The Study Of The 'Famed Flowers' In Tang & Song Poetry And The Spiritual Tradition Of The Chinese Literati

Flowers are the most beautiful creatures in the world; Poetry is the most benevolent of theliterature and arts. 'Flower' is one of the most important image in Chinese literature throughoutthe dynasties. The birth and death of a man, the success and failure of a matter, and theprosperity and decline of a thing, are all converged into a miniature of the flower image.The "Shi Yan Zhi" is a form of chanting in the Chinese poetic tradition, which later onextended in to the "Tuo Wu Yan Zhi" which is a concept of literature creation relying on thechanting of tangible things. "Flower" chanting is one of the major category of that concept,especially in the Chinese poetry. The 'Flower' image can be traced back to the Book of Songs,and its imagery connotations as well as the personification was primarily developed in ChuPoems and Songs. Through the Han, Wei, Jin and Nan Bei dynasties, it further develops andreached its climax in Tang and Song dynasties. In Tang & Song dynasties, 'Flower Chanting' hasreached its ultimate attainment, which carves a splendid page in the history of Chineseliterature. The 'Famed Flower' in Tang & Song writings, permeate and reveals the inheritance,continuity, and creativeness of the spiritual tradition of the Chinese literati. It is through thewritings of the 'Flowers' that mirrors the past ages, and the pursuit and maintain of the spiritualtradition as well as their own personalities can also be touched and felt in the rhythm of the'Flower chanting', at the same time, it reveals the worship and infatuation of beauty in the Tang& Song dynasties.Looking into the history of aesthetics, the history of art appreciation, of thinking, ofpsychology of Chinese literati, of drawing and painting, and many others, it can catch a glimpseof the culture transformation from Tang dynasty to Song dynasty, including many issues relatingto the cultural connotation and personalities, as well as the transformation of culture, etc. Itproclaims the change of the spirit of literati, spirit of culture, and the art appreciation of theliterati.