WANG SHIZHEN (1526-1590)

Wang Shizhen came from Tiacang, near Suzhou. Like Xu Zhenqing (1479 B1511), Wang Shizhen was associated with the Old Phraseology movement, in which poets imitated the style of older work, especially that of the High Tang, and to some extent that of the Han and Wei dynasties. Those who followed the Old Phraseology movement were told that "One should not read anything after the Tang dynasty," but in fact, Wang especially later in life was happy to learn from Song dynasty poets Su Shi and Lu You and Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi, whom the Old Phraseology writers tended to disdain. Wang is especially associated with a later leader of the movement, Li Panlong (1514-1570), who was his great friend, and many letters and poems they wrote to each other survive. Together, they were part of a group of Old Phraseology writers titled the "Later Seven Masters." Wang passed the highest Imperial exams and came from a family of scholars and officials who traced their lineage back to an important Six Dynasties period family. In addition to being a scholar, his father was a famous military man who battled pirates, Mongols, and Manchus, though he was eventually imprisoned and put to death on the pretext that he was responsible for a military defeat (in fact, it was because the prime minister was an enemy of Wang Shizhen's). Wang gave up his provincial post in 1559 to return to the capital try to save his father from execution, but was unsuccessful. The prime minister's hatred helped to damage Wang's career, and he found himself unable to sustain regular postings after this. Wang is known for his passionate nature and for his scholarship (he was a poet, historian and scholar of the arts), and was the leading literary light of his day, to whom scores of acolytes and followers flocked for instruction and advice. The Old Phraseology movement which he was a part of fell into disrepute after his death, but his dominant status as the premier poet of his day helped to cement it as the primary movement of the 16th century.
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Climbing up the Taibai Tower

It is said in the past Li Bai
gave a long howl and climbed up this tower.
Once he paid a visit here,
and his high reputation remains for a hundred generations.
Behind the white clouds the sea dawns
with a bright moon, a celestial gate, and autumn.
As if to greet Li Bai's return,
the Ji River water flows with music.
 

        ---Translated by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping

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Note: Taibai Tower is in Jining, Shandong Province, and is a tower whose name comes from another name of Li Bai, the great Tang poet (Li Bai is also known as Li Taibai). It is said when Li Bai was traveling there, He Zhizhang, another fine poet, invited him to drink in this tower.