Fang Weiyi (1585～1668), courtesy name Zhongxian, was born in Tongcheng, Anhui Province. She was a famous female poet, calligrapher and painter in the Ming Dynasty. She was the second daughter of Fang Dazhen and the second aunt of Fang Yizhi.
Fang Weiyi’s sister, Fang Mengshi, also worked in poetry, calligraphy and painting. She married Zhang Bingwen, the governor of Shandong. Later, Qing troops invaded the south. Zhang Bingwen defended Jinan City and died in battle. Mengshi threw himself into a pond and died. There is " "Renlan Pavilion Collection" and "Renlan Pavilion Poetry Collection" are handed down to the world. Fang Weiyi's cousin Fang Weize was also young and widowed, and wrote "Fusong Pavilion Collection". Because the three Fang sisters all observed festivals for the country and their family, later generations called them "Fang's Three Sisters". Among them, Fang Weiyi had the highest achievement
A famous scholar in the Ming Dynasty. Fang Weiyi was the daughter of Fang Dazhen, Qing of Dali. She married Yao Sunqi when she was seventeen. Her husband died soon after the marriage. So he returned home and became a widow, and together with his brother-in-law Wu Lingyi, they "weaved scriptures with literature and history." Together they raised their nephew Fang Yizhi, like a tireless tutor. Fang Yizhi (also known as Mi Zhi) later became a famous scholar. Fang Weiyi inherited his family education at a young age, was erudite and talented, and specialized in poetry and painting. He collected the works of women from ancient and modern times and compiled them into "History of Poetry in the Palace", which is divided into two volumes: good and evil. In addition, he is the author of "Jingzhiju Poetry Talk", which also provides insightful explanations of poetry theory. Moreover, she is "a master of Zen philosophy, rich in literature and history, and is also good at poetry and painting. She is a master of line drawing, no less than Li Gonglin." She is the author of "Chujiang Yin", "Returning Sigh", etc., collected into seven volumes of "Qingfen Pavilion Collection" roll. His poems were washed away and returned to straight quality. Eighty poems are recorded in "Longmian Fengya", six poems are recorded in "Collection of Ming Poems", 22 poems are recorded in "Tongjiu Collection", three poems are recorded in "Biecai Ming Poems", and "Yu Selection of Ming Poems" is recorded Ten poems are recorded, and one is recorded in "Zhengshi Collection".
Born into a family of officials, his grandfather Fang Xuejian was a famous scholar in the Ming Dynasty. His father, Fang Dazhen, was a Jinshi during the Wanli period and reached the rank of Shaoqing of Dali Temple. Weiyi inherited his family education from a young age, "has a broad vision in literature and history, and is also engaged in poetry and painting." At the age of seventeen, she married Yao Sunxi, a fellow villager. Her husband was terminally ill and died soon after. After her husband died, Weiyi gave birth to a posthumous daughter who was less than one year old and died again. Regarding her desolate life experience, she wrote an article "Report of a Survivor's Little Life", which made people scream and cry: "I returned to my husband in the seventeenth year of my life. My husband has been ill for six years... In May of next year, my husband became ill... The month of September is about to begin, and the pain is rising to the heavens... I have left my body behind, but I didn’t dare to die; I didn’t expect to give birth to a daughter, but I died in the month of September! How can I rely on my body without leaving a trace?”
Weiyi lost her husband and daughter at a young age, so she returned to her parents' home and stayed in "Qingfen Pavilion", alone with her shadow, and devoted herself to the study of poetry and painting. Cousin Fang Weize is a widow in her sixteenth year. The two have a close relationship and they exchange poetry and painting techniques; younger brother Fang Kongzhen's wife Wu Lingyi and his sister Wu Lingze, and Weiyi's eldest sister Fang Mengshi are both good at poetry and painting, and the five sisters are often good at poetry and painting. Gather in "Qingfen Pavilion" to recite poems, paint, ponder and sing. Weiyi's poetic style is delicate and touching, simple and easy to understand. Weize and Lingyi admire and recommend him as their teacher.
