Contents: The history of Xiao He Kanqing.
Edited by Xiao He Kanqing History.
In the history of ancient Chinese literature, the status of "China and Tang Dynasty" is relatively special. The Middle Tang Dynasty is the third stage of the so-called "Four Tang Dynasty", after the war of the "Anshi Rebellion", the Middle Tang Dynasty has encountered many changes in politics, economy, and ideology, and with the transformation of society, literature itself has also been affected by it.
As a result, a variety of new literary activities emerged in the literary circles of the Middle and Tang Dynasties, such as the "Ancient Literature Movement" led by literati such as Han Yu and Liu ZongyuanThe "New Yuefu Movement" led by poets such as Bai Juyi and Yuan Zhen;"Legend**" and "literati words" also began to sprout. Why did these diverse new literatures emerge at the same time and again in the Middle and Tang dynasties?
The Li and Tang dynasties lasted 290 years from the founding of the country in A.D. to the establishment of the Liang Dynasty after Emperor Zhaoxuan of Tang was deposed by Zhu Wen in A.D. For this nearly 100-year history, people usually divide it into two periods, before and after, with the Anshi Rebellion as the boundary. Before the fourteenth year of Tianbao ( plus the eight years of the Anshi Rebellion ( is the early period, and then to the establishment of the Liang Dynasty, it is the later period.
The early Tang Dynasty is equivalent to what people usually call the early and prosperous Tang Dynasty, and the later period is equivalent to the middle and late Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty is divided into four periods: the beginning, the flourishing, the middle and the late, and the development and evolution of its poetry are studied in this way, which can be said to have begun with the "Tang Poetry Collection" by Gao Xiang of the Ming Dynasty. However, as early as the Song Dynasty, Yan Yu's "Canglang Poems" had the distinction of so-called poems of the Tang Dynasty, poems after the Great Calendar, and poems of the late Tang Dynasty.
In the end, Tang poetry was divided into four stages: the early Tang Dynasty, the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the middle Tang Dynasty, and the late Tang Dynasty, and according to this periodization method, it was accompanied by nine products, such as the beginning, the authentic, the family, the master, the wings, the martial arts, the positive change, the aftersound, and the side flow. He categorized writers and works into nine categories.
The collection of Tang poetry combines the overall style of the times with the characteristics of each family, including Zongsheng Tang, Tui Li Du, Chong Yazheng, Aesthetic Law, and other systems, as well as the combination of theories and works of the scriptures, and its own system, so that the four periods of Tang poetry and Tang Dynasty are finally finalized and exchanged, especially the exchanges between literati are knowledgeable.
It is usually based on developmental needs, and is more focused on psychological contact and spiritual and emotional communication, which is a higher level of interpersonal relationship. The literati of the Middle and Tang dynasties mostly traveled because of the like-mindedness of thoughts, poems, and interests. However, the political identity of the literati will be considered in the process of traveling, and sometimes there will be considerations of the interests of the imperial examination. Therefore, social travel is often presented in the form of political intersections in the political aspect.
The literati of the Tang Dynasty attached great importance to travel, which enriched the life and thought of the literati and promoted the prevalence and prosperity of Tang poetry. The Tang Dynasty can be said to be the era of poetry, poets, of course, including literati, often used poetry to describe their common feelings and literary ideals, and at the same time recorded the difficult experiences of their careers, exchanged their thoughts and feelings with each other, sometimes frankly expressed their views on literary creation, and often described their deep emotions for each other.
Regardless of the early Tang Dynasty, the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the Middle Tang Dynasty, or the late Tang Dynasty, in the life of the literati of the Tang Dynasty, communication and poetry, communication and creation were indispensable parts.
In the process of the imperial examination, poetry is usually used to bestow scholars, and literati must first give full play to their poetic talents, especially for some students from poor backgrounds, if there is no certain interpersonal relationship, they will encounter unimaginable difficulties in entering the official career. It can be said that the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and politics, especially the imperial examination system, was quite close.
As we all know, the Tang Dynasty is the so-called "** period" of poetics, which can also be said to be the most prosperous period of poetry in the Tang Dynasty, and the most famous period from the perspective of poetics. Most critics agree that Chinese poetry and literature reached the highest level during this period, and some scholars even emphasize that there are no works after the Tang Dynasty that can be compared with the poetry of the Tang Dynasty.
