Weng Fanggang (1733-1818) was a prominent scholar, poet and critic of Qing dynasty. His Jili criticism was among the most influential poetic discourses in mid-late Qing. Nonetheless, his creative works have been disparaged since then, but his researches on Shenyun and Gediao have drawn close attention from scholars. Weng pursued the “natural rhythm” through the examination of poetic forms. It then naturally led to the quest of Shenyun. Meanwhile, Gediao was also a concept of great importance when Weng studied the Chinese literary history. These thoughts thus amalgamated and developed into the all-round conception of Jili. Weng believed Jili could be used to answer the question of “what is a poem.” For the purpose of proving and demonstrating his theory, he even remolded the image of Du...[ Read more ]

Weng Fanggang (1733-1818) was a prominent scholar, poet and critic of Qing dynasty. His Jili criticism was among the most influential poetic discourses in mid-late Qing. Nonetheless, his creative works have been disparaged since then, but his researches on Shenyun and Gediao have drawn close attention from scholars. Weng pursued the “natural rhythm” through the examination of poetic forms. It then naturally led to the quest of Shenyun. Meanwhile, Gediao was also a concept of great importance when Weng studied the Chinese literary history. These thoughts thus amalgamated and developed into the all-round conception of Jili. Weng believed Jili could be used to answer the question of “what is a poem.” For the purpose of proving and demonstrating his theory, he even remolded the image of Du Fu (712-770) in Chinese poetic history.

The poetic criticism of Weng Fanggang has always been regarded as the product of the “Evidential Scholarship” prevailing in mid Qing. The present study reveals that Weng’s poetic thoughts have made much contribution to the understanding of the “essence” of poetry, when we compare his conception of Jili to the modern researches on “Chinese Lyrical Tradition.” The historical and contemporary significance of Weng’s poetry criticism are hence reassured.