Chinese Tang Poetry: Exploration and Innovation

Author: Meng Erdong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: Innovation and transformation are the main creative trends of Tang Dynasty poetry. This paper takes this as its theme, attempting to conduct an in-depth and systematic study of the overall characteristics of Tang Dynasty poetry and the reasons for its formation, within the broad cultural context of the mid-Tang period. In the introduction, the paper emphasizes the important position of mid-Tang poetry in the history of Chinese poetry. By briefly reviewing the Tang Dynasty poetry of the mid-Tang period, it points out the dilemma faced by mid-Tang poets—“difficulty in following the peak” and the necessity of exploring new paths in poetic creation.
Chapter 1 discusses the sociocultural background of mid-Tang poetic creation. First, it examines the social atmosphere of the mid-Tang period and its causes. The political dangers, moral corruption, and emotional indifference fostered an abnormal social psychology. Second, it explains how widely spread religious thought and cultural traditions, while challenging the traditional dominance of Confucianism, also infused new vitality into the development of traditional culture. Finally, it points out the role of the revival of classical prose, the rise of romance and vernacular tales, the transition of ci poetry from folk creation to scholarly composition, and the development of painting and calligraphy in shaping the trends of mid-Tang poetry.
Chapter 2 focuses on the innovative spirit of mid-Tang poets and the numerous schools and styles of mid-Tang poetry. Although the methods and approaches to innovation and transformation varied, the poets’ subjective pursuit was consistent. The sociocultural background of the mid-Tang period (such as the division of the region by warlords, factional disputes, the flaws of the imperial examination system, and personnel policies) provided objective conditions for the emergence of poetic groups and also prompted the formation of distinct poetic schools with varying styles.
Chapter 3 conducts a comprehensive comparison of the aesthetic tastes, emotional tones, atmospheric realms, and artistic features of mid-Tang and high-Tang poets, thereby illustrating the main characteristics of mid-Tang poetic transformation. Mid-Tang poetry is characterized by a tone of hesitation, melancholy, lament, and sorrow; its atmosphere is restrained, and its artistic conception is narrow. Mid-Tang poets either refined and decorated their poetry, seeking a balance between elegant language and profound meaning; or they valued simplicity and authenticity, pursuing a straightforward and unadorned style; or they admired the extraordinary and the bizarre, the artificial beauty of “pen.” These all stand in stark contrast to high-Tang poetry. The revival of the poetic style of the Qi and Liang dynasties in the mid-Tang period is a noteworthy phenomenon. Jiaoran’s explicit theoretical advocacy reinforced the trend of returning to the Qi and Liang period. The deliberate pursuit of poetic art transformation was a shared characteristic of poets in both the Qi-Liang and mid-Tang periods. However, mid-Tang poets imitated the Qi and Liang without being confined by them. For example, Wang Jian’s “Palace Terms” and Li He’s “Folk Songs” both created distinctive mid-Tang styles.
Chapter 4 focuses on the influence of religion on the transformation of mid-Tang poetry. During the mid-Tang period, popular religions, particularly Buddhism and Taoism, profoundly influenced people’s lives and thoughts. Many scholars, including Confucians who claimed to uphold the Confucian tradition, were influenced by religious thought and cultural traditions. This chapter explains how religion not only directly affected the worldview, life philosophy, epistemology, and methodology of poets, giving them the opportunity to understand the universe, life, and self from a new perspective but also infused new vitality into their poetic creation. Their poetry exhibited novel and extraordinary characteristics in artistic imagination, artistic conception, the formation of artistic scenes, and the creation of artistic images, setting it apart from high-Tang poetry.
In summary, mid-Tang poets, nurtured by the era’s atmosphere, broke through the “difficulty in following the peak” with extraordinary courage and vision, created new paths after the high-Tang period, demonstrated a new aesthetic style, and brought about a “renewed peak” in the poetic world, leaving a profound impact on later generations.