Zhao Yi
| Zhao Yi | |
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| 趙翼 | |
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| Nationality | Chinese |
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Zhao Yi (1727-1814) was a poet, historian, and critic during the Qing Dynasty in China. Zhao is notable for his innovative poetry, his historical writings (including Notes on the Twenty-Two Dynastic Histories), and for espousing unconventional views on various aspects of Chinese dynastic history.
Zhao's early life exemplified the Confucian ideal of upward mobility from destitution through the skillful cultivation and use of intelligence, education, and personal connections. Like many other aspirants to social status in the Qing Empire, Zhao began his studies early in life. Zhao began his education before the age of five, and was recorded to have been a precocious learner. Later, Zhao was further spurred on to achieve educational and career success to ensure the well-being of his family after his father died when Zhao was only 14 years old.
In the imperial examination system, Zhao achieved admirable success, despite early setbacks. After apparently failing a local examination fourteen times, Zhao went on to earn his provincial degree in 1750 at the age of 23 on his second attempt, and later earned his metropolitan degree in 1761, placing third overall in his cohort behind Wang Jie and Hu Gaowang. Notably, Zhao specialized in the difficult Book of Rites (along with only 6% of his cohort), and incorporated emphasis on practical problems of government.
Even as he performed well in the imperial examination system, Zhao was notably defiant in his examination writings. In these writings, Zhao criticized the format and practices of the examination system, taking aim at issues including the imposed formal structure of examination writing as well as the failures of examiners in their duty both to those taking the exams and to the level of scholarly discourse.
At least in part because of an aversion to examination writing, Zhao delved into poetry. Zhao eventually became and is still remembered as one of the Three Masters of the Qianlong Period for his poetry (the others being Zhao's friends Yuan Mei and Jiang Shiquan).
The originality of Zhao’s ideas on poetry were recognized in his own lifetime, as is attested to in the writings of his friend and fellow poet Yuan Mei who appreciated Zhao’s poetic eccentricities as well as his unorthodox and rich literary influences, and drew a firm distinction between Zhao’s work and that of his contemporaries who imitated Tang and Song poetry.
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