A Critical View of Wei Yuan's Remarks on Literature and Writing of Poetry

Wei Yuan's remarks on literature was originated from his modern study of Confucian classics and his thought of social reform. For his wr iting of poems, there are two types of his characteristic poems to be mentioned: those poems reflecting the current affairs by advocating utility and educationa l enlightening and those depicting the mountains and waters in peculiar and quee r styles so as to be innovative for returning to the ancients. It is just wi th their powerful vigour, overwhelming manner and strong sense of the era that W ei Yuan's poems were able to enjoy great popularity in the world of poetry in h is days.