This anthology of poesy and prose literature can be seen as a sequel to the Liang dynasty anthology Wenxuan, compiled by prince Xiaotong. This Song time anthology was mainly compiled by Li Fang 李昉, Song Bai 宋白, and Xu Xuan 徐鉉. It divides literature in similar literary styles and equally focuses mainly on rhapsodies. The Wenyuan yinghua comprises the following 38 styles:

賦 fu rhapsodies 詩 shi lyric poetry 歌行 gexing songs 雜文 zawen miscellaneous writings 中書制誥 zhongshu zhigao announcements by the Secretariat 翰林制詔 Hanlin zhizhao edicts by the Imperial Academy 策問 cewen examination questions 策 ce scripts 判 pan judgements 表 biao memorials 牋 jian memoranda 狀 zhuang descriptions 檄 xi proclamations 露布 lubu imperial edicts 彈文 tanwen "touching matters" accusations 移文 yiwen manifestos 啟 qi opening communications 書 shu letters 疏 shu notes 序 xu prefaces 論 lun treatises 議 yi debates 連珠 lianzhu moods like "linked pearls" 喻對 yudui parables 頌 song eulogies 贊 zan encomia 銘 ming inscriptions 箴 zhen admonitions 傳 zhuan biographies 記 ji notes 諡哀冊文 shiai cewen lament writings 諡議 shiyi laments 誄 lei dirges 碑 bei epitaphs 誌 zhi memoirs 墓表 mubiao grave memorials 行狀 xingzhuang conduct descriptions; and 祭文 jiwen offerings.

The following examplarious song Changhen ge 長恨歌 "Lament everlasting" the 36th chapter was written by Bai Juyi 白居易 (d. 846), describing the famous love between Yang Guifei 楊貴妃 and emperor Tang Xuanzong 唐玄宗 (r. 712-755). According to the tales, it was her guilt that the emperor did not look for daily politics and rewarded An Lushan 安祿山 who later rose against the ruling family. During the flight of the imperial court to Sichuan, the consort Yang Guifei was killed by the emperor's officers. An early Qing time theatre play named Changsheng dian 長生殿 "The Hall of Everlasting Life" also illustrates this famous story with an ideal love between a lost ruler and his killed beauty.

Taiping Yulan
Taiping Guangji
Cefu Yuangui
Wenyuan Yinghua

36.＜長恨歌＞
漢皇重色思傾國，御宇多年求不得。楊家有女初長成，養在深閨人未識。
天生麗質難自棄，一朝選在君王側。迴眸一笑百媚生，六宮粉黛無顏色。
漁陽鞞鼓動地來，驚破霓裳羽衣曲。九重城闕煙塵生，千乘萬騎西南行。
翠華搖搖行復止，西出都門百餘里。六軍不發無奈何，宛轉娥眉馬前死！
花鈿委地無人收，翠翹金雀玉搔頭。君王掩面救不得，迴看血淚相和流。
天旋日轉迴龍馭，到此躊躇不能去。馬嵬坡下泥土中，不見玉顏空死處。
君臣相顧盡霑衣，東望都門信馬歸。歸來池苑皆依舊，太液芙蓉未央柳。
芙蓉如面柳如眉，對此如何不淚垂？
金闕西廂叩玉扃，轉教小玉報雙成。聞道漢家天子使，九華帳裏夢魂驚。
攬衣推枕起徘徊，珠箔銀屏邐迤開。雲鬢半偏新睡覺，花冠不整下堂來。
含情凝睇謝君王，一別音容兩渺茫。昭陽殿裏恩愛絕，蓬萊宮中日月長。
Lament Everlasting
A Chinese king esteemed sex, thinking of a nation-destroyer.
Throughout the empire, searching but not getting, time and again.
The Yangs had a daughter, just fully grown, reared in boudoir depths, unknown to men.
Her heavenly,endowed beauty could not be cast aside. One day she was chosen for His Lordship's den.
Turning her eyes, smiling but once, a hundred coqueteries were born;
the painted-powdered of the six palaces were pale by comparison [...]
War drums at Wuyang, shaking the earth, startled-broke the song "Rainbow skirt and feather jacket".
To the nine-storied imperial towers mist and dust arose; a thousand carriages, ten thousand riders going southwest.
The kingfisher blue flowered banners moved and halted.
More than a hundred miles west the city gates the six armies wouldn't march.
No help for it. Complaisant and yielding, moth eyebrows died before their steeds.
Flowered hairpins earth entrusted, picked up by none - halcyon head feather, golden sparrow, jewelled hairpin.
Lord Emperor covered his face, unable to help; when he turned to look, blood and tears flowed as one [...]
Heavens revolved, earth spun; the Dragon carriage returned but dilly-dallied at the grave which it couldn't spurn.
Below Mawei Slope inside the mud. He saw, not her jade face, but an empty place of death.
Rulers and ministers looked at each other and robes were tear-soaked.
Looking eastwards towards capital gates, they entrusted their horses to return.
On their return ponds and gardens the same as before - the Taiye Palace hibiscus, the Weiyang Palace willow.
Her face like the hibiscus, eyebrows like the willow; how could his tears fail to flow? [...]
At the west chamber by Golden Palace Gate he (a Taoist adept sent to the Neither World) tapped on a door of jade,
transmitted his request to Little Jade, who reported it to Twofold-Made.
Hearing it was an envoy of the Han Son of Heaven, within curtains ninefold resplendent her dreaming soul, startled, woke.
Grasping her clothes, she pushed pillows aside and was up to and fro.
Pearl blinds, silver screens one after another opened to reveal a newly waked maiden, cloudy locks half awry.
Flowed headdress not in order, she came down the stairs so [...]
Holding in feelings, she stared beauty-eyed and thanked His Lordship-Emperor;
a single parting, voice and form, an immeasurable void did bring.
In Zhaoyang Palace, severed his favour and love; in Penglai Palace, suns and moons so time taking [...]