China Literary Dictionary: Liao, Jin, Yuan Volume

Author: Deng Shaoji, Yang Jian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Each generation has its own literature, and the literature of each generation is composed of numerous literary figures and their works. Therefore, the organization and study of biographies of literary figures and their writings are undoubtedly the foundation of ancient literature and literary history research. Without in-depth and solid individual studies of literary figures, it is clearly very difficult to achieve a comprehensive and macroscopic understanding of the development of literature in each generation. A large amount of Liao Dynasty literature has been lost. Based on the surviving works, the basic form of Liao literature is similar to that of the Five Dynasties and Song Dynasty literature, while Liao poetry appears coarse. Jin Dynasty literary works were mainly poetry and prose. Most early writers entered the Jin Dynasty from the Song Dynasty. After Emperor Shizong's Dading era, literature flourished, giving rise to famous writers such as Zhao Bingwen, Yuan Haowen, and Wang Ruoxu. 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, covering all literary forms, with particular emphasis on 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 during the Song Dynasty continued to be popular in the Yuan Dynasty, with further artistic development. The Pipa Ji (The Story of the Pipa) that emerged at the end of the Yuan Dynasty became its outstanding representative. The flourishing of Yuan Dynasty sanqu (quatrains) marked another significant period of prosperity in multi-syllabic poetic forms following the decline of Song Dynasty ci poetry. Continuing the poetic style of the late Jin and late Song Dynasties that revered the Tang Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty's poetic scene was dominated by the Tang reverence, exerting a certain influence on the poetry of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Each generation has its own literature, and the literature of each generation is composed of numerous literary figures and their works. Therefore, the organization and study of biographies of literary figures and their writings are undoubtedly the foundation of ancient literature and literary history research. Without in-depth and solid individual studies of literary figures, it is clearly very difficult to achieve a comprehensive and macroscopic understanding of the development of literature in each generation.