"Climbing the Stork Tower" was written by Wang Zhihuan of the Tang Dynasty. The full text is translated as follows:
The setting sun slowly sinks against the Western Mountains, and the surging Yellow River rushes towards the East China Sea. If you want to see enough of the thousands of miles of scenery, you have to climb to a higher tower.
The first two sentences of "Climbing the Stork Tower" describe the natural scenery, but at the beginning of the writing, it is shrunk to a close distance, making it possible to reach thousands of miles away; the last two sentences are freehand and unexpectedly written, combining philosophy and Scenery and situations melt into each other seamlessly. The poet's soul was shocked by nature, and what he realized was a simple and profound philosophy, which can urge people to abandon their self-sufficient knowledge, climb high and look broadly, and constantly explore new and better realms.
The creative background of "Climbing the Stork Tower" is that Wang Zhihuan passed the imperial examination in his early years. He once served as the chief registrar of Hengshui County in Jizhou. He was dismissed soon after being falsely accused. Wang Zhihuan, who was less than 30 years old, lived a happy life from then on. A life of wandering around visiting friends. This poem was written by the author when he was thirty-five years old.
Wang Zhihuan’s achievements:
1. Unique poetic style: Wang Zhihuan’s poetry works are famous for their fresh and refined, bold and uninhibited personality. His poems cover a wide range of subjects, ranging from describing landscapes to expressing personal emotions. His poetic language is concise, vivid, expressive and leaves a deep impression on people.
2. Reflect social reality: Wang Zhihuan’s poetic works reflected the social reality at that time to a certain extent. His poems depict farmers' labor scenes and the suffering of people's lives, showing his keen observation of social phenomena and concern for people's lives.
3. Inheriting culture: As one of the important representatives of Tang Dynasty culture, Wang Zhihuan’s poetry has had a profound impact on later generations. His poetry not only inherited the essence of Tang Dynasty culture, but also made important contributions to the development of ancient Chinese literature.
4. Musical talent: Wang Zhihuan is not only good at poetry creation, but also proficient in music. His poetic works have musical beauty and are able to convey emotions and artistic conception through rhyme and rhythm.
5. Profound influence on later generations: Wang Zhihuan’s poetry has had a profound impact on later generations. His poetic style and creative techniques have become a model for later poets to learn from, and his poetic works have also become one of the classics of ancient Chinese literature and have been widely praised and inherited.