"Autumn Day in Kui Prefecture" is a poem by 8th-century Chinese poet Du Fu (712–770). The full title of this poem is ''Autumn Day in Kui Prefecture, A Song Submitted to Supervisor Zheng and Advisor Li, in One Hundred Rhymes'' (according to title translation by Alfreda Murck). As a poem, "Autumn Day in Kui Prefecture" is an example of

Tang poetry Tang poetry () refers to poetry written in or around the time of or in the characteristic style of China's Tang dynasty, (June 18, 618 – June 4, 907, including the 690–705 reign of Wu Zetian) and/or follows a certain style, often considered ...

, which received considerable attention during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

, in

Song poetry Song poetry refers to Classical Chinese poetry of or typical of the Song dynasty of China (960–1279). The dynasty was established by the Zhao family in China in 960 and lasted until 1279. Many of the best known Classical Chinese poems, popul ...

, and later, even through modern times. During the

Du Fu's "Autumn Day in Kui Prefecture" received particular attention, with the poem being subtly alluded to through rhyme-scheme referencing by

Su Shi Su Shi (; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of ...

and his circle: in other words, Su Shi and the poets of his circle wrote poems which utilized the same rhyming words from Du Fu's poem, thus subtly referencing the sense and sentiment of Du Fu's line, but without overtly stating what might be censured as inappropriate. This allowed him and others to express opinions about government and society, without suffering the consequences, as Su Shi had previously done, in the Crow Terrace Poetry Trial, when his poetry was used as evidence resulting in his conviction and exile.

Literary source(s)

Du Fu's poem "Autumn Day in Kui Prefecture" can be found in scroll 230 of the ''

Quantangshi (''Complete Tang Poems'') is the largest collection of Tang poetry, containing some 49,000 lyric poems by more than twenty-two hundred poets. In 1705, it was commissioned at the direction of the Qing dynasty Kangxi Emperor and published under ...

''.

Background

Geography

Kui Prefecture is also known as "Kuizhou Circuit" and "Kuizhou" (), or just "Kui": this politically-organized geographic entity was initially established in 619 CE, and was an important area from the beginning and through the end of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

of China, when it was alternatively part of several of the Circuits which made up Tang dynastic era large scale political structural organizations. Kui Prefecture was located in what is now eastern Chongqing. Part of the historic importance of Kuizhou is related to its location on the

Yangzi River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

. Kuizhou (Kui Prefecture) was located in the

Three Gorges The Three Gorges () are three adjacent gorges along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, in the hinterland of the People's Republic of China. With a subtropical monsoon climate, they are known for their scenery. The "Three Gorges Scenic A ...

area of the

, a main transportation east-west corridor through China, which made use of the

for transportation by water. Kui was also known for spectacular scenery, and being a location in which exiled poets wrote their laments: it has been considered part of the Xiaoxiang.

History

Kui Prefecture (Kuizhou) was an area typical of many areas which were part of the southern Tang Empire that experienced an increase in population and development as a result of the disasters beginning with and following the An Lushan rebellion (also known as the Anshi disturbances). Later, toward the end of the Tang Dynasty this area which was formerly a refuge became itself the center of military activity leading to the breakup of the Tang imperial dynasty and the development of the independent states of the

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (), from 907 to 979, was an era of political upheaval and division in 10th-century Imperial China. Five dynastic states quickly succeeded one another in the Central Plain, and more than a dozen conc ...

. The Kuizhou area was held by the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

: during this time, it was known as "Baidi", or "White Emperor", in English, and later Chinese poetry has used this as a metonymn.

Xiaoxiang poetry

Xiaoxiang poetry Xiaoxiang poetry is one of the Classical Chinese poetry genres, one which has been practiced for over a thousand years. It is a poetry of scenic wonders, a poetry of officials exiled for their views and beliefs, and a poetry of dissent against sub ...

is one of the

Classical Chinese poetry genres Classical Chinese poetry genres are those genres which typify the traditional Chinese poems written in Classical Chinese. Some of these genres are attested to as early as the publication of the Classic of Poetry, dating from a traditionally, and ...

, one practiced for over a thousand years. It is a poetry of scenic wonders, a poetry of officials exiled for their views and beliefs, and a poetry of dissent against submitting to government control. Xiaoxiang poetry is geographically associated with the Xiaoxiang region, around and south of

Dongting Lake Dongting Lake () is a large, shallow lake in northeastern Hunan Province, China. It is a flood basin of the Yangtze River, so its volume depends on the season. The provinces of Hubei and Hunan are named after their location relative to the la ...

, including Kuizhou. The Xiaoxiang genre of literature is often associated with similarly themed

Chinese calligraphy Chinese calligraphy is the writing of Chinese characters as an art form, combining purely visual art and interpretation of the literary meaning. This type of expression has been widely practiced in China and has been generally held in high este ...

and

Chinese painting Chinese painting () is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as ''guó huà'' (), meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western style ...

. Famous poets in this genre include Du Fu, and the main theme of this type of poetry is more-or-less that of the government official who has been exiled and sent to some peerlessly remote area, such as the Xiaoxiang.

Du Fu

The author of "Autumn Day in Kui Prefecture" is Du Fu (; 712 – 770), one of the most prominent poets of the

practitioners. Much or most of what is known of Du Fu's life comes from his poems. His paternal grandfather was Du Shenyan, a noted politician and poet during the reign of

empress Wu The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

. The

An Lushan rebellion The An Lushan Rebellion was an uprising against the Tang dynasty of China towards the mid-point of the dynasty (from 755 to 763), with an attempt to replace it with the Yan dynasty. The rebellion was originally led by An Lushan, a general offi ...

began in December 755, and was not completely suppressed for almost eight years, and ended the "golden age" of the Tang dynasty. It caused enormous disruption to Chinese society, and loss of millions of human population. Du Fu was displaced from his homeland in the north, and at one point ended up in Kuizhou, where he is presumed to have written "Autumn Day in Kui Prefecture".

Poem

"Autumn Day in Kui Prefecture" consists of 200 lines of 100 rhymed couplets (Murck, '' passim''). It is called "one-hundred rhymes" because the rhyme is at the end of the couplet.

Song dynastic era follow-up

During the