During this period, the development of Tang poetry, after the inheritance of the poetic style of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties before and after Zhenguan, and the active integration of the poetry style of the Four Masters of the early Tang Dynasty to the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty, and finally created a brilliant historical stage through the rhythmization of the poetry of Shen Song and others. It is generally believed that the so-called "prosperous Tang Dynasty" period began in the early years of the Kaiyuan Dynasty and lasted until the 14th year of Tianbao ( The reign of Xuanzong before the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion.
During the Middle and Tang dynasties, especially during the Zhenyuan and Yuanhe periods, the scholars' hopes for social reform gradually increased, and there were brilliant changes in politics, culture, and academia. The enthusiasm for reform of the new scholars who had been selected through the imperial examination system also began to be reflected in the cultural foundation of the Tang Dynasty.
As a result, the relatively monotonous culture of the early Tang Dynasty gradually evolved into a colorful and diverse cultureThis can be said to be one of the literary characteristics of Zhenyuan and Yuanhe in the Middle Tang Dynasty. Moreover, it was during this period that the two major stylistic reform movements of the Tang Dynasty, namely the "Guwen Movement" and the "Xin Yuefu Movement", began almost simultaneously. So, why did these two major literary movements start not in the prosperous Tang Dynasty or the late Tang Dynasty, but in the Middle Tang Dynasty?
The rapid social changes after the Tang Dynasty were due to political reasons such as the expansion of local political power as outlined above, as well as other factors such as the collapse of the Juntian system and changes in the Servitude Law. The increasingly lax management of land sales and sales, coupled with the widespread ownership of land by officials, contributed to the development of private ownership of large land.
The decree of the Tang Dynasty allowed the sale and purchase of land under certain conditions, which undoubtedly gave the green light to the annexors. In the Tang Dynasty, the lords, ministers, and loose officials could all receive Yongye Tian, so the big and small officials were the big and small landlords. They were the vanguard of the annexation and plundering of peasant land, and they were the emperors who attacked the equalization system. They also seized public land from the state by borrowing famine, grazing land, and contracting a single property. There are fewer and fewer public fields, and it is naturally difficult for Juntian to continue.
The peasants of the annexed land changed from the working population of the state to the private owners or customers of the large landowners. The main body that seized the land of the peasants and exploited the labor force of the people was the top officials at that time. There are many reasons why this situation has become so farBut intellectuals led by Han Yu and Bai Juyi believe that this is all because society has lost "Confucianism and Taoism".
They believe that some people, as intellectuals, have sold a little conscience for their own wealth and glory, and they do not know where to find a reliable "Tao". In order to break this situation, and at the same time to reduce the burden of the people, Han Yu, Bai Juyi and other Xianjue literati advocated the restoration of "Confucianism and Taoism" since the pre-Qin period.
They expressed their anger at the reality of the situation and tried to achieve the realistic reforms they hoped for through the imperial examination system. With the collapse of the Junda system and the expansion of the size of the estates, the so-called "manor economy" began to develop, and this economic change affected the changes in the enslavement law.
During the Great Calendar ( The tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty has gradually changed to mainly household tax and land tax. In the first year of the establishment of Dezong (Prime Minister Yang Yan, he formulated the two tax laws. The implementation of the two tax laws is a reflection of the tax system after the manor became the main form of land ownership.
After the Anshi Rebellion, most of the people's fields were annexed by wealthy families and officials, and a large number of yeoman farmers became tenants of landlords. Resident households, resident households, customers, fugitive households, and hidden households account for a large proportion of the total number of households, and the regulation of rents that is compatible with the existence of a large number of yeoman and semi-yeoman farmers cannot be implemented.
The two tax laws came into being. Therefore, it was not long before the state officially resumed the conscription, but did not stipulate the time for conscription and the system of conscription, so the government at all levels arbitrarily requisitioned manpower in various names, and conscription became a heavy burden on the people.
In order to stabilize the financial income of the Tang Dynasty, the two tax laws were implementedThe vicious exploitation of the local officials and the landlord class increased the burden on the peasants, and as a result, society entered a state of meanness and chaos than before
Both Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan's families are related to the Guwen family. Liu Zongyuan's father, Liu Zhen, admired ancient literature, and Liu Zongyuan listed Liang Su as one of his father's friends in "The Legend of the Ancestors of the Emperor Shibiaoyin", and said that he was "the most capable of writing." Among Liu Zhen's acquaintances, Quan Deyu, who was regarded as a predecessor by Liu Zongyuan, was also an ancient writer.
