© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011 DOI: 10.1163/156852611X602629 Nan Nü 13 (2011) 205-243 www.brill.nl/nanu NAN NÜ e Yaochi ji and ree Daoist Priestess-Poets in Tang China Jinhua Jia* (University of Macao) JHJia@umac.mo Abstract is article examines the only extant compilation of Tang dynasty women’s poetry, the Yaochi xinyong ji (Collection of new songs from Turquoise Pond), fragments of which have been rediscovered among the Dunhuang manuscripts in Russian library holdings. e study first discusses the compilation, contents, and poets of this collection, and then focuses on the works of three Daoist priestess-poets, Li Jilan, Yuan Chun, and Cui Zhongrong whose writings form the major part of this anthology. It investigates their poetry and reviews relevant sources to conduct a comprehensive examination of the lives and poems of the three poets, and concludes that they represented a new stage in the development of Chinese women’s poetry. Keywords Chinese women’s poetry, Tang dynasty, Dunhuang manuscripts, Daoist priestesses Introduction e Tang scholar Cai Xingfeng (circa ninth century) compiled a collection of poetry authored exclusively by female poets. is com- pilation entitled Yaochi xinyong ji (Collection of new songs from the Turquoise Pond; hereafter, Yaochi ji) was recorded in several * I would like to thank the two anonymous readers and Harriet T. Zurndorfer for their detailed, insightful comments and suggestions for the draft version of this article, which greatly enhanced its quality; I am especially touched that the editor of Nan Nü and readers spend so much time in support of their authors. I should also thank my colleague Christopher Kelen for his help in the translation of the poems cited in this article.