Chinese poetry is one of the oldest in the world. The first written collection of poems, the Shī Jīng 詩經 or Book of Odes, already collects works dating back to the 11th century BC. And since then, the Chinese have devoted themselves to poetry with such dedication and mastery that the renowned English synologist Robert Payne went so far as to say that they had written more poetry than all the other nations of the earth put together.
In this section we intend to share some poetic and literary works and/or fragments, as well as small biographies of some of the most acclaimed Chinese authors.
Sūn Wùkōng 孫悟空 is the main character of the classic novel “Journey to the West” (西遊記 Xī Yóu Jì), one of the most important works of Chinese literature. However, this odd monkey-character is not an original invention of the author of the Xī Yóu Jì, in fact, we find several literary antecedents that were gradually shaping his image.
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Poetry has always been one of the most appreciated arts in China. In the past, its appreciation extended to all layers of society, and already in ancient times there were poetic contests (dǒu shī 鬥詩) that were practiced at festivals and banquets and adopted different forms, usually involving the consumption of wine among the participants.
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“Clouds and Rain on Mount Wūshān” (巫山雲雨 Wū Shān yún yǔ) is an expression provenient from an erotic scene contained in a poem from the 3rd century B.C. The Chinese have incorporated this expression into spoken language to poetically signify the physical act of love between man and woman. Let’s take a look at the story behind it, whose authorship is attributed to Sòng Yù 宋玉.
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The Ballad of Mùlán 木蘭辭 (Mùlán cí) is an anonymous poem of the 6th century that tells the story of a young woman whose elderly father is called to fight at the borders of the empire. The young woman, named Mùlán, decides to pass for a man and go to the army to replace her father.
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When Cáo Pī 曹丕 became the emperor of China, he was willing to kill his brother Cáo Zhí 曹植 so he could not claim the throne for himself. Thus he challenged him to compose a poem in the time it took him to walk seven steps. If he succeeded, his life would be respected; otherwise, he would be sentenced to death.
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