Research On Imperial Clan Poet Hong Xiao During The Qianlong Period

The Qianlong reign period was the golden age of the imperial clan poet groups in the Qing Dynasty,and also was an important turning-point from prosperity to decline.Aisin Gioro Hong Xiao(1722-1778)was a famous imperial clan poet and a witness of the big turning-point.This dissertation studies on Hong Xiao’s life.The article is divided into four chapters.The first chapter is about Hong Xiao’s family background and life experience.He lacked the judgement and political acumen as a politician,but specialized in the field of literature and art,such as poetry,calligraphy.He was greatly influenced by his father(Yun Xiang)and uncle(Yun Xi).The second chapter is a study on social activities of Hong Xiao.He liked to recruit scholars.There were 74 friends explicitly mentioned in his poetry anthology.His circle of friends mainly consisted of relatives,aides and monks.Significantly,during the reign of Qianlong,the policies related to imperial clan’s social activities were constantly tightened.The third chapter talks about the theme orientation and artistic characteristics of Hong Xiao’s poem.There are some differences between the four existing editions,which reveal changes in the author.The themes of his poems can be divided into three categories: daily life,temporal change and eulogizing the emperor.The style of his poems is elegant and implicit.He was good at using allusions and was willing to experiment with different genres and forms.In the forth chapter,it’s time to analyze the division and retreat of imperial clan poets.Emperor Qianlong was a totalitarian,who usually used poem to control the feudal intellectual.Under new situation,Hong Xiao’s preference changed from leisure to hermitage.When imperial clan poets took the initiative to distance themselves from politics,the imperial clan poet groups inevitably fell into decline.