Li Panlong

Li Panlong^[a] (1514–1570) was a Chinese writer and literary theorist active during the Ming dynasty, a leading figure among the Latter Seven Masters, and one of the foremost figures of Ming cultural life.

Li Panlong
李攀龍
Born	1514 Licheng, Jinan Prefecture, Shandong
Died	1570 (aged 55–56) Licheng, Jinan Prefecture, Shandong
Education	juren degree (1544)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	李攀龍
Simplified Chinese	李攀龙
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Pānlóng

Biography

Tomb of Li Panlong

Li Panlong was born in 1514 in Licheng, Jinan, Shandong. He was a scholar of Confucianism and successfully passed the civil service examinations. In 1544, he achieved the highest level of the exams, known as the palace examination, and was awarded the title of jinshi. He then embarked on a career in civil service, serving in both Beijing and various regions. In 1557, he was dismissed from his position and returned to his hometown.

In the late 1540s, he joined forces with the younger Wang Shizhen and formed a group of poets known as the Latter Seven Masters, with himself as the leading figure.^[1] As the leader of this group, he advocated for the archaizing literary movement, which held the belief that the best prose was written during the Han period (and earlier), and that the most esteemed poets were from the Tang dynasty's high period. He believed that writers should emulate the methods of these poets.^[2] The other members of the Latter Seven Masters and the entire archaising movement did not share his narrow focus on a single period or limited selection of models.^[3]

Li's poems, which imitated the compositions of late Tang writers, were not well received by his contemporaries who found them boring and unoriginal. He gained importance through his editorial work when he published the collections of Tang poetry, Gujin Shisan (古今詩刪; 'Correct Edition of Ancient and Modern Poetry') and Tangshi Xuan (唐詩選; 'Selection of Tang Poetry'). These collections established the high status of late Tang writers.^[3]

Notes

1. Li Panlong used the courtesy name Yulin (simplified Chinese: 于鳞; traditional Chinese: 于鱗; pinyin: Yúlín) and the art name Cangming (simplified Chinese: 沧溟; traditional Chinese: 滄溟; pinyin: Cāngmíng).