For a long time now, the study of Chinese theories of literary creation has needed a fresh look to uncover perspectives and treasures from all periods. The immense prestige of Lu Ji 陸機 (261–303) and Liu Xie 劉勰 (ca. 465–ca. 522) has meant that their theories, with their emphasis on creativity, have largely dominated the discussion. The formal expository style of their work has been prized, especially by modern critics, over less systematic forms, such as cataloguing critical terms and categories or the random collection of short comments. The upshot is that profound theoretical insights expressed in these unsystematic forms have gone unappreciated, if not totally neglected. Wang Changling's 王昌齡 (ca. 698–ca. 756) writings on literary creation are a case in point. To date, crucial misreadings of Wang's writing—partly due to neglect of the influence exerted upon it by Tathāgatagarbha and Yogācāra Buddhism—have prevented us from seeing it as a...
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