Gao Qi (, 1336–1374),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Jidi (),

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Qingqiuzi (), was a Chinese poet who lived in the early

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

. He is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest creators of

Ming poetry Ming poetry refers to the poetry of or typical of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).Davis, lxxi With over one million specimens of Ming poetry surviving today, the poetry of the Ming dynasty represents one of the major periods of Classical Chinese ...

. Gao Qi was born and raised in the shore of

Wusong River Suzhou Creek (or Soochow Creek), also called the Wusong (Woosung) River, is a river that passes through the Shanghai city center. It is named after the neighboring city of Suzhou (Soochow), Jiangsu, the predominant settlement in this area prior ...

, north of Puli Town near

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...

. His life was much influenced by events arising in connection with the fall of the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

and the rise and establishment of the succeeding Ming dynasty. During the reign of the

Hongwu Emperor The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts in ...

, Gao Qi was called on as editor of the historical text ''

History of Yuan The ''History of Yuan'' (''Yuán Shǐ''), also known as the ''Yuanshi'', is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the ''Twenty-Four Histories'' of China. Commissioned by the court of the Ming dynasty, in accordance to political ...

''. Soon afterward, he was promoted to the post of deputy finance minister; but he declined, on pretext that he had no ability to manage finance. He retired to Blue Hill of Puli Town and taught students for a living. The Hongwu Emperor deemed him not cooperative; in 1374 he was accused of involvement in a "rebellion conspiracy" and was executed by being sliced into eight parts, at the age of 39 years old.

Poems

;''Farm House'' :I heard the sound of a spinning wheel, :Mingled with sound of flowing water, :Sight of wooden bridge, :Flowerless trees in hazy spring, :Where from the aroma the breeze brought so close? :Ah, next neighbor is brewing afternoon tea! :(translated by Martin Tai, 1998)

References

1336 births 1374 deaths Ming dynasty poets People executed by the Ming dynasty Executed Ming dynasty people 14th-century executions Writers from Suzhou Ming dynasty historians People executed by cutting in half Executed people from Jiangsu Poets from Jiangsu Historians from Jiangsu 14th-century Chinese historians {{China-poet-stub

Poems

See also

References