Gong Zizhen’s two most famous poems are Jihai’s Miscellaneous Poems Part One and Jihai’s Miscellaneous Poems Part Two.
Gong Zizhen’s grandfather, father, and himself had been officials in the capital for three generations. Now that he resigned and left the capital, he felt quite uneasy. This poem was written when the poet resigned and returned to the south. It expresses the boundless sorrow of the talented man who first left the capital and left for the world. The whole poem is a blend of scenes and vivid metaphors.
The opening chapter describes the author's melancholy after resigning from office. The sun sets in the west. The poet cannot enjoy the bright sunset with his relatives and friends, but has to go to the distant horizon alone. His heart is full of melancholy and concern. Vast and sorrowful, using an exaggerated technique, refers to the boundless sadness of parting.
The three characters "sunset" are a pun, which not only refers to the scene of nature, but also implies that the Qing Dynasty is no longer as glorious as it used to be, and is heading towards decline and decline step by step. Yin whip points east, which means the poet's whip points to the east.
The poet’s hometown of Hangzhou is actually in the southeast of Beijing. Although it is not very far, the poet feels that the road is so long because of his heavy heart and difficult steps, which also implies that the author’s career is bleak. There was no hope at all.
Character evaluation
He supported Lin Zexu in banning opium, and suggested that Lin Zexu strengthen military facilities and prepare to fight against the British invaders. Gong Zizhen pursued "upgrading the law" throughout his life. Although it was not realized until his death, it had a beneficial impact in many aspects. In terms of social outlook, he pointed out that the root cause of social unrest lies in the disparity between rich and poor, and called for the reform of the imperial examination system to recruit talents who are "well versed in classics and practical".
In terms of philosophical thought, it elaborates on the views of the Tiantai Sect in Buddhism and proposes that human nature is "neither good nor bad" and "good and evil all come later". In terms of history, he issued a call to "respect history" and devoted himself to the discussion of northwest history and geography. In literature, he put forward the theory of "respecting emotions" and advocated that poetry and people are one.