The culture of the Han and Tang dynasties is in the same line, why is there a big difference in the personalities of intellectuals in the two dynasties?
In the history of China, there are two periods that are hailed"The cradle of talent", their national strength and civilization have left a deep mark on the history of the world, that is, the Han and Tang.
These two periods not only produced a large number of talents, the country was strong, and the society was also very free and civilized. It was during these two periods that our Chinese civilization today developed and grew and took deep roots.
In ancient times, the Han Dynasty attacked the Xiongnu and hollowed out the Western Regions, showing the country's majestyIn addition, Datang is open and inclusive, widely praised by future generations, and Chang'an has become a world-famous international metropolis.
There were people here who spent 13 years just to fulfill the emperor's trust;There have also been people who have crossed the snow-capped mountains and traveled all the way to the west to a strange country to find the true scriptures for the sake of purifying sentient beings.
The capitals of these two dynasties are in Chang'an, but the literati and writers who live here have worlds of different personalities, why is there such a difference?First, let's take a look at Confucianism in the Han Dynasty.
It is recorded that these Confucian scholars were all "pure and filial in temperament, and served their mothers with great deference and care." They are honest and respectful of their teachers, and have typical Confucian characteristics of the Han Dynasty. The literati of the Tang Dynasty are completely different, they are uninhibited and have a free-spirited personality.
So, why is this discrepancy?In fact, this is mainly related to the cultural background of the two dynasties. The Han Dynasty attached great importance to etiquette and filial piety, so Confucian scholars took uprightness and etiquette as the criterion.
The Tang Dynasty, on the other hand, was an era of openness and inclusiveness, with literati pursuing freedom and emphasizing individuality, so their personalities were more free and uninhibited. In general, the differences between Han Confucian scholars and Tang literati were mainly due to their values and cultural backgrounds.
The Confucian scholars of the Han Dynasty were guided by uprightness and propriety, while the literati of the Tang Dynasty pursued freedom and individuality. These differences are the inevitable products of historical development and cultural changes.
The intellectuals of the Han Dynasty admired the way of teachers and dared to speak out to the royal family, even if they offended the king, at any cost. During the Han and Han dynasties, literature reached its peak, especially during the Eastern Han Dynasty, when this splendor was even more significant.
At that time, there was a great Confucian who had thousands of disciples. Whether it is in the Book of Han or in the unofficial history books, these pomp and circumstance are recorded, and students respect their teachers and take pride in inheriting a certain family.
In the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, thousands of Tai students united and launched a campaign against the government. In order to save the innocent and wronged teacher, they came to the palace gate in droves to initiate**, hoping to use their knowledge to change this decaying country.
This is the first time in history that in the face of the power-leaning government and opposition officials and relatives, they are fearless and still choose to stand up bravely.
The intellectuals of the Han Dynasty were known for their sincerity, filial piety, integrity, and respect for teachers, while the intellectuals of the Tang Dynasty were known for their extremely creative personalities. Whether it is Li Bai's uninhibited life, or Wang Wei's complacent landscapes, or Du Fu's worries about the country and the people, they are all representatives of the intellectuals of the Tang Dynasty.
They have different personalities, but they are all full of creativity, which is their most outstanding characteristic.
Thanks to the spirit of openness and inclusiveness and strong national strength, Datang's intellectuals are unique, and their demeanor seems to be on paper. The Tang Dynasty was the pinnacle of Chinese poetry, and these intellectuals used poetry to criticize the government and government, or to use poetry to satirize the past and the present, or to express their feelings for the frontier.
At this time, their thoughts and visions are no longer limited to political participation, they are either immersed in the mountains and rivers, leisurely, or writing books and speeches, inheriting wisdom, or exerting infinite imagination, leaving a magnificent and romantic imagination space for future generations.
When it comes to the literati of the Tang Dynasty, it is always inseparable from praise such as "Wensi Spring" and "Flowers in the Pen", which are incomparable to the intellectuals of the Han Dynasty. The intellectuals of the Tang Dynasty, whether they were the four masters of the early Tang Dynasty, or the literati and writers of the prosperous Tang Dynasty and the late Tang Dynasty, all had distinct personality characteristics.
They poured emotion into their poems and created countless well-known poems.
The great national power of the Tang Dynasty has given these scholars great confidence. With a confident attitude, such as Du Xianyan and Du Fu, they personally recommend themselves and firmly believe in their talents.
In the Book of the New Tang Dynasty, we can see the confident and shining scholars in the pen of the historians, who confidently proclaim that their calligraphy is comparable to that of Wang Xizhi, and that their literary talent is not inferior to that of the genius Wang Bo.
In addition, the intellectuals of the Tang Dynasty also showed a rare arrogance in the Han Dynasty. They have an independent ideological value system and an unfettered attitude, proudly independent of the various dynasties in Chinese history.
