Wang Tingyun

Biography

Family Background and Early Life Wang Tingyun was born in 1151, the third year of the Tiande era, in the Jin dynasty's Liaodong region, in the area of present-day Gaizhou, Yingkou. His father Wang Zungu, courtesy name Zhongyuan, passed the jinshi examination in 1160, the fifth year of the Zhenglong era, and rose to an office in the Hanlin Academy. He was known as an upright official and a man of broad learning, and contemporaries called him the “Master of Liaodong.” He married a daughter of Zhang Hao, Grand Preceptor and Prince of Nanyang Commandery, and had four sons; Wang Tingyun was the third. Tingyun was intelligent from childhood. According to the “Epitaph of the Yuan Family,” at six he recited books with his father and elder brothers and could grasp their main meanings; at seven he began studying poetry; at eleven he was writing prose and verse. He was said to read five lines at a glance and to memorize more than five thousand characters in a day. Wang Xiu, a talented man of Zhuo Commandery who did not follow popular fashions and rarely praised others, regarded Tingyun as a man of exceptional national talent upon first meeting him. ### Fluctuations in Official Career While in office, Wang Tingyun “devised a plan to capture Zou Si, a local resident plotting unlawful action, and released more than a thousand innocent people who had been implicated.” Yet in a political environment that favored severe punishment, he was not promoted but instead demoted and transferred again to serve as Registrar of Guantao, where he remained burdened by documentary deadlines, household-registration inspections, and tax-assessment work. After completing his term, he settled in Zhangde, that is, Xiangzhou's Anyang, bought land at Longlü, studied at Huanghua Mountain Temple, and styled himself “Huanghua Shanzhu.” In 1192, the third year of the Mingchang era under Emperor Zhangzong of Jin, he was summoned into the court literary establishment and appointed Provisioner of the Hanlin Academy. Together with Gentleman of the Palace Library Zhang Rufang, he was ordered to appraise paintings and calligraphy in the imperial collection. He compiled the notable works he saw there together with old masters' ink traces in the collections of contemporary scholar-officials into the *Xuexi Tang Tie*, now lost. He was later promoted to Senior Compiler, Hanlin Academy. In 1196, the first year of the Cheng'an era, he lost his position because of the affair surrounding Zhao Bingwen's memorial and was demoted to a judicial post under the Zhengzhou Defense Command. In the fourth year of Cheng'an he was recalled as Provisioner of the Hanlin Academy. In 1201, the first year of Taihe, he again was appointed Senior Compiler, Hanlin Academy, and accompanied Emperor Zhangzong on the autumn-hill hunt. He composed more than thirty poems by imperial command, received considerable praise, and was reportedly about to be entrusted with greater responsibilities. ### Later Years and Death Wang Tingyun died on the tenth day of the tenth month in the second year of Taihe (October 27, 1202), aged fifty-two. Emperor Zhangzong personally wrote a poem in mourning. Wang Tingyun's son Wang Manqing, also written Wang Wanqing, courtesy name Xibo and style name Danyou, excelled in ink bamboo, trees, and rocks and was said to carry on his father's manner.

Major Activities

Literary Contributions Wang Tingyun excelled in poetry and prose and was described as having “literary brilliance and elegant bearing that illuminated his age.” He was especially known for seven-character long poems with striking and difficult diction. He took Huang Tingjian as a model in poetry. Two examples are “On the Road through Heyin, I” and “On the Road through Heyin, II”: > Pear leaves cast shade and apricots have turned green; pomegranate blossoms glow against one another in lovely color. Deep in the woods no household can be seen; on the road only the sound of threshing wheat can be heard. > A narrow path winds obliquely through the wheat; after passing a deep grove, a few more homes appear. For thirty li there is one sweep of vivid red; against the mountains rise countless pomegranate blossoms. Yuan Haowen praised him in the *Zhongzhou Ji*, saying that “his poetry and prose had models and methods, and stood above those of his contemporaries.” In the “Huanghua Epitaph,” Yuan also wrote that “in his later years his poetic rules became profound and rigorous; in seven-character long poems he was especially skilled at difficult rhymes.” Kuang Zhouyi wrote: “The ci of writers from the Jin source are bold, fresh, and sparse, forming a style of their own. Only the short lyrics of Wang Huanghua at times enter a secluded and steep realm, with lingering and distant resonance.” This appears in juan three of *Huifeng Cihua*. Although Wang Tingyun was skilled in diction and possessed a clear, refined style, his poetry leaned toward imitation and showed relatively little artistic originality. Most of its subject matter concerned leisurely life; aside from a small number of poems expressing frustration over changes in his official career, it rarely addressed contemporary realities. This was relatively typical of the tendency of the Jin poetic world during the Mingchang era to distance itself from current affairs. Nearly thirty of his poems and more than ten ci poems survive and are included in the *Zhongzhou Ji* and *Zhongzhou Yuefu*. ### Calligraphy and Painting In calligraphy and painting, Wang Tingyun learned landscape painting from Ren Xun, courtesy name Junmo. His calligraphy and his paintings of withered trees, bamboo, and rocks followed Mi Fei. He valued the expressive interest of brush and ink, did not confine himself to fixed methods, and sought to approach the achievements of the ancients. Along with Dang Huaiying, Zhao Feng, and Zhao Bingwen, he was renowned for calligraphy. His painting was closely integrated with his poetry and prose and contributed to the development of the literati-painting tradition, exerting considerable influence on later generations. His surviving handscroll *Secluded Bamboo and Withered Tree*, executed in ink on silk, bears at its end an inscription in large running script by Wang Tingyun: “A true recluse of Huanghua Mountain—once I enter worldly affairs, I immediately find vulgar appearances hateful. From time to time I take up a worn brush and paint secluded bamboo and withered trunks to set myself in order.” The painting shows varied brush-and-ink handling: the cypress is executed with free and vigorous strokes, saturated washes, and a frost-like, iron-boned quality; the bamboo is painted with forceful brushwork, leaves sharp as if cut by a blade, and an unrestrained energy. It is now held by the Fujii Saiseikai in Kyoto, Japan. Ming writer Li Rihua stated in *Liuyanzhai Sanbi*: “Tingyun's calligraphy is weighty, forceful, vigorous, and swift. It stands in north-south counterpoint with the elders of the Southern Song; the men of early Yuan such as Zishan do not reach it.” Yuan Haowen of the Jin considered Tingyun's calligraphy to possess the fierce northern vigor associated with the Hu and Jie while also retaining elegance and cultivated grace. Yuan writer Yuan Qiao stated: “The Old Man Huanghua entirely traced his ancestry to Baozhang; therefore his grand manner soared beyond ordinary bounds and could stand in rivalry.” Later criticism has generally rated his calligraphy highly. ### Travels and Places of Activity Wang Tingyun traveled across many parts of the Jin realm. In his early years he lived with his father in Liaodong. After passing the jinshi examination, he served in local offices including Military Judge of Enzhou and Registrar of Guantao. After completing his term, he settled in Zhangde, bought land at Longlü, and studied at Huanghua Mountain Temple, where he took the style name “Huanghua Shanzhu.” He later entered court service as a Senior Compiler, Hanlin Academy and accompanied Emperor Zhangzong on the autumn-hill hunt. Many of the places he visited were recorded in his poems and prose; the two “On the Road through Heyin” poems, for example, were composed during travel. ### Contacts with Contemporaries Wang Tingyun associated with many prominent literary figures of the Jin. Along with Dang Huaiying, Zhao Feng, and Zhao Bingwen, he was known for calligraphy. In 1196, the first year of Cheng'an, he was implicated and removed from office because Zhao Bingwen submitted a memorial concerning Chancellor Xu Chiguo. Yuan Haowen rated Wang Tingyun's poetry and prose highly, saying that “his poetry and prose had models and methods, and stood above those of his contemporaries.”

