Famous poet Chen Wenxi, later wrote and published a collection of poems and lyrics.

Inputtime:2022-02-16 23:14:26

Cheng depicted the scenery of Xiangxuehai Caotang, surrounded by verdant hills. The flat slope lies far from the mountain, with trees forming the hills, as if escaping from Zen. Drawing upon the original rhymes of Mao Zhun and Pan Shi, he wove the imagery of Qiu Lin; he sought to “be a group of bananas in quiet joy,” and “three rooms with five facades are wonderfully comfortable”; he took as examples “cold roots of drunken bamboo” and “newly built nests also take root.” Although Cheng was renowned for his painting, he had early on studied under a famous poet and later composed a collection of poems. This volume’s inscribed poem is one of Cheng’s rare long poems.

Li’s colophon to “Song of Xiangxue Caotang,” recorded in the “Yishi,” is fully titled “Song of Xiangxue Caotang: A Gift for Xipu Zunqi’s Seventieth Birthday.” In the third year of Guangxu (1877), Li Hongzu presented this work as a birthday gift for Pan Zunqi’s seventieth birthday. After unrolling the manuscript, Li offered a special commentary, recalling: “At age seven, I composed a long verse, using sincerity to expand the sentiment. In the past, people used words as life; only since the Ming dynasty did they begin to serve as servants? (To) enter this collection, one must explain why people attain longevity—not merely a wish. The purpose of praising the Caotang is, in fact, to extol Pan Shi’s virtue and integrity; the poem centers on humanity.” Four years later (1880), Dai Li Xi presented Li Hongzu another scroll, “Mountain Dwelling Picture,” prompting Li to compose another birthday song on its back.

As a student of Yu Yue and Pan Zunqi, Zhang Yu wrote “Record of Xiangxuehai Caotang,” completed in the first year of Guangxu in Yue. He recalled how Pan Jiru obtained He’s seal and Li Hongzu’s “Song of Caotang” from his late works, then sought Gu’s painting. After Zhang Yu’s colophon, the scroll was designated as the “Second Picture of Xiangxue Caotang.” Yu Yue’s “Xiangcao Xuetang Ji” is widely circulated and recorded in works such as “Ancient Suzhou Famous Garden Records.”