Tao Qian, Also Known As Tao Yuan-Ming, Was A Chinese Poet

Tao Qian, also known as Tao Yuan-ming, was a Chinese poet of the Six Dynasties period. Tao was well versed in the classics of Confucianism and Daoism, which is evident in his poetry. However, he wasn’t known for the extent of his knowledge but for his distinctive voice as a poet of transition and reclusion. Throughout his life, he held and resigned several minor posts before his ultimate decision to renounce public life and â€Å"return to his gardens and fields† (Owen 1996, 312). As the founder of the poetry of â€Å"fields and gardens,† Tao’s writing revolves around nature as a philosophy and as a way of life that embodies the simplicity of living in recluse, away from the chaos of high society. He uses the philosophy of nature not only to retell†¦show more content†¦Many of Tao Qian’s poems illustrate a life of farming and drinking wine, encompassing themes that urge its audience to remove themselves from official life, move to the count ryside, and take up a cultivated life of drinking wine, writing poetry, and avoiding the complicated aspects of life such as working in high society. Earlier scholars believed that Tao was â€Å"neither Confucian nor this-worldly, neither egocentric nor defiant, neither gallant nor stubborn, Tao is contented, free from the unnatural, he has got all Nature can offer† (Lu 2017). It is evident in Tao Qian’s poetry that he utilized nature as a means to escape what reality had to offer, corruption and political instability, as opposed to his own idea of utopia or a simple, easy life in recluse. Tao’s â€Å"An Account of Peach Blossom Spring,† has remained a famous piece of Chinese writing throughout history about the discovery of an otherworldly utopia in which the populace led an ideal existence in harmony with nature, unaware of the outside world. Unlike reality at the time, where the â€Å"tension between the state and the individual had developed fullyâ €  (Owen 1995, 309), Tao’s Peach Blossom Spring is a tranquil magic otherworldly world that idealized a world of freedom and simplicity. He describes this world as â€Å"The land was broad and level, and there were cottages neatly arranged. There were good fields and lovely pools, withShow MoreRelatedCciv5042 Words   |  21 Pagesfrom Song to Qing Dynasty Hee Dam Yoon (52775031) Song Dynasty The Song Dynasty was the golden age of landscape painting in Chinese history. Many artists developed landscape painting during Five Dynasties so, the development in the Song period was smoothly started. Especially emperor Song Huizong enjoyed contribution on art cultivation during the Song Dynasty, so, the soaring of Chinese landscape painting was possible (Hough, â€Å"Sung Dynasty (1960-1179)†). Features of this period are vision of