Zhang Hu

Life

Early in life, Zhang Hu held the shengyuan educational status and entered the xianggong and jinshi examination tracks. At the end of the Changqing era he went to Hangzhou to seek qualification but was blocked; he remained a commoner throughout his life, and despite repeated recommendations from regional commanders, never received a court stipend.

He first attached himself to Li Guangyan, later lived in Gusu, and visited Bai Juyi. During the Yuanhe and Changqing eras he travelled across the north and south of the Yellow River and throughout the Jiangnan region, presenting poems to the military commanders Li Yuan, Li Su, and Tian Hongzheng, as well as to Han Yu and Pei Du, in the hope of securing patronage. His travels extended north to the frontier, south to Lingnan, west to Xianghan and Mawei, and east to the sea; as he put it, he was “wildly roaming the nine provinces.”

One account says that Linghu Chu recommended him during the Changqing era; another places the recommendation in the fifth year of Taihe and says that Zhang brought three hundred poems to the capital but returned without success. The reason for his failure is variously attributed to obstruction by palace officials or to Yuan Zhen.

During the Huichang era he associated with Du Mu; another account specifies the fifth year of Huichang, when he visited Du Mu, then prefect of Chizhou, and they travelled, feasted, and exchanged poems in close accord. His temperament was described as stern and intolerant: he repeatedly accepted appointments to a staff only to resign through self-impeachment. He served at times as an officer in an external prefectural staff or as a grandee’s staff retainer.

From the end of Huichang into the beginning of the Dazhong era, he travelled north from Chuzhou through Heyang and Huazhou before returning to Danyang. He became attached to the Qu’a area of Danyang, built a residence there, and ended his life in seclusion; he died during the Dazhong era under Emperor Xuanzong.

Poetry

During the Yuanhe era he first became known for short palace-style poems. His early palace poems were ornate and sensuous, at times tending toward frivolity; in old age he turned toward the Jian’an style, producing both short pieces and longer works whose remonstrative, plaintive, and enigmatic meanings were considered profound.

His palace poems were especially celebrated for their tactful satire and their treatment of events in the Tianbao court. He was also skilled at depicting things and scenes, describing landscapes and composing inscriptions for famous temples. His frontier poems were few but of high quality and continued the resonance of Gao Shi and Cen Shen; poems presented to eminent officials were mostly long five-character regulated poems and displayed considerable craftsmanship, with something of Du Fu’s legacy.

His poetry avoided obscure words, obscure allusions, and bizarre or grotesque effects. It was polished, balanced, and naturally flowing, drawing on familiar scenes and everyday sights to create vivid feeling without becoming shallow or commonplace.

Works and transmission

A ten-volume Zhang Chengji wenji circulated, and the works are also found under the titles Zhang Chengji ji and Zhang You ji. The Quan Tang shi preserves two volumes of his poetry but omits much; the Quan Tang shi waibian and Quan Tang shi xu shi add 155 poems, eight fragments, and one title, while another compilation gathers four volumes of supplementary poems.

“Inscription on the Jinling Ferry” and “Two Palace Poems” were widely recited, and other lyrics include “Hu Weizhou.”

Reception

Poets of his own and later generations—including Linghu Chu, Du Mu, Pi Rixiu, and Lu Guimeng—held Zhang Hu in high esteem. Du Mu travelled and feasted with him while exchanging poems, and Pi Rixiu and Lu Guimeng were especially appreciative of his poetry.