The brilliant tradition of ancient Chinese literature is still being appreciated today. Music and painting were also highly developed in ancient China, but most ancient musical scores have been lost and most of the paintings surviving today are from the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and later.
By the time of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), Qu Yuan, the first great poet of China, emerged. Qu Yuan was born in the State of Chu around the year 343 BC (or 353 BC), not long after the birth of Mencius and Zhuangzi.
The earliest anthology of poetry
The Book of Songs, the earliest anthology of poetry in China, is one of the most significant survivals in Chinese literature. It contains 305 poems written in a period of almost 500 years, starting from the early years of the Western Zhou through to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period (c. eleventh to sixth century BC).
Li Bai—A Romantic Genius
The height of the Tang Dynasty was the golden age of Chinese poetry.
Su Shi
When it came to the time of Su Shi, the style of ci poetry took on a new outlook. Su Shi formed a free and powerful ci style, which was further developed by Xin Qiji of the Southern Song Dynasty, Su Shi (1037-1101), style name Zizhan and alias Dongpo, was a native of Meishan, Sichuan.
