Ping Wang and Nicholas Morrow Williams (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789888139262
- eISBN:
- 9789888313006
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139262.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Poetry
From ancient times southern identity has been prominent in Chinese literature, beginning with the poetry of Qu Yuan in the Warring States era. During the medieval period (roughly the first millennium ...
More
From ancient times southern identity has been prominent in Chinese literature, beginning with the poetry of Qu Yuan in the Warring States era. During the medieval period (roughly the first millennium C.E.), the regions south of the Yangtze River took on a variety of cultural images. This book is the first work in English to examine the development of the cultural South in classical Chinese poetry. Seven different contributors examine how major writers from this period depicted themselves and Southern China in poetic form. Their attitudes range from patriotic attachment towards one’s homeland to the protests of officials exiled to the southern frontiers. In the Tang dynasty we see the establishment of conventional associations and clichés, though some writers were still able to use these in innovative ways. Since the contrast of Northern and Southern identities is a persistent and enduring theme throughout Chinese history, the book is of broad interest to students of Chinese literature and culture. Though individual chapters offer original research and insights on their specific topics, overall the book offers a broad survey of cultural and historical trends throughout the medieval period, as depicted in poetry.Less
From ancient times southern identity has been prominent in Chinese literature, beginning with the poetry of Qu Yuan in the Warring States era. During the medieval period (roughly the first millennium C.E.), the regions south of the Yangtze River took on a variety of cultural images. This book is the first work in English to examine the development of the cultural South in classical Chinese poetry. Seven different contributors examine how major writers from this period depicted themselves and Southern China in poetic form. Their attitudes range from patriotic attachment towards one’s homeland to the protests of officials exiled to the southern frontiers. In the Tang dynasty we see the establishment of conventional associations and clichés, though some writers were still able to use these in innovative ways. Since the contrast of Northern and Southern identities is a persistent and enduring theme throughout Chinese history, the book is of broad interest to students of Chinese literature and culture. Though individual chapters offer original research and insights on their specific topics, overall the book offers a broad survey of cultural and historical trends throughout the medieval period, as depicted in poetry.
