Wei Zhuang was born in a town outside Chang’an,
China, between 834 and 836.He spent much of his
early life in Chang’an, the Tang dynasty capital,
where he began to develop his literary ability by
writing ci (tz’u), or lyric poems.Wei was one of the
first poets to popularize the ci form and probably
received much of his inspiration for his lyrics from
the booming social life in the Chinese capital.
Wei left the capital in 877 to study under and
work for a prefect in the Guozhou (Kuo-chou),
Henan (Honan), Province. He returned to Chang’-
an in 879 to prepare for the jinshi (chin-shih) civil
service examination, which he failed the following
year. Scholars have pointed out, however, that Wei’s
failure may have saved his life, because many government
officials were singled out for execution
when Chang’an was overrun by rebel bandits in 881.
During the fall of the capital,Wei escaped to the
provinces, where he wrote his EPIC poem The
Lament of the Lady of Ch’in, which brought him
immediate fame. This poem describes the horrors
of the sack of Chang’an, during which more than
80,000 people were executed.Wei also completed
more than 1,000 poems and lyrics, though only
about 375 remain.
Most of Wei Zhuang’s early poetic and prose
writings were destroyed when Chang’an was invaded.
What little is known of his early life has
been pieced together by scholars through analysis
of his later poems.
A Work about Wei Zhuang
Yates, Robin D. S. The Life and Selected Poetry of Wei
Chuang (834?–910). Cambridge, Mass.: Council
on East Asian Studies, 1988.