The period of Han Liu's formal acquaintance should be in the second year of Zhenyuan ( later. Han Yuzhen came to Beijing from Xuancheng to take the examination in Chang'an, when he was nineteen years old, and lived in Beijing for ten years in the twelfth year of Zhenyuan (a total of ten years. And Liu Zongyuan was basically in Beijing during the first year. In addition to the short-term time spent with his father in Xiakou, Tanzhou and other places, the two had the opportunity to get along in Chang'an for ten years.
However, because there is no record of the relationship between the two during this period, we can only speculate that the two dated in Chang'an. In the eleventh year of Zhenyuan, before Han Yu left Chang'an, both of them were in Beijing. After seven years of serving as a staff member in Xuzhou, Fuli and other places, Han Yu returned to Chang'an in the eighteenth year of Zhenyuan ( Doctor of the Four Gates. There is no record of the relationship between the two here, and it can only be said that according to common sense, there must have been a relationship between the two. The definite record of the relationship between the two began in the nineteenth year of Zhenyuan.
In the autumn of the nineteenth year of Zhenyuan, Han Yu was transferred from Dr. Simen to supervise the imperial history, and Liu Zongyuan was transferred from Lantian Wei to Beijing to supervise the imperial history. At this time, Liu Yuxi was also the imperial history, and Han, Liu, and Liu were the first to take the imperial history platform as colleagues. This period should be the only period in the lives of the two of them working together. In just a few months at the Imperial Observatory, the three of them discussed and formed a deep friendship. The content of their argument may be related to the reform of Yongzhen. In the winter of the same year, Han Yu was made Yangshan Ling, and Liu Zongyuan was still in Chang'an and participated in the political activities of Wang Shuwen's group.
After the first year of Yuanhe, Liu Zongyuan has been in other places, and Han Yu basically lived in the capital except for the period when he was moved to Yuanzhou by Yanyang Mountain. In the spring of the first year of Yuanhe, when Liu Zongyuan and other horses were ordered to return to Beijing, they thought that they would be reused, but they were sent to a distant place three months later. At this time, Han Yu was the commander of the Gonglang Zhongzhi system, and he was not able to save Liu Zongyuan. During this time, the two should have had a relationship, but they never met again.
However, their interaction is not blocked by space. They used poems, letters, etc., to discuss the creation of philosophy and literature, and jointly launched the ancient literature movement. The relationship between the two was based on the Guwen movement.
Han Yu put forward the idea of ancient literary creation in Zhenyuan and expounded the theory of ancient literary creation. Under the influence of his theory and practice, a number of literati who created ancient texts appeared, such as Liu Zongyuan, Liu Yuxi, Lü Wen, and Bai Juyi.
Li Guan, Ouyang Zhan, Zhang Ji, Meng Jiao, Li Chao and others all gathered under the so-called "Hanmen" and jointly launched what we usually call the "Guwen Movement". When Liu Zongyuan returned to Beijing from Yueguan, he said that he only learned about the benefits of the article after he was compensated, but in fact, he had already started the creation of ancient literature and played a central role in the ancient literature movement.
On the basis of Han Yu's initiative, Liu Zongyuan combined the ancient literature movement with his own idea of auxiliary time and transitivity before Yongzhen, so that the ancient literature writing had more realistic content, made the ancient literature creation more colorful, and expanded the field of ancient literature.
The diversified distribution of Chinese and Tang literature has enabled literature to develop effectively in the midst of challenges and challenges. Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Yuan Zhen, Bai Juyi, Liu YuxiIn the process of challenging each other and learning from each other Xi the five people improved their own creative level and jointly promoted the prosperity of Chinese and Tang literature.
The style of the Tang Dynasty is not difficult to continue, on the contrary, original literature has reached another peak stage. The literature of the Chinese and Tang dynasties is a link between the past and the next, summarizing the course of ancient Chinese culture and history. The Tang Dynasty is not only in one generation, but also in one hundred generations.
Yuan He and the generations before and after it add up, it is only more than 50 years, but scholars believe that the Tang Dynasty is so important in the history of literature, and even believes that the Tang Dynasty is "among the ancient and modern centuries", and is the most important "Yuan" in the "Three Yuan".
1] The Literati's Wandering Activities and Their Literary Influences in the Tang Dynasty[J].Wang Xinli. Journal of Gansu United University (Social Sciences), 2013(01).
2] Liu Yuxi, Yuan Zhen, pillow whip singing and poetry chronicles[J].Sun Siwang. Literary Heritage, 2012 (05).
3] The reception of Han Meng, Yuan Bai and Li Heshi in the middle and late Tang Dynasty [J].Luo Haogang. Times Literature (Second Half of the Month), 2012 (03).