A Research On Qianchenqun’s Poetry

As weak spots and blanks existent in the research on poems of Qing dynasty, moreattention should paid to less famous litterateurs for the completion and sufficiency of researchon Qing literature. Qian Chenqun, known as one of the “southeastern two elders”, could beput in the ranks of these less famous litterateurs. Living through the three periods of Kangxi,Yongzheng as well as Qianlong, and born in as a representative of a noble family in Jiangnanregion, Qian was considered a person of high figure in the period of Qianlong.Therefore, applying the basic principles of case study of poets in ancient Chineseliterature, this thesis attempts to expound Qian’s life experiences and the achievements,standing and significance of his poetry. First, the paper introduced his lineage and lifeexperience, which is divided to three parts including the stages of his studying and seekingpolitical positions, delivering government service, as well as retiring out of sickness. Second,his widely ranged subjects of poetry are explored with detailed exemplifications. Thesesubjects included masses’ sufferings, sincere kinship and friendship, ethics, paintings,traveling and sceneries, poems written on royal commands, history comments and feelingexpressions as well as farewells. Third, the artistic features of Qian’s poems are summarizedto be lying in six aspects which are his poetic thoughts in the context of quarrel between sectsdiscreetly praising highly the poetic styles of Tang and Song dynasties, pure erudite andelegant poetic style, poetic creation employing prose techniques, fresh and natural choice ofwords, delicate rhetoric skills, as well as subtle means of artistic expression recognized asbreathing sentiments into sceneries. The artistic achievements of Qian’s poems wereembodied in these features. Finally, the standing and significance of his poetry, not onlyviewed within the Qian family in Xiushui but the entire period of Qianlong is adverted to inthis dissertation.In sum, Qian’s poetry, evaluated from the angles of subjects, artistic features orsignificance, could be marked as on a relatively high level which made him one of theimportant poets in Qing dynasty. Therefore, the study on his poems would be of considerable value to the understanding and appraisal of academic environment of early Qing dynasty.