the Song Dynasty Synopsis
Chih-Chao Tsaia
Abstract
This study investigates important issues addressed in various chronicles of Du Fu written by authors from the Song Dynasty, including Du Fu’s year of birth and death, his commissioning as an official, and the places he travelled during his life. With respect to studies of Du Fu’s poetry, existing early documents that provide some record of important events in his life include Grave Inscription of Du Fu, the Late Ministry of Public Works Official from the Tang Dynasty by Yuan Zhen (779-831 AD), Collections of Du Gong Bu from the Ministry of Public Works by Wang Zhu (997-1057 AD), The Old Book of Tang: A Biography of Du Fu, and The New Book of Tang: A Biography of Du Fu, among others. These documents are considered historical biographies of Du Fu and record significant events from his lifetime. However, other than Collections, which raised some factual evidence for its claims, most of these documents do not focus on providing proof of the events they describe.
The chronicles of Du Fu came into existence during the Song Dynasty, and discussions of the aforementioned evidence (or lack thereof) gradually came to the fore. Most of the resulting analysis focused on basic topics, with some using Du Fu’s poems as proof of certain biographical details, an approach which often led to mistaken conclusions. Nonetheless, some of those arguments were highly detailed, providing good research value.
Existing documents written during the Song Dynasty include The Chronicles of Du Fu’s Poetry by Lu Da Fang (1027-1096AD), The Chronicles of Du Gong Bu’s Thatched Cottage by Zhao Zili (?-1137AD), A Revision of the Chronicles of Du Gong Bu by Cai Xing Zong (who wrote during the era of Zhao Gong Wu), The Chronicles of Du Gong Bu’s Poetry by Lu Yin (a scholar who wrote in the 5th year of Shaoxing during the reign of Emperor Song Gaozong, or 1135 AD), Supplementary Notes for the Chronicles of Du Fu by Huang He (the epilogue of which was completed in the 9th year of Jiading during the reign of Emperor Song Ningzong, or 1216 AD), and The Chronicles of Du Gong Bu by Liu Chen Weng (1232-1297AD), among others. The above documents will be the primary scope of investigation in this study.
Finally, this study investigates the extent to which the various chronicles of Du Fu written during the Song Dynasty prove the details of certain significant events in his life through an examination of the various pieces of evidence cited within them. That said, this study does not focus on arguing against any mistakes in the chronicles. The verification of details relating to Du Fu’s life provided in the Song chronicles is precisely why they are of value in the study of Du Fu’s poetry.
Keywords: Du Fu, Du Fu’s poetry, chronicles
