Gong Dingzi () (1615–1673) was a Chinese poet and politician. He was a famous author and
Classical Chinese poet. He was also a government official serving under the
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
Chongzhen Emperor
The Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), personal name Zhu Youjian (), courtesy name Deyue (),Wang Yuan (王源)，''Ju ye tang wen ji'' (《居業堂文集》), vol. 19. "聞之張景蔚親見烈皇帝神主題御諱字德 ...
, the short-lived
Dashun regime of peasant-rebel
Li Zicheng
Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the emperor of the short-li ...
, and then the
Manchu-led
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-spea ...
. Along with
Wu Weiye
Wu Weiye (; 1609–1671) was a Chinese poet and politician. He was a poet in Classical Chinese poetry. He lived during the difficult times of the Ming-Qing transition. Along with Gong Dingzi and Qian Qianyi
Qian Qianyi (; Suzhou dialect: ; ...
and
Qian Qianyi
Qian Qianyi (; Suzhou dialect: ; 1582–1664) was a Chinese historian, poet, and politician during the late Ming dynasty.Cihai: Page 1704. Qian was a famous author and poet; and along with Gong Dingzi and Wu Weiye was known as one of the Three ...
, Gong Dingzi was famous as one of the
Three Masters of Jiangdong The Three Masters of Jiangdong () were a group of Chinese literati who lived and wrote during the Manchu conquest of China, Ming-Qing transition. They were Gong Dingzi, Wu Weiye, Qian Qianyi.Zhang, 71 They are partly famous for reviving the ''Ci (po ...
.
Biography
Passing the
Imperial Civil Service Examinations for the
Jiangnan Region
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan (; formerly romanized Kiang-nan, literally "South of the River" meaning "South of the Yangtze") is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, incl ...
as a top candidate in 1641, Gong Dingzi was posted to the capital city
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
.
[Zhang, 72] On his way, he met his future bride,
Gu Mei
Gu Mei (; 1619–1664), better known by her art name Gu Hengbo (), also known as Xu Mei and Xu Zhizhu after her marriage, was a Chinese courtesan, poet and painter. She received the title "Lady (furen)" from the early Qing court, and often addre ...
, who was one of the famous courtesans of the
Qinhuai River
The Qinhuai River () is a tributary of the Yangtze with a total length of 110 km. It flows through central Nanjing and is called "Nanjing's mother river". It is the "life blood" of the city. The Qinhuai River is divided into inner and outer river ...
district of
Jiankang (modern
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
).
By 1642, Gong was serving in the government administration in Beijing, where his impeachments of government ministers and criticism of imperial policies angered the Chongzhen Emperor, who had him imprisoned, in horrible circumstances. Released in early Spring, 1644, he was reunited with Gu Mei. Shortly afterwards the capital was first sacked by the peasant army led by Li Zicheng, and then seized by the Manchu forces which poured in through the
Shanhai Pass and proceeded to establish the Qing dynasty. Throughout this, Gong Dingzi managed to keep up his literary creativity.
Works
Among other works, Gong Dingzi's ''White Willow Gate'' (''Baimen liu'') collection of
''ci'' (song lyric) poetry survives.
See also
*
Battle of Shanhai Pass
The Battle of Shanhai Pass, fought on May 27, 1644 at Shanhai Pass at the eastern end of the Great Wall, was a decisive battle leading to the beginning of the Qing dynasty rule in China proper. There, the Qing prince-regent Dorgon allied with ...
*
Zhu Yizun
Zhu Yizun (; 1629–1709) was an author and poet during the Qing dynasty. In his early literary career, Zhu was recognized for his talent and helped by Gong Dingzi.Zhang, 82 Zhu became the founder of the Zhexi school of ''ci'' poetry (song lyrics ...
Notes
References
*Zhang, Hongsheng
宏生(2002). "Gong Dingzi and the Courtesan Gu Mei: Their Romance and the Revival of the Song Lyric in the Ming-Qing Transition", in ''Hsiang Lectures on Chinese Poetry, Volume 2'', Grace S. Fong, editor. (Montreal: Center for East Asian Research, McGill University).
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gong, Dingzi
1615 births
1673 deaths
Ming dynasty poets
Poets from Anhui
Politicians from Hefei
Qing dynasty poets
Qing dynasty politicians from Anhui