Wang Wei（701-761）and the Intellectual Milieu of Medieval China

Wang Wei (701-761) , with the title of “Buddha of Poetry”, was arguably one of the most famous and accomplished literary figures of T’ang dynasty. It is no denying that of particular importance to his creationary power was the religious factors. However,some misunderstanding were held for a long time because most researchers and critics only concentrated on the characteristics of Chan sources rather than other aspects in his works. Instead of merely his Chan inclination ever explored, this paper shed more light on the interaction between Wang Wei and the milieu of medieval China in which his mindset were shaped or shared. The aim is to illustrate that these characteristics can be traced to various medieval thoughts as well and to provide a fairly reasonable evaluation of his style of mind. t first, this paper consider Wang Wei’s literature presentation by an analysis of early and high T’ang intellectuals’ social origins, and draw the Wangs’ family background of Buddhism worship to clarify his primary relationship with the Chan schools and other essential doctrinal resources. Second, by focusing on the “official-recluse” ideas which rooted from the concepts of “mind/track”, it is pointed out how the T’ang intellectuals’ life ideals and general attitudes between the public affairs and private sphere embodied a picture of “Vimalakīrti of dark thinking” which specifically prevailed in the medieval intellectual community. And then I elaborate on certain key terms in T’ang and pre-T’ang poetry, such as “quietude” and “solitude”, to make clear the assumptions of nature and “other-world” by which T’ang intellectuals find ways to settle and cultivate their lives. Finally, by the examples of Wang Wei and other people unduring and after An-shih rebellion, I take “the death of the assistant director of the right” as an meaningful event to indicate the subtle transformation of T’ang intellectual mind. n spite of being neither an intellectual figure nor a theorist of religion, Wang Wei’s mind not only created a legacy of poetic tradition, but represented some significance to the intellectual history of medieval China. He can be regarded as an epitome of intellectual culture of medieval China in varied ways. Although this paper does not attempt to write a complete biography of Wang Wei whose life spanned the most prosperous period of T’ang dynasty and the ensuing tumult, the investigations may help deepen our historical understanding inside and outside of his mindset as well as some common characters of other medieval intelligentsia.