Weng Fanggang points out that shifa (the method of creating poetry) is not just simply a type of skills. It also involves a poet’s cultivation, his style as well as the themes he has chosen for his work. The principle of creating shi (poetry) should not be limited to a sentence level; it should also include heritage and developmental elements. Scholars of the Ming dynasty generally belittled the Song dynasty shi. It was not until the Qing dynasty that the attitude changed and the study of Song shi came to the fore. By using shifa lun (poetry theory), Weng Fanggang examines the value and status of Huang Tingjian’s poetry in the historical development of shi. All in all, he appraises Huang’s shi from three different aspects: (1) Huang displays a blend of the strengths of Song shi: he is the founder of Song shi and his compositions, being precise and meticulous in style, represent the characteristic qualities of Song shi; (2) “Yi guren wei shi, yi zhihou wei ben” (i.e. to regard ancestors as teachers; to regard moral and ethics as principles to live by); Huang emphasizes that knowledge, morality and integrity of a poet form the basis of his works, which should in turn reveal his spontaneous virtuous mind; (3) Huang uses nibi, and he opines that the method of putting the words of ancient classical texts or contents into one’s own poetry is not just a skill, it contains theories and has a controlling effect in producing a work of deep significance or meaning. This paper maintains that Weng Fanggang, through his own poetic theory, truly grasps the essence of Huang’s shi. From a broader view, he also ably points out the links between Huang and Du Fu, providing explanations for the development of shi with an historical perspective.