Biography
Qian was born in Changshu county of Suzhou prefecture (now in Jiangsu province). His style name was Shou Zhi (受之) and his pseudonyms were Mu Zhai (牧斋) and later Meng Sou (蒙叟). He passed the imperial exam in 1610 at the age of 28.
Qian knew many independent women from entertainment and artistic circles who he treated as equals. One was a Ma Ruyu from Nanking, a consummate actress. She had had a good formal education. In addition she could paint and produce calligraphy in the square style. In her time she intimidated the male literati around her. Like many others of her kind, she abandoned her stage life and took up religion, building a Buddhist retreat. Another was Liu Rushi (1618–1684), who became his consort after he was impressed by her accomplishments. He treated her as his intellectual equal and companion on travels and social gatherings. Her poetry was preserved by Qian. Qian had important ties to the local writers and artists in the Jiading and Kunshan area outside modern Shanghai.
Preceding this generation of individuals was the prose master Gui Youguang (1507–1571) who opposed the classicists headed by Wang Shizhen (1526–1590). The antagonism to the classicist school would continue throughout the life and writings of Qian Qianyi himself.
In 1644, Qian taught an excellent student in Nanjing: Koxinga.
Read more about this topic: Qian Qianyi
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