Poet, named Yuanzhang, his nicknames include Zhuishishanong, Cowherd, Kuaiji Foreign History, and Plum Blossom Housekeeper. A native of Zhuji, Zhejiang. Born in a farm family, he herded cattle when he was young. His family was poor, but he was eager to learn and tireless in reading. He often went to the temple at night to read under the bright lamp, and his knowledge gradually deepened. His eagerness to learn moved Han Xing, a scholar in Kuaiji at that time, who accepted him as a student and taught him reading and painting. In his youth, Wang Mian was once passionate about fame, but he repeatedly failed to pass the imperial examination. So he was full of anger, burned his articles, wandered around the world, and never became a scholar. He once visited Hangzhou and Jinling, crossed the Yangtze River, crossed the Huaihe River, passed through Xuzhou and Jinan to Dadu (now Beijing), and reached Juyongguan. Traveling thousands of miles away enabled him to expand his horizons and broaden his mind. At the same time, he also gained a clearer understanding of social reality and the ruling class. In Beijing, Tai Buhua recommended him to teach in a school. He had a premonition that the Yuan Dynasty regime was in turmoil, so he refused to accept it. Instead, he returned south alone and made a living selling paintings.
He specializes in painting plum blossoms, using rouge to create "boneless bodies", and is especially famous for his dark plum blossoms. Painted plum blossoms inherited the tradition of monk Zhongren and Yang Wujiu in the Song Dynasty, and made new creations, which had a great influence on later generations. The plum blossoms made are either sparse or dense, or the sparseness and density are appropriate, especially the denseness is the best. The branches are staggered, the stamens and calyces are distributed, the priorities are clear, the layers are clear, dense and sparse, many but not complex. He painted dried plums with vigorous brushwork, appropriate strokes and full texture. Paint the petals, or use the stippling method with dark and light ink, or use the circle method to outline the flowers, or use both dots and circles. There are many changes, which can vividly express the unique shape of the plum blossom, and through the exploration of the charm of the plum blossom. Describe and express your own feelings and ambitions. The author of "Plum Plum Blossoms" has been handed down from generation to generation, which is an early theoretical work on plum painting. He was also good at writing on bamboo and stone, and could also engrave seals. He used milkstone as the sealing material, and it is said that he was the first to create it. Later, because he wrote in a painting poem, "The sparse plum blossoms are all covered with ice and snow, and the Qiang flute cannot blow them down", he was framed by officials, who thought he was making a mockery of current affairs and wanted to arrest him. So he fled to Jiuli Mountain in Kuaiji and called himself The mountain farmer who cooked the stone lived in seclusion. Farming during the day, reading, writing poetry and painting at night, living a life of poverty. Wang Mian's life experience had a profound influence on his poems and paintings. The poor and simple life in the mountain village gave his poems and paintings a strong flavor of life. Make his poems and paintings extraordinary.
Wang Mian's poems are among the best among Yuan Dynasty poems. Most of his poems are included in "Zhuzhai Poetry Collection". Liu Ji once had a correct evaluation of Wang Mian's poems. He said: "When I was in Hangzhou, I heard that Wang Yuanzhang of Kuaiji was good at poetry. Many scholar-bureaucrats praised his poetry, and I wished I could not recognize it. In the Jiawu Period (1354), I robbed the Oukuo Room and took refuge in Kuaiji. The poems written by Yuan Zhang are straight but not twisted, quality but not slang, bold but not absurd, strange but not weird, broad but not excessive, with the feeling of loyalty to the king and love for the people, the ambition to eliminate evil and the sincerity. It can be seen in the meaning of the words, and it is not a mere creation, because of great respect." ("Zhuzhai Poetry Collection·Original Preface")
From his "Sending People to the Swallow" and "Spring of the Jinshui River". Judging from "Sigh of the Lonely Pine", he had no particular dislike for the Yuan Dynasty in his early years. His poems mainly express his sympathy for the plight of the people, his condemnation of the corruption and arrogance of the powerful, and his contempt for fame and wealth. Such as "Ascetic Journey", "Shang Pavilion House", "Jiangnan Woman", etc. Wang Mian's exposure of the shameless face of bureaucratic landlords is also quite sharp, such as "Yin to the Scenery", "Wu Jiqu" and so on.
A considerable number of Wang Mian's poems express his unwillingness to follow the crowd and pursue noble thoughts. He often compared himself with plum blossoms. In his early years, he used plum blossoms to express his refusal to accept an official position. In his later years, he also used plum blossoms to show his innocence, saying: "The wild plum blossoms are still old-fashioned." ("Return") His poems are simple and natural.
Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Shaoxing and stationed troops in Jiuli Mountain. He found him and asked him to join the army as a consultant. He died suddenly.