ABSTRACT
The music of Zheng was to be avoided and banned, because it stood for lewd and licentious music. When Wang Guowei points out that “The refinement or lack of refinement of ci lies in their spirit rather than in their outward appearance,” this shows how sophisticated he was in his ability to appreciate the ci. Ci poems on the surface appear to be very alike in this thematic respect, but the jingjie they portray may be superior or inferior. The ci, and particularly the ci of the Huajian ji, are primarily concerned with the longing of beautiful women for love. Wang not only sees a connection, but finds the suggestion of the “profusion of exquisite blossoms once lovely [rotting in weeds],” and “a beautiful woman approaching the twilight of her years” to contain the most important meaning of the poem.