After Wu Lingyi died young, Kong Zheng was appointed as the official in Huguang. The important task of educating her nephew Fang Yizhi fell on Weiyi. She gave careful instructions every day, supervised class reading, and encouraged Yizhi with her integrity. Fang Yizhi later became a cultural master and scientific celebrity, which is inseparable from the painstaking education of his aunt Weiyi. "Tongcheng Fang's Poetry Collection" contains: Fang Weiyi "taught his nephew wisdom, just like a teacher." Fang Yizhi himself described it like this: "Zhi Twelve lost his mother and was entrusted by his aunt." "Book of Rites", "Li Sao" ", all taught by my aunt."
Wei Yi carefully studied literature and history, compiled ancient and modern women's poems, compiled a "History of Palace Poetry", and wrote seven volumes of "Qingfenge Poetry Collection", all of which are precious ladies. Historical materials and chants. When Fang Yizhi wrote the postscript to his "Qing Fen Pavilion Collection", he sighed: "Ouch! If a woman can write books like my aunt, she must be a man!" Weiyi painter followed Li Gonglin of the Song Dynasty, especially the line drawing of "Avalokitesvara". It has both divine qualities and people are eager to collect it. Wang Shizhen, a famous poet in the Qing Dynasty, called it "wonderful product". There is a line of praise in Wu Xun's poem "Inscribed on the White Painting of Masters in Qingfen Pavilion": "The ink flowers curl in the cold autumn tide, and the ends of the hair are lightly dyed with the smile of the spring clouds."
Fang Weiyi was widowed at the age of 17 and died at the age of 84. At the end of his life, he was worshiped in a special temple. The plaque in the temple said: "Today's Everyone".
Life experience
Fang Weiyi’s life experience is miserable. When she got married, Yao Sunli had been ill for six years. When her husband was ill, she personally "supported him, doubled the soup and medicine, swung mosquitoes and flies around, grasped the phlegm and saliva, and moved around", making her head restless. Unfortunately, her husband died young and she gave birth to a posthumous daughter who died after only nine months of raising her.
She lamented in "Report of the Late Life of the Dead": "Everything is supported, but I am alone and helpless. I am filled with sorrow and depression, and my tears are stained on the curtain. From now on, my appearance is getting worse and worse, and my strength is getting weaker and weaker." This kind of kind. The sense of life experience is also reflected in some of her poems. "Farewell in Death" is a representative poem. The poem says: "In the past, I read about separation in life, but I did not talk about separation in death. No matter life or death, I am single. The north wind blows withered mulberry trees, and I feel sad day and night... ..." The sad atmosphere and sentimental color are heavily shrouded in it, making people feel sad when reading it. According to Fang Mengshi, Fang Weiyi's "words about separation from sorrow and resentment are often burned and discarded". Most of the works that express painful emotions are discarded as they become, and only a small part remains.
Like many female painters who used paintbrushes or needlework (such as Qiu Zhu and Xing Cijing in the Ming Dynasty, Zhao Zhao in the Qing Dynasty, etc.), she painted Guanyin with the teachings of great kindness and compassion and rescuing those in need. , Arhat statues to seek spiritual sustenance. In terms of painting techniques, she admires the line drawing works of Wu Daozi in the Tang Dynasty and Li Gonglin in the Song Dynasty. In addition to the "Guanyin Picture" and "Arhat Walking with Bananas" collected by the Palace Museum in Beijing, the paintings also include the "Arhat Picture" and "Dali Image" collected by the Anwei Provincial Museum, and the "Arhat Picture" collected by Fushun Museum in Liaoning, etc. , the total number is no more than ten.
Born into a family of officials
Fang Weiyi was born into a family of officials. Her father, Fang Dazhen, was a Jinshi during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty and became a Shaoqing of Dali Temple. My elder sister, Meng Shi, and my younger brother, Kong Jie, were both erudite and talented. Fang Weiyi grew up in such a family with a strong cultural and academic atmosphere. She has been exposed to all kinds of things since she was a child, and she has dabbled in poetry, calligraphy and painting. Coupled with her own talent and academic ability, she later made outstanding achievements in literature and art.
