A Variety of Schools Shining in Poetic Circles

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Although poetry continued to decline in the Ming dynasty, some influential schools sti1l brought themselves with certain fresh air, pushing the development of poetry foreword.

1) Taige Style

Taige style was a very influential and representative poetry school in Yongle and Chenghua periods of the Ming dynasty, represented by Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong and Yang Pu. They were all very important officials in that time. Their poems display the characteristics of singing praise of the achievement of rulers, polishing peace, being elegant and noble and luxurious but mediocre in thinking and disposition and the weaknesses in poems are almost seen everywhere. Thus their poems are of low achievement but highly recommended by the scholars who pursued fame and wealth.

During this period of time, many truly valuable poems were forgotten due to their inconformity with the trends of the times. This can be called an age of misfortunefor Chinese poetry. However, there was also a poet in the genuine sense. Yu Qian was such a poet and the only poet in this sense. His poems are embodied with his worries over his country and his fellowmen and are a sharp contrast to the Taige style.

2) Chalin Style

Chaling style was a poetry school arising in the times of eunuch dominance and public morals declining day by day, best represented by Li Dongyang.

Li Dongyang(1447-1516) proposed to follow Tang exemplar and Song exemplar in literary writing and attempted to correct the superficial and socially insignificant style of Taige which, however, he was not completely independent of. He was only learning Tang poems in syllables, patterns and dictions so as to express his memory of former times, his laments, or his anger over tyrants, or his sympathy over his people. However, the fact that there were also some followers of Taige style in Chaling school paved the way for the back-to-the-ancients campaign of the former and later seven masters. His writing played some positive role in correcting the superficial style of Taige. In other words, Chaling style was the metaphase between Taige style and the former and later seven masters, just like a bridge.