Tang Dynasty: The Golden Age

 

 

General
High Tang
Middle Tang
Late Tang

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China the Beautiful
Excellent source for Chinese poetry. You can listen to poetry read in Chinese.

 

 

 

 

 

General information

"The Golden Age", in the history of any civilization, is characterized by its artistic and literary achievements. When one mentions the dynasty of Tang, poetry is what immediately comes to mind. The most revered poets have come from this period, and their poetry continues to be studied and memorized by every student in China, beginning from as early as first grade, or even in the kindergarten years. As a matter of fact, the bestseller, 300 Tang Poems is as commonplace to a household as a dictionary. In this compilation, 310 of the best pieces by the most accomplished poets of Tang are represented.

Tang poems usually deal with the relationship of humans to natural surroundings, written in 7 primary forms:

5-character-ancient-verse
5-character-regular verse
5-character-quatrain
7-character-ancient-verse
7-character-regular-verse
7-character-quatrain
folk-song-styled-verse

Many of the Tang poems are tied to social occasions, although some are more formal and exist in a pure lyric form. Stylistic changes occurred continuously within the dynasty, dividing it into three periods: High Tang, Middle Tang, and Late Tang. Towards the end of the dynasty, writing progressed towards prose, which characterized the following dynasty, the Song.

 

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