The Chinese Middle Period Poetry of T’ao Ch’ien

Chinese History 2nd century, the Han Empire crumbled, families and warlords dominated, peasant uprisings occurred, and social order collapsed, all resulting in widespread disenchantment with Confucian values of public service 3rd century – 3 Kingdoms ruled: West =Shu, South = Wu, the heart was Ts’ao Ts’ao, which fell in AD 220, ending the Han dynasty.

Chinese History After Han, Wei began, but Chin overthrew Wei and reunified China briefly. Chin fell in 316 to northern invaders. After northern invasion, 2 dynasties, north ruled by non-Chinese, south by a succession of Chinese dynasties Confucianism ebbed, but Taoist sects focused on medical, alchemical, and magical arts flourished.

Chinese History After northern invasion, great families fled south to prince-led branch of dynasty Great families were Chinese aristocracy Buddhism a major force in aristocracy People admired individualism and eccentricity

Chinese History Northern dynasty supplanted by T’ang Dynasty, age of cultural confidence and expansion During T’ang Dynasty, poetry central part of society that recorded both individual and historical events. T’ang fell in 907 960 Sung Dynasty began after time of warring, and aristocracy lost power, gov’t opened to new social groups T’ang and Sung Dynasties make up the Middle Period of China’s history

T’ao Ch’ien 365 – 427 Individualist Family was poor, provincial gentry Proud of his “bumbling naïveté” and simple, rural life & farm labor Peasant farmer idealized by Chinese tradition, and T’ao Ch’ien chose this life and found contentment

T’ao Ch’ien Served aristocracy in positions of prominence, such as magistrate of P’eng-tse, but he always quit or lost the post after a short time. After retirement, he wrote The Return, a long poem Had a fascination with freedom and the natural life Believed one can only be happy when one’s true nature was not violated.