A Study Of Lingnan Imagery In Tang Poetry

Before the Tang Dynasty,Lingnan had been the unknown,barren southern frontier of the country,a mysterious land filled with legends and textual accounts of horror,but also exotic and rich in produce that attracted the world to explore.As a turning point in the historical development of Lingnan,the Tang dynasty not only saw the actual development of the geographical space of Lingnan,but also,as the literati and scholars entered Lingnan,they gradually unearthed the geographical features and cultural implications of Lingnan in addition to the ecological environment,thus promoting the formation of a poetic space in which the geography and history of Lingnan entered the poetry,which is highlighted by the inclusion of many people,objects and events in historical and realistic situations with Lingnan characteristics,which condensed into the Lingnan imagery popular in the Tang and influencing future generations from different aspects.The use and dissemination of these Lingnan imagery played an important role in breaking down the inherent impressions of Lingnan during the Tang period and in building a complete image of it.Lingnan is not only a whole image,but also a group of images that encompasses richness and tolerance."Lingnan" and the many images within Lingnan together shape the impression of Lingnan in Tang poetry,which is characterized by the hardship of the road and the horror of barbarism.This negative image,deeply rooted in the geography of Lingnan and influenced by ecological factors,always hovered over the writing of Lingnan in the Tang Dynasty and influenced the construction of its internal imagery.But Lingnan,as a richly encompassing regional subject,could not have been so single in its image;factors such as climate and weather,topography and landscape were only the first to receive the attention of the Tang dynasty as more obvious geographical features,the deep historical deposits and cultural significance of the Lingnan region are bound to attract attention as the literati of the region delve deeper.As a result,the writing of Lingnan during the Tang Dynasty created a contrast between the negative impression of Lingnan as a whole and the rich culture of Lingnan in depth.Tang Dynasty people first discovered various historical figures from Lingnan history,these historical figures,who carry the rich heritage and culture of Lingnan,took on a new charm at the time of the Tang under the projection of the poet’s emotions;the Tang dynasty also dug deeper into the geographical aspects of Lingnan,and these assemblages of history and geography,which have both deep historical deposits and fully reveal the regional characteristics of Lingnan,are the main source of Lingnan imagery.Landmark imagery such as Hengyang,Wuling,Qingyuan Gorge,Ghost Gate Pass and Tongzhu,which are scattered along the road from the Central Plains into the Ridge and then deeper into the South of the Ridge,as well as Cangwu and Hepu,which have undergone long historical changes,the names are unique in their geographical location and development history,and they all show the diversity and richness of Lingnan culture in different ways.Whether it is the construction of Lingnan imagery as a whole,or the construction and meaning generation of Lingnan historical figures and geographical imagery groups,there is a common influencing factor within them: the subject’s perception based on geographical characteristics and historical factors of the time,that is,the poet’s perception as the subject of poetry creation.From this perspective,we analyse the characteristics of the construction of the Lingnan imagery group and the outstanding contribution of the literary depiction of the Lingnan imagery group to the construction of the overall image of Lingnan,in terms of the identity of the creative subject as the "other" and the imagery formation mechanism of "f’rom impression to imagery".