Lin Yining (; 1655 1730),

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 ...

Yaqing, was a Chinese poet active during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. A founding member of the Banana Garden Poetry Club, Lin Yining was also an avid painter and composer.

Life and career

Lin Yining was born in 1655, near the

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

section of the

Zhe River Zhe may refer to: * Zhe (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic alphabet * Zhe, a proposed gender-neutral pronoun (with: zhim, zhers, zhimself) * '' Maclura tricuspidata'' (or zhè), a tree native to East Asia * Že, a letter of the Perso-Arabic alp ...

. Her father Lin Lun was a ''

jinshi ''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referre ...

'', and her mother introduced her to classical Chinese literature. She was "very talented and could write poetry and prose"; additionally, Lin dabbled in

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

and was "especially well-versed in drawing bamboo in ink and wash". She married Qian Zhaoxi, who worked at the local

censorate The Censorate was a high-level supervisory agency in Imperial China, first established during the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC). The Censorate was a highly effective agency during the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). During the M ...

and was also acquainted with traditional

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

. While they were based in

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

, the couple would write each other love poems that were later compiled into an anthology titled ''Collected Works of Fengxiao Tower''. Qian's mother, Gu Zhiqiong, was instrumental in bringing together talented female poets, and at her behest, the "Banana Garden Five" (), comprising Lin, Zhu Rouze, Chai Jingyi, Qian Yunyi, and Xu Can, was formed. The group later became the Banana Garden Seven () and its roster was changed to include Lin, Qian, Mao Anfang, Feng Youling, Gu Jiji, Zhang Chayun, and Chai Jingyi. Lin penned the preface to

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

poet Liang Ying's ''Every Fragrant Word'' that collects Liang's poems on

plum blossom ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

s. A lost play titled ''Wisteria Pass'' was allegedly written by Lin. Lin and Qian had two children a son, Qing, and a daughter, Tao, neither of whom, according to Lin herself, "dared" to take up Chinese literature. It is not known for certain when Lin Yining died, but the ''Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women'', citing an unspecified source, gives her death year as 1730. According to an entry on Lin Yining in ''Women Writers of Traditional China'', "Lin's poetry is distinguished by its direct and fluent diction, and vivid visual imagery". She is also praised for presenting her "personal interests" in her poetry, and not adhering to the "conventional themes and scenarios derived from literati construction of feminine voices".

References

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Bibliography

* * {{authority control 1655 births 1730 deaths Qing dynasty poets Chinese women poets 17th-century Chinese women writers 17th-century Chinese poets 18th-century Chinese women writers 18th-century Chinese poets 17th-century Chinese painters 18th-century Chinese women artists 18th-century Chinese artists 17th-century Chinese women artists