Gong Zizhen
Gong Zizhen Chinese: 龔自珍; Wade–Giles: Kung Tzu-chen; 1792–1841), courtesy name(zi) Seren, literary name (hao) Ding'an, was a Chinese poet, calligrapher and intellectual active in the 19th century whose works both foreshadowed and influenced the modernization movements of the late Qing dynasty.[1][2]
Biography
He was born August 22, 1792, in the town of Renhe near
Gong was interested in studies of the
In his stance against opium, Gong became a confidant of Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu. When he learned the Qing government had sent his colleague Lin to the south to suppress the opium trade, Gong was very excited and advised Lin to beef up military defenses on the southern and southeastern coasts to fend off a possible invasion of British warships. However, seeing that he could do little to change the government as a minor official, Gong resigned in disillusionment in 1839 when he was only 47.
He began to be sunk in confusion, depression and agony following his frustration at court. He tried to relieve himself from the miserable life by resorting to Buddhism. However, he failed to become a Buddhist, because his passion for the nation and his concern about the general public prevented him from cutting off the external connection with the secular world.[8]
On the way home to Hangzhou, Gong wrote 315 poems in the traditional form of "qiyan jueju" or seven-character, four-line "cut-shorts." In these poems, the writer recorded what he had seen along the journey, expressed his deep concern about the country on the eve of the conflict that would become known as the First Opium War and put forward his ideas for reform. Gong believed all the problems that had been plaguing the government and society were caused by a disheartening dearth of talents. He said the imperial court was staffed by unqualified officials, and even "dumb" thieves and "incapable" bandits were roaming the streets around the country. He also predicted the country would inevitably fall into chaos one day due to this lack of talent. Gong fell ill when he arrived at Danyang, Jiangsu province, about 200 kilometers to the north of his hometown, and died there soon after on September 26, 1841.[9]
The poems Gong wrote on the journey were later compiled into a book, Ji Hai Miscellaneous Poems, which is still quite popular among Chinese people today. His first poems date from the age of 15, and during his life he composed a total of 27 volumes of poetry, in addition to more than 300 articles and nearly 800 songs. His works include Annotations on Chinese, A Textual Research on The Three Rituals, A Critical Review of 'History of the Han and Latter Han Dynasties', and Verification on the Names and the Objects in 'Songs of Chu'.[10][11]
Gong's
A Memorial Hall to Gong opened in 1990 in Hangzhou.[13]
References
- ISBN 978-0-521-85559-4.
- ^ "Gong Zizhen". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ^ "Gong Zizhen". Research Centre for Translation of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ^ "Gong Zizhen (1792-1841) A reform-minded official and poet". English JSChina.com.cn. 2012-02-04. Archived from the original on 2012-02-11. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ^ "Persons in Chinese History - Gong Zizhen". ChinaKnowledge. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ^ "Former Residence of Gong Zizhen". 51766.com. 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ^ Spence, Jonathan D. (2010). The Search for Modern China. pp. 144–45.
- ^ "Gong Zizhen". ChinaCulture.org. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ^ "Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China to Danyang, Jiangsu, China". WolframAlpha.com. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ^ "Gong Zizhen (1792-1841) A reform-minded official and poet". English JSChina.com.cn. 2012-02-04. Archived from the original on 2012-02-11. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ^ "Gong Zizhen". China Wikipedia. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
- ^ Elman, Benjamin A. (1990). Classicism, politics, and kinship: the Chang-chou school of New Text Confucianism in late imperial China. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. xxi.
- ^ "Gong Zizhen, Memorial". China Wikipedia. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2013-03-03.
Further reading
- Hummel, Arthur W. Sr., ed. (1943). . Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. United States Government Printing Office.