Criticism of Baguwen Writing in the Early Qing: Focusing on the Chu Family of Fengyi.

The Chu family of Fengyi is an outstanding representative of the Yixing School of writers in the early Qing. They had brilliant achievements in both ancient prose writing and modem prose writing, with Chu Xin, Chu Dawen, and Chu Zhangwen as representatives. Proposing to treat ancient prose as modem prose, they also looked to four aspects: yuanben Rushu (write in line with Confucian Classics), kezong xianzheng (scrupulously follow the precedents of former sages), churu Han Ou (assimilate the writings of Han Yu and Ouyang Xiu), and zhezhong gujin (mediate the ancient and the modem). In order to combine dao (Confucian Way) and fa (method), they believed that what they advocated would help make modern prose meet the true purpose for which the ancient writers had written. They made specific requirements concerning baguwen (eight-legged essay) writing. They pursued a graceful, classical style that embodied the concerns for empathy, correctness, and justice in its graceful, classical expression yi renyi zhi zhi, biao guya zhi shen, as well as emphasizing cultivating qi (generative energy). Moreover, they further set the Four Masters of the Ming as models and discussed how some writers had developed their own writing styles. All of this brought the criticism of baguwen writing in the early Qing to a new level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]