The Four Gifted Scholar of Southern China:Xu Zhenqing
Xu Zhenqing (1477-1511), another name Changgu, was live in Wu County (now Shuzhou City). He is an litterateur in Ming Dynasty. He is called the Four Gifted Scholars of Southern China with Tang Yan, Wen Zhenming and Zhu Zhishan. He is famous for his poems.
Xu was born in talent. When he was 16 years old, he wrote a chapbook himself called Xinqianji and soon known by all the people in Wu County. However, he was fail in Imperial examinations for many times, and then he wrote another chapbook called Tantanji which means the collection of signs. He wrote Jiangxingji (traveling along with Changjiang River) in 1501 and Taihuxinlu in 1503. In 1505, he finally became Chinshih (the third-class in the Imperial examinations).
Xu has a special place in poetic circles in Ming Dynasty. He wrote many poems and was called eminent writer by people at that time. But for the shortness, he is look down upon the literally of Ming Dynasty, all the poems he wrote are just talking about Hang Dynasty and Wei Dynasty, he is never talks about Ming Dynasty.
At Xu’s late time, he became Taoist Beliefs, and focusing on nursing of life. He was died in Beijing at the age of 33 in 1511. Digongji, Yiling and Tangyilu are also his famous poem collections and have passed on now for nearly 500 years.
