General
High Tang
Middle Tang
Late Tang

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If early and High Tang are regarded as 'Spring" and "summer", Middle Tang is "fall", or the season of harvest. An Lushan's revolt in 755 produced disastrous consequences in Tang, and it never fully recovered. Poetry, therefore, is more "autumnal" in air, as to keep up with changed nature. There came a new collection of poetry from a new string of poets, varying in style and ranging in subject matter.

Wei Yingwu (737-789) followed the pastoral style of Wang Wei, as seen in "On the West Stream at Chuzhou". Li Yi (748-827) followed the style of frontier poems, for example, in "On Hearing a Flute at Night Atop a Victor's Wall". Both poets lacked the exuberant tone that was more common in earlier years.

The most important Middle Tang poet is the famous and prolific Bai Juyi (773-846), who mingled Du Fu's realism with Li Bai's romanticism. He was also an innovator, writing "new Music Bureau Ballads" with deliberate simplicity. Bai placed high value on social criticism, as well as writing about Buddhist influence on poets.

Buddhist influence revolted Confucian innovator Han Yu (768-824), who submitted to the emperor a memorial that reprimanded His Majesty for his devotion to Buddhism. Consequently, Han was exiled 8000 miles away.

Lie Yuxi (772-842) composed Bamboo Branch Songs and Willow Branch Songs- the early forms of tuned poetry. Tuned lyrics marked by lines of varying length came to performance in Middle Tang.