Zuo Xijia ¥ª¿ü¹Å 1831-96

Zuo came from a family of scholars in Yanghu in Jiangsu. Her husband Zeng Yong ´¿µú (1813¡V62) died while fighting the Taiping rebels in Zeng Guofan's ´¿°êÿ (1811¡V72) army. Defying the continuing unrest, Zuo travelled to Anhui to bring back her husband's remains to his ancestral home, Huayang, outside Chengdu. Zuo's poems about her ordeal are collected in Leng yin xianguan shigao §N§u¥PÀ]¸Ö½Z (Drafts of poems from the Immortal Pavilion of Cold Chants). Zuo is also known for her calligraphy and paintings, which she sold to support her family after her husband's death.

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