Abstract
The practice of pairing Liu Zongyuan and Wang Anshia was a common trend in the literary circles of the mid-to-late Qing dynasty. The “Liu-Wang” pairing was substantively established in Mao Kun's Anthology of Prose by the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song during the early Wanli era of the Ming. The pairing made a well-deserved name in Mao Xianshu's “On the Merits of Liu and Wang” in the late Shunzhi era of the Qing. The commonalities in the “moral character” and “literary quality” of Liu and Wang served as the basis for legitimizing the establishment of the “Liu-Wang” name. Based on the historical conditions created by the framework of the “Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song,” the “Liu-Wang” pairing not only aligned with mainstream literary concepts but also played a supportive role in scholars' pursuit of advancing classical prose, thereby was widely circulated. Formed and disseminated through interactions with socio-cultural dynamics, the “Liu-Wang” pairing facilitated a reevaluation of existing viewpoints in the research history of both figures and helped their writings to become models suited to the cultural choices of the time.
Keywords
Liu Zongyuan, Wang Anshi, paring, literary-historical significance
First Page
177
Last Page
186
Recommended Citation
Lan, Tian. 2025. "The Juxtaposition of Liu Zongyuan and Wang Anshi in the Mid-to-Late Qing Dynasty and Its Literary-Historical Significance." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (5): pp.177-186. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss5/20
