Limitation and Innovations of Yuan Mei’s “Meicun Style” Poetry

Yuan Mei’s study of “Meicun style” poetry is based on the context of the Qing Dynasty and regards Wu Weiye’s “Meicun style” as a variant of Yuan and Bai’s “Changqing style” poetry. Therefore, his “Meicun style” poetry effectively imitates Yuan Zhen, Bai Juyi and Wu Weiye. Some of Yuan Mei’s seven character narrative songs focus on current events and social changes. Because of its complex allusions and beautiful language, they are similar to Wu Weiye’s “Meicun style” creation in a narrow sense. The other part of the works mainly focus on the Court Affairs, depicting the historical “presence” scene with smooth narrative language, which is closer to the “Changqing style” of Yuan and Bai, and widens the writing routine of general chanting epics. Yuan Mei's “Meicun style” poetry is also incorporated into poetry with novels, and expresses his praise and care for the actors. It permeates the poet’s romantic thoughts and evil current trends, showing a unique style different from the previous poetry.