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Tang dynasty poems essay
Tang dynasty poems essay
Buddhism in Tang China
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Throughout human history, our beliefs have influenced our actions. This is why we have studies like the humanities. During the Tang Dynasty, different religions developing during the time had enormous influence on what was being produced during the era. When it comes to literature, poets like Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Bo Juyi expressed their religions through their poetry during the Tang era. While it was not always directly mentioned in their poetry, there are connections between the Tang Dynasty poets’ works and their respective religions.
Wang Wei (699-761CE), was a Buddhist poet that was born in to the upper class in Shanxi. He passed the Chin-Shi system – a system that was designed to challenge government and bureaucratic officials in all realms of knowledge from poetry and art to academia. However, Wei was exiled due to a loss of popularity during his career. This is when he really took on the role of a poet and became phenomenal with his craft. His exile was caused by a misunderstanding during the An Lushan Rebellion in 775CE (Davis et al. 1169). Wei was imprisoned by the state because they thought that he was a part of the rebellion. Amazingly, the way he got out of this imprisonment was through his poetry. He wrote two poems during his imprisonment proclaiming his faith to the emperor which restored faith in the court. You have to be pretty outstanding to get out of prison by means of poetics! Wei really enjoyed his time during the aforementioned exile because it gave him time to grow fond of nature and his serene estate along the Wang River. He found peace in nature, where in the city of Chang’an he had to deal with all of the business associated with the functioning of the government and bureaucraci...
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... he can totally be himself without getting judged. He feels more at home being away from everyone. The message, to me, in this poem is to express yourself with no regrets. The theme that stands out to me is the desire to be like a hermit. You can tell that this was written in the Chinese classical period because of the focus on the separation of the artist from the concerns of everyday society.
Works Cited
The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern World, Beginnings—1650. Compact Ed. Eds. Paul Davis, et al. Beford: Boston, 2009. Print. 1163—1183.
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There is no simple answer to this question, especially with the convoluted and entwining relationship between Buddhism and Wu, so we focus on how the religion assisted Wu in grasping power and its indispensable role in the Chinese economy. The close connection between government and religion is not a new concept to the Tang era as it has been well-established prior to its time, and it even survived long after. In the case of Buddhism and Empress Wu, the religion played a pivotal role in justifying her rule, which could explain her special interest in it. Among the Buddhists followers, she was identified as the bodhisattva Maitreya, which helped her gain a sense of legitimacy to her reign, especially in a male-dominant society (Smarr Feb. 17 2012). The association of Buddhism with Wu helped spur Wu’s benevolent policies towards the religion, who benefitted handsome...
Bierhorst, John, et al. The Norton Anthology: World Literature. Vol I. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.,
Gao Shi and Cen Shen have been connected together since the Southern Song, because they wrote a large number of poems to describe their experiences on the frontier. Gao Shi’s preference was those “bleak and barren expanses.” He usually focused on the armies, and depicted their suffering and courage. The description of the landscapes was a tool to show the troops were suffering from the wars.
Howe, Helen, and Robert T. Howe. A World History: Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Volume 1. White Plains, NY: Longman, 1992. 533.
The Tang dynasty was founded in 618, and lasted until 907. The emperor was supreme and government officials were chosen by examination. A census was taken to simplify tax collection and to draft citizens to perform labor for the empire. This was a period of great land expansion. (Halsall, 1998) The emperor also had a great love of the arts, and the Tang became known as the golden age of literature and art. Block printing was invented and made writing more available. (Unknown, 2003) Shipbuilding and firearms development were also refined during the era. Art was heavily influenced by Buddhism, especially rock sculpture. One major problem that arose was the heavy burden of taxation. Many were unable to meet their heavy tax burden. To escape this, many placed themselves under the protection of great landlords who were exempt from taxes, or became bandits. (Halsall, 1998)
Confucianism is a philosophy and way of life formed in China by Confucius, an early Chinese philosopher. It began as a simple concept with ideals of personal virtue, simple filial piety, and basic gender distinctions and social inequalities. But, over time with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism it began to transform into a way of life that was degrading towards women with certain hostilities towards rivaling religions. In its early period, from around 500 B.C.E to the Common Era, Confucianism changed in that it became the leading belief system and a major part of Chinese tradition. From the transition into the Common Era to the end of the Classical time period, Confucianism was altered because of a loss of popularity following the collapse of the Han dynasty and the corruption in the governing political system. In its ending period, the post-classical era, Confucianism underwent perhaps its biggest adjustments with the emergence of Neo-Confucianism. The ideas and virtues presented in the “rebirth of Confucian philosophies” of intolerance of foreign religions and extreme filial piety...
Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Peter Simon. 3rd. ed. Vol. B. New York and London:
The Buddhist brought with them the concept of multiple gods and Buddha’s “spiritual state to provide the power for humans to make the transition into death and the afterlife successfully” (Corduan, 2012, p.410). Confucianism brought the obedience of the child to the parent into Chinese mainstream life, plus the “social stratification and codes governing dress, actions and communication” (Corduan, 2012, p.409). Taoism introduced the balance of forces in harmony in spirits in the form of yin and yang, thus creating that balance of nature and humans (Corduan, 2012). Christianity influenced Chinese life both socially and economically by introducing the concepts of “love for one’s neighbor, self-discipline, and trust” (Lu, 2014, p.2) as both essential and beneficial (Lu, 2014). All of these together with the traditional Chinese religion, give the Chinese culture it’s popular religion
Ziolkowski, Eric. "Ancient Newcomer to Modern Culture." World Literature Today 81.5 (2007): 55-57. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. .
Xuanzang, a famous monk in the Tang Dynasty, commonly known as "Monk Sanzang", surname Chen, Luoyang people. Xuangzang has four brothers, his second brother is a monk, he was deeply affected by him, Shaved to become a monk when he was thirteen years old and given the name Xuanzang, he had traveled throughout various places, visiting famous Buddhist teachers, studying Buddhist scriptures(Wriggins et, al. 1997). However, early Buddhism in china had different opinion which can rarely draws a conclusion, Xuanzang was deeply confused by different Buddhism sects due to the fact that early Buddhism sects in China have made considerable changes in their efforts to adapt to the current situation in China. For example, they eradicate the "caste" systems
The Tang and Song Dynasties are both pertinent to China’s development. During the Tang period, which is also considered the “Golden Age”, art and literature was embraced and thrived. During the Song Dynasties, many technical inventions allowed China to grow as a nation, and emerge as one of the greatest nations in the medieval world. Both dynasties played a key role in the history of China.
Littlejohn, Ronnie L. Confucianism [electronic resource]: An Introduction. London : I. B. Tauris & Company, Limited Dec. 2010.
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Chang, Wonsuk and Leah Kalmanson. 2010. Confucianism in Context: Classic Philosophy and Contemporary Issues, East Asia and Beyond. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
Damrosch, David, and David Pike. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. The Ancient World. Volume C. Second Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2009. Print.