Cui Hao (, 704?–754
[Wan: 1, his birth year of 704 is in doubt since he would have been somewhat young when he passed the imperial exam.]) was a
Chinese poet of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and considered a main early exponent of the
regulated verse Regulated verse – also known as Jintishi () – is a development within Classical Chinese poetry of the '' shi'' main formal type. Regulated verse is one of the most important of all Classical Chinese poetry types. Although often regarded as a Tan ...
form of
Classical Chinese poetry
Classical Chinese poetry is traditional Chinese poetry written in Classical Chinese and typified by certain traditional forms, or modes; traditional genres; and connections with particular historical periods, such as the poetry of the Tang dy ...
(also known as ''jintishi'').
Biography
Cui Hao was born in Biànzhōu (汴州, present day
Kaifeng
Kaifeng ( zh, s=开封, p=Kāifēng) is a prefecture-level city in east-Zhongyuan, central Henan province, China. It is one of the Historical capitals of China, Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and ...
,
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
) and passed the
imperial examinations
The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by merit rather than by birth started early i ...
in 723. He is known to have traveled extensively as an official, particularly between the years 723–744. He was known for three poetry topic - women, frontier outposts, and natural scenery. His life was initially conventional; along with
Wang Wei, he was one of the perfectors of the ''
jintishi'' form. Later, however, he acquired a reputation for disreputable personal behaviour and passed through several marriages. His later verse is similarly unconstrained.
Poems
Fifteen poems exist on the topic of women and fifteen poems exist on the latter two topics.
[Wan: 2 - 3. Thirty nine poems are contained in Wan's book] A famous poem of his is the
Yellow Crane Tower
Yellow Crane Tower () is a traditional Chinese tower located in Wuhan. The current structure was built from 1981 to 1985, but the tower has existed in various forms from as early as AD 223. The current Yellow Crane Tower is high and covers a ...
; which is one of the four of his poems included in the
Three Hundred Tang Poems anthology, written in seven-character-per-line
regulated verse Regulated verse – also known as Jintishi () – is a development within Classical Chinese poetry of the '' shi'' main formal type. Regulated verse is one of the most important of all Classical Chinese poetry types. Although often regarded as a Tan ...
, and which was later translated into English by
Witter Bynner as "The Yellow Crane Terrace". Also included in the ''Three Hundred Tang Poems'' is a seven-character-per-line regular verse form poem written in the ''
huaigu'' genre style on his passage through
Huayin
Huayin is a county-level city in Weinan, Shaanxi province, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of count ...
, north of
Hua Shan, as well as two
old or folk style pieces with erotic overtones.
See also
*
Poetry of Mao Zedong
*
Yellow Crane Tower
Yellow Crane Tower () is a traditional Chinese tower located in Wuhan. The current structure was built from 1981 to 1985, but the tower has existed in various forms from as early as AD 223. The current Yellow Crane Tower is high and covers a ...
Notes
References
*Wan, Jingjun () 1982. ''The Annotated Poems of Cui Hao'' (). Shanghai Ancient Books Press (). 54 pages..
External links
*
Three Hundred Tang Poems poets
8th-century Chinese poets
700s births
754 deaths
Writers from Kaifeng
Poets from Henan
{{China-poet-stub