What did the Song Dynasty inherit from the Tang Dynasty?

First of all, Tang poetry and Song ci are in the same strain. Poets in Song Dynasty absorbed the nutrition of Tang poetry and created a poetic style. Song poetry, for example, tends to be popular in subject matter and language. Describe ordinary trivial daily life and use vulgar slang. This trend of thought started from Du Fu and further developed in Han Yu, Bai Juyi, Meng Jiao, Jia Dao, Pi Rixiu and Luo Yin in the middle Tang Dynasty. Poets in Song Dynasty followed its flow and set off its waves. Another example is the discussion in poetry, which began with Du Fu and Han Yu and is common in the poems of Du Mu and Li Shangyin in the late Tang Dynasty. After entering the Song Dynasty, it developed into a general atmosphere in the poetry circle.

Secondly, the Song Dynasty made some innovations in Tang poetry, which are embodied as follows:

First, the theme tends to daily life. The social life of Tang poetry is almost exhausted, and the Song people dig deep. The successful development of the theme of Song poetry is inclined to daily life. Trivial details became the material for Song people to write poems. Moreover, the selection angle of Song poetry tends to be secular, and the lyric heroes are mostly ordinary people. This feature makes Song poetry have the advantage of approachability, but it lacks the exotic feelings and splendor derived from the romantic spirit of Tang poetry.

Second, the aesthetic pursuit of simple beauty. Song poetry has created a new realm beyond the aesthetic realm of Tang poetry, and its overall style pursuit is plain beauty. Su Shi and Huang Tingjian have always been regarded as typical representatives of the characteristics of Song poetry. Su Shi pays more attention to Tao Yuanming, while Huang Tingjian pays more attention to the plain realm of Du Fu's later poems. The "plain" they pursue actually refers to a mature style that transcends the brilliance of carving and a perfect aesthetic realm. The aesthetic style of Tang poetry is characterized by rich feelings, while the aesthetic pursuit of Song poetry is dull, which is obviously a profound change of Tang poetry.

Thirdly, it created another aesthetic paradigm besides Tang poetry. Tang poetry and Song ci are two paradigms in the history of poetry. Poetry after the Song Dynasty, although it also developed, failed to surpass the category of Tang and Song poetry style on the whole. From the perspective of aesthetic style, the emotional connotation in Song poetry is moderate, and the constraints of acceptance are not as warm and extroverted as those in Tang poetry. The artistic appearance of Song poetry is plain and thin, not as rich and beautiful as Tang poetry; The strength of Song poetry lies not in emotion but in thought, which is the literary expression of Song people's deep thinking about life.

Poetry in Tang and Song Dynasties is unique and complementary in aesthetic style. They are two paradigms of classical poetry aesthetics, which have a far-reaching influence on later poetry. The value of Song people is that they have their own reasons instead of keeping pace with Tang poetry, so they can create Song poetry that keeps pace with Tang poetry.