Zhuang Ji

Zhuang Ji had the courtesy name (zi) of Fuzi , literally, "the Master"; and, he was later sometimes referred to as Yan Ji due to a naming taboo based on Han Mingdi (personal name Liu Zhuang). Zhuang Ji flourished in the second century BCE as an early Han dynasty writer of literature and court attendant. He is notable for being one of the most published poets ever, due to having authored the piece "Alas That My Lot Was Not Cast", collected in the collection of verse Chuci. None of his other works are known to have survived. Zhuang Ji's biography is also sparse, although he is known to have been born in Wu state and later found refuge in Liang state. Zhuang Ji pursued a literary career, though he seems to have at least initially made a living attending his local ruler's court in some function.

Biography Little is known about the life of Zhuang Ji. However, there are historical records from the time which indicate the environmental background of his times. This was during the early Han dynasty, which was divided up into semi-autonomous states ruled by princes of the Liu family, the royal family of Han. His two main patrons were both princes of the Liu dynastic family, and rulers of semi-autonomous states (under nominal loyalty to the emperor -- vassal states of the early Han). Zhuang Ji's first patron was Liu Pi, who reigned as King or Prince of Wu from 216 to 154 BCE. Wu was Zhuang Ji's home state. Zhuang Zhu, a son or nephew of Zhuang Ji, became a courtier to the emperor Han Wudi, initially chosen by tested merit through the imperial examination system, and later becoming personally promoted by Wudi to be Palace Grandee (zhong dafu), Zhuang Zhu became one of Wu's favorite courtiers.

Early life Zhuang Ji was a native of Wu, now southern Jiangsu, Wu had formerly been part of the Warring States kingdom of Chu, for which the Chuci poetry anthology was named, and largely inspired by.

At the court of Liu Pi, prince of Wu

Zhuang Ji eventually served at the court of Liu Pi, Prince of Wu (reigned 195 BCE - 154 BCE).

Rebellion of the Seven States

Emperor Han Wendi was the father by his wife Wang Zhi to both Liu Pi and crown prince Liu Qi, heir apparent to the empire. According to Sima Qian, prince Liu Pi's son Liu Xian and his uncle the crown prince became involved in a game of liubo, which ended in the crown prince killing his nephew with the game board. Wendi died in 157 BCE and Qi became Emperor Han Jingdi. Liu Pi started building up wealth and military strength in Wu state in reaction to this. Jingdi then fell under the influence of his warmongering Legalist minister Chao Cuo. This was followed by an imperial campaign to reduce the strength, if not eliminate, the semi-independent princes to consolidate power in the central empire. Perceiving the threat of the emperor, in 154 BCE prince Pi convinced six other ruling princes to rebel against the Han emperor; however, some of the rulers such as Liu Wu of Liang remained loyal vassals to Jingdi. This was the beginning of what is known as the Rebellion of the Seven States, or the Vassals' Rebellion.

Later life

At the court of Liu Wu, prince of Liang

Zhuang, Zou, and Mei seem to have taken the opportunity to leave Wu at some point before the rebellion, perhaps in 157 BCE. The three went to Liang, where they obtained the patronage of Liu Wu, Prince of Liang, the Han emperor's younger brother and a great patron of the literary arts.

Works

Zhuang Ji is the writer of the Chuci anthology piece "Ai shi ming", or "Alas That My Lot Was Not Cast". Despite the mention of 24 fu in Hanshu, the only known surviving piece of Zhuang Ji is "Ai shi ming". Critical reception for Zhuang Ji's "Ai shi ming" has often been less than enthusiastic, despite his contemporaries nicknaming him "the Master", and even going so far as to extensively recycle parts of it as their own work. David Hawkes says that the poem incorporates all of the elements of the sao style: introspective grief, the symbolic structure, parallelism as a poetic device, and even a very brief shamanic-style spirit journey. However Hawkes finds the "inspiration dead" and the effect "monotonous and oppressive". Another point which he notes is to oppose the modern take on the poem to that of Zhuang Ji's contemporaries, whose taste for the poem was enhanced by their ability to particularly identify the "objects of his scorn and hatred", which is no longer possible due to lack of detailed information surviving into modern times.