Wang Wei

1. Wang Wei By: Matt, Connor, Hannah, Zoë

2. Wang Wei’s Life • Accomplished painter and poet • Beautiful landscaped paintings • Early Teens he was writing mature poetry • As a young adult he served as various government positions • In the mountains he became a dedicated Buddhist • Converting to Buddhism had a tremendous impact on his poetry life • His poems produced calmness and restraint characteristics of Buddhism

3. Life Continued • Filled his poems with Buddhist images like: moonlight, gently flowing water, quiet forests, serene bamboo groves, and many more • Became the master of four-line “new style” • He had a profound influence on other poets in his day • Wang was also considered the leader of poetic school which included Menghao-jan and Chu kuang his • Members of his school were inspired by deceptively simple language, descriptions, and meditatve tone which all had same qualities • Wei was established as one of the greatest poets in Chinese Literature

4. Historical and Cultural Aspects • While living in the mountains Wang Wei studied Buddhist scriptures which had a tremendous impact on his later poetry. • In his later poetry he talks about quietude and having no worries. • Wang Wei’s poetry because visual for aspects of Buddhist life. • Picturing moonlight and flowing water became apart of his poetry. • He was the master of shih poetry, and a major influence to other poets of his day. • Wang Wei was described as one of the greatest poets in the history of Chinese Literature.

5. To The Assistant Prefect Chang In the evening years given to quietude, The world’s worries no concern of mine, For my own needs making no other plan Than to unlearn, return to long-loved woods: I loose my robe before the breeze from pines, my lute celebrates moonlight on mountain pass. You ask what laws rule “failure” or “success”- Songs of fisherman float to the still shore.

6. On an Autumn Evening in the Mountains How clear are the mountains after the new rain! The dusk of the autumn evening is pouring in, As moonbeams filter through the pine trees. Cool spring-water flows over white stones. A lone washing-girl returns homeward by the bamboo grove. The boatman sails his barge through the lotus patch. Although Spring is long gone Why can’t I linger over this pleasant view?

7. Literary Devices • Similes: “As moonbeams filter through the pine trees.” (On an Autumn Evening in the Mountains, line 3) • Symbols: The moon and the lotus flower.

8. Wang Wei Quiz • 1.) What kind of paintings did Wang Wei paint? a.) Religious Paintings c.) Landscape paintings b.) Animal paintings d.) Culture paintings 2.) What religion did he covert to? a.) Confucianism c.) Hinduism b.) Christianity d.) Buddhism 3.) In his later poetry, what does he talk about? a.) Quietude and having no worries b.) Rivers and mountains c.) The moon and the sun d.) Flowing water

9. Wang Wei Quiz • 4.) What had a tremendous impact on his poetry? a.) Emperor’s b.) Living in the mountains c.) Buddhist cultures d.) Shih poetry 5.) What was one of the symbols? a.) The sun b.) The lotus flower c.) The moon d.) Both b & c

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