui Youguang
(1507–1571) who opposed the classicists headed by Wang Shizhen
(1526–1590). The antagonism to the classicist school would continue throughout the life and writings of Qian Qianyi himself.
In 1644, Qian taught an excellent student in Nanjing
: Koxinga
.
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
official, scholar and social historian.
Biography
Qian was born in Chángshóu (常熟 - present day JiangsuJiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
). His style name was 'Shou Zhi' (受之) and his pseudonyms were 'Mu Zhai' (牧斋) and later 'Meng Sou' (蒙叟). He passed the imperial exam in 1610 at the age of 28.
His principal work and contribution to period history was the Liechao shiji 列朝詩集 (Lieh-ch'ao shih-chi), originally a lengthy anthology of poetry with attached biographies. At present the biographies alone are printed and the work has become an unmatched history of individuals from the middle and lower strata of 16th and 17th century Chinese society. His father gave him special instruction in a historic classics. Qian showed an early interest in the classic Shishuo xinyu, a work of historical anecdotes. Qian's classic of social history was published by his associate and printer Mao Jin, who like Qian himself, showed a concern for poorer scholars. Mao used money from his printing for charitable work and needy scholars. Mao also was the printer and producer of Qian's Liechao shiji. Like Qian Qianyi himself, others of his circle were closely involved in education and the revival of the study of antiquity as the basis of learning.
Liu rushi
Liu Rushi was a famous courtesan in the late Ming dynasty who married Qian Qianyi at the age of 25. She committed suicide on the death of her husband....
(1618–1684), who became his consort after he was impressed by her accomplishments. He treated her as his intellectual equal and companion on travels and social gatherings. Her poetry was preserved by Qian. Qian had important ties to the local writers and artists in the Jiading
Jiading District
Jiading District is one of the 18 districts of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. It has a population of 1,471,100 .-Geography:...
and Kunshan
Kunshan
Kunshan is a satellite city in the greater Suzhou region. Administratively, it is a county-level city within the prefecture-level city of Suzhou. It is located in southeastearn part of Jiangsu Province, China, adjacent to Jiangsu's border with the Shanghai Municipality.The total area of Kunshan...
area outside modern Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
Preceding this generation of individuals was the prose master Gui Youguang
Gui Youguang
Gui Youguang., also known as Gui Zhenchuan, Xi Fu, Kai Fu, Xiang Jisheng, was a Chinese proser of Ming Dynasty. His prose creation was highly spoken of...
(1507–1571) who opposed the classicists headed by Wang Shizhen
Wang Shizhen
Wang Shizhen was a Chinese general and politician of the Republic of China.-Biography:Wang was born in Zhengding, Hebei in 1861. He was the Minister of War in the Republic of China three times, 1915–1916 and twice in 1917. He was the Premier of China from 1917 to 1918....
(1526–1590). The antagonism to the classicist school would continue throughout the life and writings of Qian Qianyi himself.
In 1644, Qian taught an excellent student in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
: Koxinga
Koxinga
Koxinga is the customary Western spelling of the popular appellation of Zheng Chenggong , a military leader who was born in 1624 in Hirado, Japan to Zheng Zhilong, a Chinese merchant/pirate, and his Japanese wife and died in 1662 on the island of Formosa .A Ming loyalist and the arch commander of...
.