Qian Zhixi is a Cheung Kong Scholar Chair Professor, Ministry of Education of China, distinguished liberal art professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University, and Director of China Research Association of Li Bai. His research focuses on Chinese poetry, Chinese literary history, thought and culture.

• Introduction PART ONE Textual Research 1 A New Critical Assessment of the Evidential Research on Tao’s Birth Year 2 Family Background: Tao’s Humble Status and the Literary Representation 3 Textual Research on the Dating of Tao’s Literary Works PART TWO Philosophical Significance 4 The Pursuit of Knowledge and Artistic Creation 5 Life Philosophy of “Spirit-Oriented Nature” 6 Intra-Textual and Extra-Textual Evidence for the Trilogy “Substance, Shadow, and Spirit” PART THREE Rhetoric 7 Subtleties of Tao’s Literary Theory 8 The Art of Ci-Fu and Prose 9 A Comprehensive Survey of Tao’s Poetry PART FOUR The History of Tao’s Reception and Research: From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Song Dynasty 10 The Influence of Tao’s Poetry in the Evolution of the Poetic Style in the Jin, Song and Southern and Northern Dynasties 11 Reception History of Tao’s Thought and Image in the Tang and the Song Dynasties 12 Reception History of Tao’s Poetic Art in the Tang Dynasty 13 The Interpretation and Reception of Tao’s Poetic Art in the Song Dynasty 14 The Achievement of Evidential Research in Tao Yuanming Studies in the Song Dynasty Coda

Qian Zhixi is a Cheung Kong Scholar Chair Professor, Ministry of Education of China, distinguished liberal art professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University, and Director of China Research Association of Li Bai. His research focuses on Chinese poetry, Chinese literary history, thought and culture.

• Introduction PART ONE Textual Research 1 A New Critical Assessment of the Evidential Research on Tao’s Birth Year 2 Family Background: Tao’s Humble Status and the Literary Representation 3 Textual Research on the Dating of Tao’s Literary Works PART TWO Philosophical Significance 4 The Pursuit of Knowledge and Artistic Creation 5 Life Philosophy of “Spirit-Oriented Nature” 6 Intra-Textual and Extra-Textual Evidence for the Trilogy “Substance, Shadow, and Spirit” PART THREE Rhetoric 7 Subtleties of Tao’s Literary Theory 8 The Art of Ci-Fu and Prose 9 A Comprehensive Survey of Tao’s Poetry PART FOUR The History of Tao’s Reception and Research: From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Song Dynasty 10 The Influence of Tao’s Poetry in the Evolution of the Poetic Style in the Jin, Song and Southern and Northern Dynasties 11 Reception History of Tao’s Thought and Image in the Tang and the Song Dynasties 12 Reception History of Tao’s Poetic Art in the Tang Dynasty 13 The Interpretation and Reception of Tao’s Poetic Art in the Song Dynasty 14 The Achievement of Evidential Research in Tao Yuanming Studies in the Song Dynasty Coda