Wang Bao facts for kids

Wang Bao (lived around 84–53 BCE) was a famous Chinese poet. He lived during the Western Han dynasty, a long time ago in ancient China. His special name, called a courtesy name, was Ziyuan (子淵). Wang Bao was very good at writing traditional Chinese poetry.

He helped bring back a style of poetry called Chu Ci. This happened when Emperor Xuan was ruling. Chu Ci means "literature from Chu." Chu was an old kingdom in what is now southern China. Wang Bao is especially known for writing a part of the Chu Ci collection called "Nine Regrets". His poems were so good that they were put into one of the first big collections of Chinese poetry. This helped make sure people would remember Wang Bao as a great writer. He became famous during Emperor Xuan's rule (74–49 BCE) and worked at the emperor's court.

Wang Bao's Life Story

Early Years

Wang Bao was born in Ziyang, a city in Sichuan, China. Back then, the Sichuan area was known as Shu. It was a far-off part of the Han Empire.

One day, Wang Bao wrote a song for a local official. The song praised the Han government. This song was later performed for Emperor Xuan. The emperor really liked the song, especially the words. He was so impressed that he asked Wang Bao to come to his court. Wang Bao became a court poet. He had an honorary job with a good salary. He continued to be successful because he was great at writing beautiful poems and praising the emperor at the same time.

Working for the Emperor

While Wang Bao was at the court, the Chu Ci style of poetry became popular again. Wang Bao was a big part of this new interest. He was even asked to help the emperor's son, who was feeling sad. Wang Bao would read his poems to the prince until he felt better. Two of his most successful poems were fu (a type of long poem or rhapsody) called "The Flute" and "The Ganquan Palace."

The fu about the Ganquan Palace (traditional Chinese: 甘泉宮; simplified Chinese: 甘泉宫; pinyin: Gānquán gōng; "Sweet Springs Palace") was about a summer palace. This palace was a favorite spot for Emperor Wu and other Han emperors. The actual Ganquan Palace was located in what is now Chunhua County, in Shaanxi province, China. You can still see the remains of this important historical site today.

His Final Journey

After a few years, Wang Bao was sent back to Shu. This happened because people reported seeing a green rooster and a golden horse in the mountains near Yizhou. Emperor Xuan ordered Wang Bao to bring the supposed golden horse to the capital city. However, during this trip, Wang Bao became sick and died. Emperor Xuan was very sad to hear this news.

Wang Bao lived at the same time as another scholar named Liu Xiang. We don't have exact dates for Wang Bao's birth and death. But we know he wrote his Chu Ci poems between about 60 and 50 BCE.

Wang Bao's Writings

Wang Bao wrote a famous collection of nine poems called "Nine Regrets." These poems were written in a style similar to old songs. They also included a final section called a luan (a short concluding poem). All these poems were added to the Chu Ci collection, making it the 11th part.

Wang Bao was also known for writing in the fu style. This type of poetry was very popular during the Han dynasty. One of his interesting works is "The Slave's Contract." It's a funny piece where Wang Bao pretends to write a detailed contract for buying an old, grumpy slave. The contract lists all the many difficult jobs the slave would have to do.

More to Explore

• Chu ci
• Fu (poetry)
• List of Chuci contents
• Liu Xiang (scholar)
• Nine Regrets
• Qu Yuan
• Shu (state)
• Wang Yi (librarian)