Wang Bo was born in A.D 650 into a family with high literary status. His grandfather was the Sui dynastyConfucian philosopher Wang Tong. His father was named Wang Fuzhi. According to the Old Book of Tang, Wang Bo could write poems when he was six years old; he finished reading the Classics when he was ten. Beginning his career under Prince Pei, he wrote a call-to-arms in jest which was criticized by the emperor. After that, he killed a servant, ending his political career. This incident also implicated his father, who was banished to Jiaozhi. On 28th December 675, Wang Bo began a trip to find his father in Jiaozhi. Returning from this trip by sea, he drowned in 676.
Themes and Values
Self-display
Wang Bo had an anti-attitude toward Shangguan Style, he advocated the true reflection of the poets themselves in their literature works. This literary goal was inspired by Sima Qian’s “Shitaigong Zixu”, which is autobiographical. In his poem and “Fu” we can see the self-display of himself, which is “Youmiaoshan Xu”. This article was written after he live Prince Pei, during the journey in Shu. This is the first time Wang Bo record his conflict and struggle between the experience during the explore of natural and objective world and his aspire of Daoist. As the idea “poetry express one’s mind” was gradually established in early Tang literary world, Wang Bo’s other two prefaces called “Preface for a Banquet Held at a Pavilion in the North of Mianzhou, Attended by a Host of Gentlemen” and “Preface for Collected Poems Composed When Several Gentlemen Visited Me on a Summer Day”. Also, one of his most famous work, “Tengwangge Xu” also express his disappointed in political, but still have the strong passion and ambition of allegiance his country. Especially, “Tengwangge Xu” was written in the journey of finding his father, he arrived at Hongzhou, he was experienced a hard time in his political time, killed servant, and his article had been criticized. He wrote about the autumn and landscape in Tengwangge and turns to express his emotion. He described himself as an abject man with rough experience in political life, compare himself with Sima Xiangru reflect his strong wish in provide contribute for his country. This is a clear evidence of his “self-display”. Wang Bo as one of “Four Paragons of Early Tang”, the initiate of “poetry express one’s mind” settled not only the huge contribution of Early Tang poems style, but also his important status in Tang literary world.
Change during Peiwang
In Wang Bo’s short life, he experienced a political frustration during the time in Peiwang Fu. That provide a chance of change in Wang Bo’s literature work. Wang Bo wrote “Tao Doji Xi” with a joke attitude, which basic about praise Peiwang’s chook and encourage him to win the competition, but the Emperor thought he is “Wai Cai” as Wang Bo is one of “Boshi”. He was expelled from Peiwang Fu. After that, he killed a servant called Cao Da and this is the final frustration which finished Wang Bo’s political life. Cao Da as a servant of nobles, Wang Bo was punished as killed servant of noble privately and had been prepared be death penalty. Although he had been released, but he lost his job in government. According to those accidents, Wang Bo changed his article style from earlier. As his literary work contained “Self-display” more and more clear, after the accident happened in Pei, his literary work shown a negative atmosphere, and reflect his sad emotion and the yearn of back to political, the expect of create a peaceful and prosperity country.
Influence and Achievements
Pei Xingjian, who is an official Attendant Gentleman of the Ministry of Personnel. He was commented with Yang Jiong, Lu Zhaolin, Luo Binwang as “Four Paragons of Early Tang”. As mentioned before, Wang Bo opposed Gongti Style, which is a school of literature, seeking for the perfect beauty of world using, but ignore the content and sense. Wang Bo had established “poetry express one’s mind” also carry it forward, which provided a new style for Tang Literary world. Wang Bo’s poems, for example, “Farewell to Prefect Du” was selected in “300 poems of Tang”. His article, “Tengwangge Xu” has been select in Chinese high-school textbook. Also, Wang Bo contained a high achievement in Tang Fu. In early and High Tang literature history, an interesting literary phenomena is “wrote Shi in Fu style ”. So many poets and writer are creating Fu. Wang Bo’s famous work, such as Chunsi Fu and Cailian Fu, both have a high status in literary world. Wang Bo and “Four Paragons” use their experiment of trying and exploring the new genre. Their experiments provide huge contribute to thriving literature world of Tang Dynasty.
Critical and Comments
There are both positive and negative comments about Wang Bo and his literary works. Positive comments think he is talent and provide a huge contribution in Tang literature world, especially poems and “Fu”. Negative comments outline Wang Bo’s mistake on kill Cao Da, which mentioned before, they think he is “frivolous and shallow”.
Positive
High Tang Poet Du Fu had been wrote poems to criticize Wang Bo and Four Paragons of Early Tang” with a positive attitude. There is an example: - Yang, Wang, Lu, and Luo—the style of those times— Frivolous and shallow were their compositions, disdain never ceased. All of you—your persons and names have both perished, Uninterrupted is the current of the river for a myriad age. Duan Chengshi also record Wang Bo’s amazing talent in writing. He outlined a short story of Wang Bo, which when he writing article never interrupt. - Every time Wang Bo composed a stele inscription or panegyric, he first ground several liters of ink, and laid down with a blanket covering him up to his face. All of a sudden, he got up and wrote it in a single stroke, without correcting and blotting it. People of his time called it "belly draft."
Negative
But there are still some negative comments of Wang Bo and his article, in Du Fu’s poem as mentioned before, he states that the Four paragons of Early Tang’s work are “frivolous and shallow”. This criticize was caused by Wang Bo killed a servant called Cao Da, that is a mistake that cannot really accept by the government. In Jiu Tangshu, Wang Bo’s biograph, comments was outlined as "bombastic, impetuous, shallow, and flaunting".Wen Yiduo, a Chinese famous scholar had explained “frivolous and shallow” of Wang Bo and Four paragons of Early Tang like that: “Because their behavior and conduct were romantic, they suffered from all the mockery and denunciation of others.”
Famous Transition
Wang Bo’s most famous poem, “Farewell to Prefect Du” was selected in “300 Tang Poems” for Chinese Children’s enlightenment. Now, “300 Tang Poems” had been translated in English with several translator, makes those poems are known in the world.
