China Literary Dictionary (Liao, Jin, Yuan Volume)

Author: Deng Shaoji, Yang Lian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Each generation has its own literature, and the literature of a generation is composed of numerous writers and their works. Therefore, the organization, research, and study of writers' biographies and their literary works are undoubtedly the foundation of ancient literature and literary history research. Without in-depth and solid individual studies of writers, it would be very difficult to achieve a comprehensive and macroscopic understanding of the development of literature in a generation. A large amount of Liao Dynasty literature has been lost. From the extant works, the basic form of Liao literature is similar to that of the Five Dynasties and Song Dynasty literature, but Liao poetry appears rough. Jin Dynasty literary works were mainly prose and poetry. Most early writers entered the Jin Dynasty from the Song Dynasty. After Emperor Shizong's Great Dading period, literature flourished, and famous writers such as Zhao Bingwen, Yuan Haowen, and Wang Ruoxu emerged. Unlike the regional kingdoms of the Liao and Jin Dynasties, the Yuan Dynasty was a unified empire established by the northern Mongol rulers. It experienced literary prosperity with works in all genres, especially Yuan, which laid the foundation for the performing arts of classical opera and held an important position in literary history. Famous playwrights such as Guan Hanqing, Wang Shifu, and Ma Zhiyuan were renowned. The Nanxi (Southern Drama) that emerged in the Song Dynasty continued to be popular in the Yuan Dynasty, with further artistic development. The "Pipa Ji" (The Pipa in Memory) that emerged at the end of the Yuan Dynasty became its outstanding representative. The flourishing of Yuan Dynasty sanqu (quasi-lyric verse) marked another major period of prosperity in heterogeneous-meter poetry following the decline of Song Dynasty Ci poetry. Continuing the Tang poetry style of the late Jin and late Song Dynasties, the Yuan Dynasty's poetic scene was dominated by the Tang style, which had a certain influence on the poetry of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Each generation has its own literature, and the literature of a generation is composed of numerous writers and their works. Therefore, the organization, research, and study of writers' biographies and their literary works are undoubtedly the foundation of ancient literature and literary history research. Without in-depth and solid individual studies of writers, it would be very difficult to achieve a comprehensive and macroscopic understanding of the development of literature in a generation.