Abstract:

The Zha Family of Haining city, Zhejiang province in Qing Dynasty is a wellknown literary family, whose female members are also active and successful in poetry writing. Their poetic themes are not restricted to traditional women matters but cover the wider areas of nature and society, achieve new advancement in the depth and broadness of emotional expression, as well as show the awakening of feminine self consciousness and their concern about masses' sufferings. Their writing styles are delicate and graceful, frequently attached with vigorous tonevariations. Like the male poets in the family who are represented by Zha Shenxing, their poems are characteristic with succinct description and expressive depiction of dynamic scenes. The poems of the Zha Family's Poetesses are rich of cultural significance and academic value in the sense that they supply abundant materials and important manuscripts for studies on the creative features, social functions and cultural roles of female poetry writing in Qing Dynasty.