Initiating New Trends and Inheriting the Literary Tradition: An Inquiry Into the Du wen-Bi de of Huang Benji, a Scholar From Hunan Province in the Late Qing Dynasty

The literary circle in Hunan regions during the late Qing Dynasty underwent an innovative transformation, and the creation of literary works was exceptionally prosperous.The emergence of this literary phenomenon was undoubtedly inseparable from the impetus provided by the Hunan Army Group.However, upon a close examination of its origin and development, it can be discerned that since the mid-Qing Dynasty, numerous scholars in Hunan had already been engaged in the exploration and practice of the concepts of literary creation.Among them, Huang Benji's Du wen-Bi de was a specialized literary work concentrating on literary composition.It possessed a complete system and novel viewpoints, embodying the distinctive literary perspective of Hunan scholars.Nevertheless, it has not been deeply explored.Through an analysis of the innovative aspects of the literary theory in Du wen-Bi de and its influence on Confucian classics, this study examines the guiding role of this literary work on the literary creation in the Hunan regions during the late Qing Dynasty and its theoretical value in literary thought.