Chronological History of Literature in the Northern and Southern Dynasties

Author: Cao Daoheng / Liu Yujin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-11-01
Features: Chronology of Northern and Southern Literature, divided into three parts: Preface, Main Body, and Postscript.
The Preface covers the literature of the Sixteen Kingdoms period during the Northern and Southern Division (279–419 AD).
The Main Body covers the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (420–589 AD) and forms the core of the book, consisting of five volumes:
Volume I: "The Transformation of Jin and Southern Dynasties Literature." It begins in the first year of Yongchu (420 AD) under Emperor Yu of Liu Song and ends in the sixteenth year of Yuanding (440 AD), examining the activities of key writers during the transition between the Jin and Southern Dynasties.
Volume II: "From 'Yuanding Style' to 'Yongming Style.'" It starts in the eighteenth year of Yuanding (441 AD) with the birth of the important Yongming writer Shen Yue and ends in the first year of Jianwu under Emperor Gao of Xiao Qi, which is also the year the Northern Wei moved its capital to Luoyang (493 AD). During this period, literary focus was undoubtedly in the south, experiencing two literary high points, with the emergence of Yongming literature being a notable phenomenon in the history of Chinese poetry development.
Volume III: "The Diversification of Southern Dynasties Literature and the Revival of Northern Dynasties Literature." Around the founding of the Liang Dynasty, the Yongming literary trend gradually diversified. The literary restoration movement centered around Xiao Tong emphasized "purity," while the literary group led by Xiao Gang and Xiao Yi emphasized "elegance." However, Xiao Tong's faction still dominated the literary scene. Its significant achievement was the compilation of the highly influential Selected Works of Literature. In the north, as the Tuoba regime of the Northern Wei took control of the Central Plains and accelerated its Sinicization, signs of literary revival emerged.
Volume IV: "The Rivalry Between Northern and Southern Literature." In the south, the "Court Style" poetry led by Xiao Gang and Xiao Yi became the mainstream, lacking substance in content but making progress in artistic form. With the expansion of cultural exchange between the north and south, Northern literature gradually caught up, forming a competitive relationship with Southern literature.
Volume V: "The Formation of the Pattern of Southern Decline and Northern Prosperity." It primarily examines the literary developments during the Chen Dynasty and the Northern Qi and Northern Zhou periods.