After being widowed, she still worked diligently to write books and achieve success throughout her life
When Fang Weiyi was 17 years old, she married Yao Sunqi, a young man from Tongli. Unfortunately, her husband died of illness shortly after the marriage. The following year, she gave birth to a posthumous daughter, who died one after another. Therefore, she had no choice but to return to her natal family alone and live as a widow, keeping her aspiration at "Qingfen Pavilion". After Fang Weiyi became a widow, her living situation was no longer comparable to her carefree youth. In the complex big family, she respects the elders and takes care of her, treats her peers and servants well, and harmonizes all aspects of the relationship. Although what she did was extremely difficult, in her spare time from managing the family finances, she always insisted on reading scriptures and history, studying hard in learning, reciting poems and compositions, and used this to influence her family. The bumpy life experiences did not trip up Weiyi. A higher level of cultural literacy determines Weiyi's higher pursuit of life ideals. She kept her ambition in Qingfen Pavilion, read a lot of books with perseverance, wrote diligently, and took a different life path from ordinary women.
Knowledge
Fang Weiyi is highly respected by people because of his profound knowledge and affability. Her brothers, sisters and nephews all admired her and treated her as a teacher. Qingfen Pavilion has become a school, and Fang Weiyi has become the female teacher of Qingfen Pavilion. Her sister-in-law Wu Lingyi studied at Xiaofen Pavilion and made great progress in calligraphy, poetry and prose. Wu Lingyi passed away at the age of 30, and Fang Weiyi hand-printed the "Qiu Peiju Posthumous Manuscript" for her to pass down to the world. Fang Weiyi also personally raised her nephews and nieces, teaching them earnestly and caring for them. Later, niece Fang Ziyao became a talented woman who was good at calligraphy and painting, and her calligraphy and painting works were highly praised by Fang Weiyi. The nephew Fang Yizhi's ability to become a great scholar on par with Gu Yanwu, Huang Zongzhan, and Wang Fuzhi is inseparable from Fang Weiyi's early education and influence on him.
The temperament of the times
The era in which Fang Weiyi lived coincided with the transition between the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Class conflicts and ethnic conflicts were increasingly intensified. The barbaric burning and killing after the Qing soldiers entered the customs made it even more difficult. Mountains and rivers are shattered, and all living beings are in ruins. The unique sensitivity and rich emotions of literary artists give Fang Weiyi a stronger sense of real life. She has always paid attention to the fate and future of the country, and deeply sympathized with the people's livelihood sufferings. The cruel social reality always arouses her resentment for the troubled times and nostalgia for her motherland. She vividly reflects her various emotions of concern for the country and the people in her works. She has good conduct and outstanding talents, but she does not show herself by it, and her poems never show off to others easily. "Words about sorrow and resentment are often burned when they are done" (Fang Mengshi's "Preface to the Collection of Qingfen Pavilion"). Among the poems handed down from generation to generation, the more representative one is her late work "Traveling in Autumn and Hearing the Bandits".
Fang Weiyi was highly erudite and talented. He not only studied classics and history, but was also good at poetry, prose, calligraphy and painting.
According to records in "History of the Ming Dynasty·Yiwenzhi" and "Ranzhi Collection" by Wang Shilu of the Qing Dynasty, Weiyi has written 8 volumes of "Qingfen Pavilion Collection", 1 volume of "Chujiang Yin", 1 volume of "Gonggui Poetry Review", One volume of "The Seven Confusions of Ni Shuo" and "Poetry and History of Guangui", "History of Guangui Literary", "Returning Sigh", "Guilin Fan" and other collections have been published in the world. These works include poetry, prose, notes, papers and other literary styles, and their content involves literary creation, literary history research, literary criticism and female philosophy. Unfortunately, most of her works have been scattered, and we can only get a glimpse of her poetic style from the few surviving works.
Fang Weiyi has been persistently pursuing literature and art throughout his life. When he was over 70 years old, he still insisted on writing and painting. Her calligraphy is most admired by Mrs. Wei's style, and her painting is best at line drawing. Feng Jinbo of the Qing Dynasty listed Weiyi's line painting as a masterpiece in his "Knowledge of Paintings of the Dynasty" and believed that "in the past three hundred years, the generous and famous pens can only be compared with Jie Jie's two or three." Weiyi's achievements in many aspects show that she is worthy of being a "celebrity" in the female world.