Han Dynasty(206 BC-220 AD) Founded by Liu Pang,the first peasant emperor because he was by birth a farmer,& not a descendant of any noble family.It is the first Golden Age that parallels the Roman empire that existed along with the Han at that time.It continued the imperial age of expansionism began by the Chin.The Chinese cultural
identity was made permanent & its achievements led the Chinese to call themselves the Han people.
Han Literature The 3 Kingdoms Period (220 - 265AD) The disunity in the later Eastern Han,propogated by power struggles with young puppet emperors controlled by ambitious courtiers eventually culminated into an era of division into 3 separate kingdoms that managed to survive out of countless states.These 3 are Wei (founded by Ts'ao Ts'ao),Shu (founded by Liu-Pei) & Wu (founded by Sun Quan).Ts'ao Ts'ao is characterised as the greatest villain that had ever lived & is by nature a Legalist while Liu-Pei,a descendant of the royal family is the classic example of the benevolent Confucianist ruler & Sun Quan as the Taoist person.Wei,the strongest kingdom eventually was usurped by Ssu-ma Yi at its weakest time ,who then conquered the other 2 states that were already weakened to found the Ts'in dynasty.However,China remained divided & generally not as strong as before.The Ts'ao family was renowned for its poetry.Ts'ao Ts'ao & his 2 sons Ts'ao Pi (the second Wei ruler) and Ts'ao Tzi were known for their literary abilities. The Ts'in Dynasty (265-420 AD) A period of internal weakness divided into 2 sub-periods of Western Ts'in & Eastern Ts'in.
Poetry generally concentrated on nature & agricultural life.Examples include Tao Yuan Ming [agricultural] & T'sie Ling-yun [nature].The style is plain & simple,& not gaudy. The 6 Dynasties (420-589 AD) An age of disunity into various kingdoms of constant warfare & misery.Thus religions grew to be of significance during the period to serve as an escape route from hardship,hence the creation of the supernatural tales genre or 'zhi-kuai' novels,with sources from myths & legends with emphasis on the uncanny,gods,demons,ghosts & spirits.The other main genre is known as the scholarly tales or 'bi-ji' novels that are records of the lives,behaviours of the learned,with a style that is detached.Another type is the literary critics with the authors criticizing & evaluating past works/ideologies,usually on a political basis. ~(Index of Site)~
-- Western Han (206 BC-8 AD)
-- Hsin Dynasty (8-25 AD) {usurped by Wang Mang }
-- Eastern Han ( 25 -220 AD)
a.Poetry
--a new form of poetry called the fu or yueh-fu
--long descriptive piece that is very difficult to understand:full of hyperbolic language & ancient words
eg: ' A 1000 chariots advance like the greatest thunder'
--greatest fu poet : Ssu-ma Hsiang ru
b.Historical scholarship
--greatest literary achievement of Han period
--Representative work: 'Shih-chi' or 'Historical Records' by Ssu-ma-Chien in the Western Han,containing 130 chapters recording historical events dating back to the Yellow Emperor till the present monarch Han Wu-Ti,the greatest Han emperor aka the Martial Emperor.Essay topics include government,rituals,historical characters,music,geography,economy,astronomy.
--'Han-shu' or 'History of the Earlier Han' by Pan Ku in the Eastern Han period,modelled on 'Shih-chi'.
But it only records Han history,& does not possess as much literary merit as 'Shih-chi' which serves as the model for many records,novels,plays & poetry of the future.
--The period is also known as the 'Northern-Southern Dynasties' or 'Nan-bei chao' (literally meaning Southern-Northern Dynasties).
--7 kingdoms existed:
--Southern Dynasties: Southern Sung,Southern Ch'i,Southern Liang,Southern Chen
--Northern Dynasties:Northern Wei,Northern Ch'i,Northern Chou
--BUT Southern Sung of this period has nothing to do with the Southern Sung dynasty of 1127-1279 AD,much later.
