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Wang WeiChinese poet, painter, calligrapher, musician.
Country:
 China |
Content:
Early Life and Career
Wang Wei (699-759 CE) was a renowned Chinese poet, painter, calligrapher, and musician. Born into a bureaucratic family in Qi, he moved to the capital Chang'an in 717 and pursued an official career. In 721, he passed the prestigious Dingshi examinations and was appointed to the imperial court.
Exile and Return
Wang Wei's brief service at the court of Emperor Xuanzong ended in exile after he was implicated in a minor scandal. During his exile, he served as a minor official in the coastal province of Qizhou. In the late 720s, he returned to the capital and established a literary circle.
High Office and Persecution
In 734, Wang Wei was promoted to a high advisory position through the patronage of Chief Minister Zhang Jiuling. However, Zhang's downfall in 737 forced Wang Wei to leave the capital again. He traveled extensively and held various provincial posts.
Restoration and Retirement
By 745, Wang Wei had returned to the capital and held positions as Senior Secretary of the Civil Office and Secretary at the Imperial Court. During the An Lushan Rebellion of 755, he was captured and imprisoned in a Buddhist temple. After the rebellion was suppressed in 758, Wang Wei was granted high office under Emperor Suzong. However, he soon retired to a secluded life in the Zhongnan Mountains, where he lived as a Zen hermit until his death at the age of 60.
