Bards of the Tang.docVIP

Bards of the Tang 　　For much of the Tang Dynasty the nation enjoyed lasting peace and prosperity, which set the stage for a cultural boom. Founded by Li Yuan in 618, it endured for 289 years. This period is remembered as a golden era in Chinese history in general: China grew into the biggest power in the world, Tang territory reached 12.51 million square kilometers, and the population exceeded 52.88 million, providing just the sort of conditions needed for art and literature to flourish. Poetry was the most popular form of literature in this golden era. 　　The Complete Collection of Tang Poems, compiled during the Qing Dynasty 1,000 years later, encompasses approximately 50,000 works by more than 2,200 poets, a collection unmatched by any other period in Chinese history. In terms of format, Tang poems fall into three categories: guti (classical), gelü (with rigidly defined tonal pattern and rhyme scheme) and yuefu (originally for singing). Each line consists of either five or seven Chinese characters, and a piece ranges from four to a dozen verses. The longest ?C Story of a Mrs. Qin by Wei Zhuang (836-910) ?C has 238 sentences, totaling 1,666 characters. 　　Tang poems touched on an unprecedented scope of themes, which wereas trifling as incidents in daily life or as solemn as major state affairs. Gauged by content, Tang poems are divided into four genres: pastoral, frontier, romantic and realistic. 　　The pastoral group is mostly about natural scenes and the hermits?life long admired and advocated by sgenteel Chinese. The frontier works explore all facets of war: the patriotism it provokes, the loss of life and property it causes, loneliness and homesickness during long expeditions, and the mingling of different cultures and races it inadvertently induces. 　　The romantic niche focused on the search for personal values and the meaning of life, and is defined by its free, spontaneous and imaginative verse. A leading figure in this field is Li Bai (701-762), call