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Wang Ch’ang-ling (698–756) was from the Ch’ang-an area but spent most of his career out of favor and in low-level posts in outlying provinces. Here, he stops in Wuling on his way back from banishment to Kueichou province. This Wuling was not the Wuling Hills of Ch’ang-an but the area west of Tungting Lake whose administrative center was located in the city of Changte on the Yuan River. This was the first Chinese city of any size Wang would have encountered after leaving the frontier outpost of Liping near the headwaters of the Yuan, 700 kilometers to the southwest. Thus, he expresses his relief in having survived the dangers of the road as well as his appreciation for not having been forgotten. In ancient times, the Lord of Hsinling, Wei Wu-chi, was known for housing and caring for over 3,000 guests at a time at his estate in Taliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the state of Wei. While Wang’s comparison might seem an exaggeration, it should be remembered that he is returning from a year of monitoring hilltribes in a region that must have seemed inhospitable, if not outright dangerous, to a Chinese intellectual.

In Reply to the Prefect of Wuling

WANG CH’ANG-LING

Still clutching my sword after a long journey

this servant dares but a word

a guest of the Lord of Hsinling

never forgets such kindness