Chen Weisong, also called Chen Qinian or Chen Jialing, lived 1626 January 7－1682 June 13, was the first of the great Ci and Pianwen poets during the Qing dynasty. He was the leader and founder of the Yangxian poetry school.
Life
Chen Weisong was born to Ming dynasty prince Chen Zhenhui in Yixing, Jiangsu. Chen's ancestor Chen Yuting was a Ming dynasty royal court official. Growing up, Chen had a long beard or ran, so he was sometimes called Chen Ran. He grew up healthy with a talent in literature and writing. He ranked first in the Yangxian poetry test / competition and was friends with Wu Weiye, Maoxiang, Gong Dingzi, Jiang Chenying, Shao Changheng, Peng Sundi and others. Together with Wu Zhaoqian and Peng Shidu, he was praised by Wu Weiye as "Three Phoenix in Jiang Zuo". Together with Wu Qi and Zhang Zaogong, they are called "three pianwen geniuses". When the Ming was replaced by the Qing, Chen took the Imperial examination to become a government bureaucrat, but then later changed his mind to pursue a life as a poet. In November of the 15th year of Shunzhi, he visited Maoxiang, studied in Shencui Room in Shuihua Temple, and met Yunlang. In the spring of the first year of Kangxi, he went to Yangzhou and alongside writers :zh:王士禛|Wang Shizhen and :zh:張養重|Zhang Yangzhong helped repair the Xihong Bridge. In the eighteenth year of Emperor Kangxi, he participated in the 'Erudite Great Poetry Competition' and was awarded by the official Hanlin Academy for his works. In 1682, Chen had a headache for more than 40 days and then passed away, aged 58. His friend Jiang Jingqi mourned and wrote: 'This grief is hard to overcome. It is impossible to forget the tomb of this great hero. The spirit is now like frozen drum strings.' Chen had a long-lasting affair with boy-actor Xu Ziyun; the relationship was famous among their contemporaries and also of interest among modern scholars studying Chinese sexuality.
Poems
Chen was a prolific poet, writing around 460 poems and 1,629 songs on a variety of topics. He was the first great Ci poets during Qing dynasty and considered one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. His works include:
It was said of Chen that: “填词之富，古今无两”. According to Qian Zhonglian, among 1944 Ci poems compiled over China's history, Chen Weisong's poems stand out as the richest. Today he is recognized as one of the first great Ci poets during the Ming-Qing Transition and one of the greatest poets in Chinese history.
Friends and Family
Even though Chen Weisong married and had children with wives and concubines, Chen spent most of his life with his study partner and actress Yun Lang, also known as Xu Ziyun. Chen wrote many poems with Yun Lang. For example, on Yun Lang's wedding day, Chen wrote: "Six years of solitary halls are close to each other. The most memorable, red gauze pillow, tears lightly. After a lifetime of flowers and candles, she sang like a woman with her husband. I'm the only one who is as cold as iron, and it's rare to have a bright screen window through the peach bamboo pipe. Take a break for me, and then be embarrassed." Chen also painted a portrait of Yun taking a bath.