Personal Relations

• Maternal grandfather: Zhang Hao, Left Chancellor, Grand Preceptor, and Prince of Nanyang Commandery.
• Father: Wang Zungu, courtesy name Zhongyuan; passed the jinshi examination in the fifth year of Zhenglong and rose to an office in the Hanlin Academy.
• Mother: daughter of Zhang Hao.
• Siblings: four brothers in total; Tingyun ranked third.
• Son: Wang Manqing, also written Wang Wanqing, courtesy name Xibo, style name Danyou. ### Teachers, Friends, and Colleagues - Mi Fei: nephew; a model for Wang Tingyun’s calligraphy.
• Ren Xun, courtesy name Junmo: model for his landscape painting.
• Dang Huaiying: renowned alongside him in calligraphy.
• Zhao Feng: renowned alongside him in calligraphy.
• Zhao Bingwen: renowned alongside him in calligraphy; Wang Tingyun was implicated in the affair surrounding Zhao's memorial.
• Zhang Rufang: Gentleman of the Palace Library; appraised the imperial collection of paintings and calligraphy together with Wang Tingyun.
• Yuan Haowen: later scholar who rated him highly. ### Ruler and Subject - Emperor Shizong of Jin: Wang Tingyun passed the jinshi examination in the sixteenth year of Dading and received an official appointment during his reign.
• Emperor Zhangzong of Jin: summoned Wang Tingyun into the court literary establishment, promoted him to Senior Compiler, Hanlin Academy, and personally wrote a poem of mourning after his death.

Historical Assessment

Jin Dynasty / Contemporary - Yuan Haowen praised him in the *Zhongzhou Ji*: “His poetry and prose had models and methods, and stood above those of his contemporaries.”

• In the “Huanghua Epitaph,” Yuan Haowen wrote: “In his later years his poetic rules became profound and rigorous; in seven-character long poems he was especially skilled at difficult rhymes.”
• Yuan Haowen regarded Tingyun's calligraphy as possessing the fierce northern vigor associated with the Hu and Jie while also retaining elegance and cultivated grace. ### Song and Yuan Periods - Yuan writer Yuan Qiao stated: “The Old Man Huanghua entirely traced his ancestry to Baozhang; therefore his grand manner soared beyond ordinary bounds and could stand in rivalry.”
• Yuan Haowen regarded Tingyun's calligraphy as possessing the fierce northern vigor associated with the Hu and Jie while also retaining elegance and cultivated grace. ### Ming and Qing Periods - Ming writer Li Rihua wrote in *Liuyanzhai Sanbi*: “Tingyun's calligraphy is weighty, forceful, vigorous, and swift. It stands in north-south counterpoint with the elders of the Southern Song; the men of early Yuan such as Zishan do not reach it.” ### Modern Period - Kuang Zhouyi wrote in juan three of *Huifeng Cihua*: “The ci of writers from the Jin source are bold, fresh, and sparse, forming a style of their own. Only the short lyrics of Wang Huanghua at times enter a secluded and steep realm, with lingering and distant resonance.”
• The historian, archaeologist, and scholar of northeastern documentary history Jin Yufu compiled Wang Tingyun's *Huanghua Ji*, collecting his prose and poetry and also preparing a chronological biography that was transmitted with the collection.