No amount of restrictive thinking or speech can restrain their thoughts, and they are known for their attitude of "holding their talents and seeing the world proudly". This kind of unrestrained attitude is not swayed by politics, and is called "the style of the Confucian" by the people of the time, but it is this kind of heroism that gives them a real and natural feeling, and the image of an open-minded and heroic scholar with arrogance and arrogance leaps onto the page.
2. Why are the personalities of intellectuals so different in the Han and Tang dynasties? One is upright, the other is free and bold, forming a stark contrast. The reason behind this is the Huang Lao thought of doing nothing.
At the beginning of the establishment of the Han Dynasty, the society was ruined, the people's livelihood withered, and the invasion of the Xiongnu was even worse. During this particular period, the rulers promoted the idea of rule by inaction, which was the influence of early Taoist thought on politics.
The strategy they adopted was to allow the people to recuperate, and gradually loosen their control over the economy and other aspects; In the field of education, there were no longer restrictions on the spread of other ideas, and the hundred schools of thought were allowed to grow freely, including Confucianism, which had been suppressed in the pre-Qin period. "
Do nothing"It is not to do nothing, but to carry out targeted management in some aspects, focusing on allowing people to rest, reassuring people's minds, and creating a stable and harmonious environment for society, so that people can engage in agricultural production and other activities independently.
Driven by this thought, the Han Dynasty entered the stage of accumulating power, and through the efforts of Gaozu and Emperor Hui, the rule of Wenjing was realized, and finally it was carried forward during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
During this period, after the accumulation of the previous period, the society of the Western Han Dynasty has reached the level of family prosperity and the people living and working in peace and contentment, the economy has recovered greatly compared with before, and the society has been peaceful and stable for a long time.
Over time, the earlier one"Do nothing"Ideology can no longer meet the development needs of the Western Han Dynasty society. Therefore, on the initiative of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and a group of Confucian scholars,"Confucianism"Emerged.
In order to further strengthen the centralization of power, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the suggestions of Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu and others during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and began to rule the dynasty with Confucianism as the guiding ideology.
This marked the rise of Confucianism and its absolute position. After that, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established Taixue and established the Doctor of the Five Classics, so that Confucianism could be carried forward in the Han Dynasty.
Confucianism has gradually become the ability of students to enter the government and rulers to govern the world, and the ideas of integrity, benevolence and filial piety, and respect for teachers advocated by Confucian classics have gradually become the common beliefs of students.
Next, we will explore the splendor of Tang culture and those bold and romantic intellectuals.
Datang, an inclusive country, why is it so inclusive? Tracing back to history, it originated from hundreds of years of war that began at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The chaos of this period not only achieved the rise of countless heroes, but also provided opportunities for ethnic minorities to enter the Central Plains.
During this period, the migration and integration of ethnic groups became the main theme, and Jiangnan and Lingnan were integrated into the Central Plains civilization automatically or forcedly. These fusions brought about cultural differences and belief systems between regions and ethnic groups, making the richness and diversity of the spiritual connotation of the Tang Dynasty, as the heir of ethnic integration, far exceed that of the Han Dynasty.
Since the early Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism spread eastward, through the Three Kingdoms, the two Jin and Northern Dynasties, and the Sui and Tang dynasties, the development of Buddhism reached its peak. Similarly, Daoism was praised by the Tang during this period, and as a result, the decline of Confucianism and the rise of Taoism, as well as Buddhism, which reached its peak, began the process of integrating the three religions.
During the Tang Dynasty, the rulers adopted an open and accepting attitude towards various schools of thought, which allowed Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism to coexist, thus providing a broad space for the intellectuals of the time, and the social atmosphere became more open and active than ever.
Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism influenced and absorbed each other, and together built the glorious civilization of the Tang Dynasty. This also made the Tang Dynasty's mind unprecedentedly broad, and its culture had both the boldness of the Western Regions and the warmth of the Central Plains.
Thanks to these advantages, the intellectuals of the Tang Dynasty began to draw inspiration from life and create unique and imaginative works, whether it was to find inspiration from the trivial things of life or to acquire new knowledge through travel and exchange, they were able to create works such as poetry, painting, and calligraphy with their true thoughts and feelings.
All this is given by the times, and this is the image of an intellectual that should be in a majestic and inclusive dynasty.
Conclusion: Whether it is in the Han Dynasty, which pays attention to etiquette, or in the vibrant Tang Dynasty, it has proved a truth: the times create heroes. The style of the Han Dynasty gentleman was highly praised because it had not yet been contaminated by the influence of Confucianism.
The reason why the intellectuals of the Tang Dynasty dared to challenge authority was because they were under the influence of the multicultural soil and the ideological environment of a free society. Through the inheritance and development of these two dynasties, Chinese civilization has endowed its thoughts with a unique sense of color, which is finally deeply rooted in the minds of each of our people and will never fade.