Part 1: Introduction to Tang Poetry
6 minutes; signal: music/water

• Chinese culture flourished during the Tang dynasty (618-907), often called China's "Golden Age," and Tang dynasty poets are perhaps the best known and most revered of Chinese literary figures.
• Writing poetry was required in the Tang civil service examination from 680 on, drawing on the Confucian notion of the importance of poetry.
• Poetry played a central role in all social discourse among educated Chinese during the Tang; it was used to mark every type of occasion.

Parts 2-4: Three Most Prominent Poets of the Tang
28 minutes

• Buddhist teachings were translated and increasingly taught and followed during the Tang. Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism -- the "Three Teachings" -- all informed the thought and behavior of the Tang literati and are reflected in the poetry of the three most prominent poets of the Tang: Wang Wei, Li Bo, and Du Fu.

Part 2: Wang Wei (699-761) and Regulated Verse
11 minutes; signal: music/Li Bo's portrait

• Wang Wei, poet and civil servant, continued the tradition of writing "poetry of retreat" while serving at the Tang court.
• Wang Wei's poetry reflected the several philosophical strands of Tang thought: Daoist reclusion, Confucian emphasis on the human community, and Buddhist belief in stilling the passions.
• Wang Wei was a master of "regulated verse," a lyric verse form much favored during the Tang. "Deer Fence" and "Fields and Gardens by the River Qi" are examples of this.
• Wang Wei was also a painter of some renown; his paintings reflected his Buddhist sensitivities.
• The complementarity of poetry and painting has been recognized in the Chinese tradition for centuries.

Part 3: Li Bo (701-762) the Daoist Eccentric
7 minutes; signal: music/water with leaf

• Li Bo, his background
• Li Bo and Daoism
• Li Bo seized upon the notion of Chinese poetry as a spontaneous expression of self; his poetry reflects his cultivated eccentricity. "Drinking Alone under the Moon" is a prime example.

Part 4: Du Fu (701-762), the Greatest of Traditional Chinese Poets
10 minutes; signal: music/water

• Du Fu is considered to be the greatest of traditional Chinese poets.
• Du Fu was a Confucian official and statesman; his poetry reflects his sense of service to the state ("I Stand Alone").
• Du Fu was a genius in the use of Chinese language.
• Du Fu bears witness to history, in keeping with the Confucian tradition of poetic expression; he bears witness in particular to the An Lushan Rebellion (755-762) in his "Views in Springtime."
• Du Fu was also a poet of everyday life.

Part 5: Women Poets in the Song and Ming Dynasties
4 minutes; signal: music/water

• One of the great Chinese women poets whose works have been preserved is Li Qingzhao (1084-ca.1151), who lived during the Song (960-1279) dynasty.
• Li Qingzhao wrote in a newly popular form of poetry with irregular lines inspired by musical song lyrics.
• With the increasing spread of literacy, more women participate in literary exchange during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) that follows the Song.

Part 6: Poetry in China in the Modern Period
5 minutes

• Poetry in China, particularly in the later tradition, is understood as something everyone does at certain moments in life.
• Poetry is seen as a way to communicate, across time, to other individual readers.
• Poetry remains important in China today; poets experiment with new styles of poetry from the Western literary tradition and forms of traditional poetry continue to be written as well.
• Whatever the forms in which they write, almost all Chinese poets today see themselves as active contributors to social and political dialogue in their own country. In this particular way, the practices of contemporary Chinese poets express the social responsibilities of educated men, emphasized by the Confucian tradition.

Part 1

1. During which centuries did the Tang dynasty rule China?
2. What do modern scholars believe caused the dramatic increase in writing poetry in China during the Tang dynasty?
3. How did the examination system encourage social mobility under the Tang?
4. How did the ability to write poems encourage social mobility in Tang society?

Part 2

5. What are the three main philosophical/religious teachings in China?
6. Who was Wang Wei? A Tang government official? A poet? A painter? All three?
7. What particular form did Wang Wei develop with his poetry?
8. How many couplets are there in a regulated verse?
9. How do the words in one line of a couplet relate to the words in the second line?
10. How are poetry and painting combined by Chinese scholars?

Part 3

11. Where did the poet Li Bo come from and grow up?
12. Was Li Bo a Confucian, a Buddhist, or a Daoist?
13. With whom did Li Bo share his surname "Li"?
14. What was Li Bo's connection with the Tang court?
15. Did Li Bo write poetry in the same way as his contemporary, Wang Wei? If not, how was it different?
16. How was Li Bo an unconventional person as well as poet?

Part 4

17. Was the poet Du Fu a successful government official?
18. How did Du Fu play with the Chinese language?
19. Did Du Fu write poems in regulated verse form?
20. How did the An Lushan rebellion affect Du Fu's life?
21. Did Du Fu write poems about ordinary events?

Part 5

22. When did the poet Li Qingzhao live?
23. What form did Li Qingzhao use for writing poems?
24. Under which dynasty did Chinese women become more literate?

Part 6

25. How does Chinese poetry from the Tang dynasty to the present create a community across time?
26. Do today's poets in China write in traditional forms? Is free verse used in China today?
27. Do writers of poetry in China consider themselves part of the traditional community of Chinese poets or part of an international world of poetry?
28. Who reads poetry in China today?
29. Is there still a Confucian tradition in today's Chinese poetry? A tradition of participating in political and social discourse?