Mid-Yuán 元 reputation-seeking commoner-poet. Zì Héngzhī 衡之; hào Cǐshān 此山 (“This-Mountain”) — given to him by Zhào Mèngfǔ 趙孟頫 as a hall-name inscription. Native of Chǔzhōu 處州 (modern Lìshuǐ 麗水, Zhèjiāng). Active fl. c. 1322–1334. No firm lifedates.
Career. Travelled to the capital and presented his poetry to Yuán Juè 袁桷 (then Hànlín xuéshì); Yuán Juè highly valued the work and recommended Zhōu for a guǎnzhí (official-museum position) — the recommendation ultimately failed. Zhōu never held office, but his poetic reputation grew enormously through exchange-correspondence with the mid-Yuán literary establishment.
Network. Exchange-poetry with:
- Zhào Mèngfǔ 趙孟頫 — wrote presentation-poems for Zhōu and inscribed “Cǐshān” as hall-name
- Yú Jí 虞集 — Zhōu addressed Yú as guózhàng (state-elder)
- Jiē Xīsī 揭傒斯 KR4d0497
- Chén Lǚ 陳旅 — selected Zhōu’s Cǐshān shījí
- Ōuyáng Xuán 歐陽玄
- Mǎ Zǔcháng 馬祖常
Poetic style. Three contemporary evaluations preserved in the collection’s prefaces:
- Chén Lǚ: simple-and-pure, level-and-peaceful; without grudging-anger or arrogant colour
- Yuán Juè: modelling Sū Shì and Huáng Tíngjiān’s standard; reaching the LíSāo and Wénxuǎn’s aim
- Ōuyáng Xuán: without precipitous-vigorous words yet having deep-and-long taste; without light-and-charming habit yet having vast-and-harmonious air
Within the Kanripo corpus. KR4d0474 Cǐshān shījí 此山詩集 (撰).