Jian 'an is the title of Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty (196-220). The works represented by Cao Cao and his son reflect social unrest and people's livelihood, and at the same time show the ideal and ambition of unifying the world, which has distinct characteristics of the times. The lofty political ideal, short life lament, strong personality and strong tragic color constitute the era style of "Jian 'an Style" (also known as "Han and Wei Style"). Cao Shi, the ruler of Wei State, and his son both loved and rewarded literature, recruited many scholars and gathered many writers around them. They directly inherited the realistic tradition of Han Yuefu folk songs and set off a poetic climax.
2. Representative figures
During the Jian 'an period at the end of Han Dynasty, the literary giants "Three Caos" (Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Cao Zhi), "Seven Sons" (Kong Rong, Chen Lin, RoyceWong, Xu Gan, Ruan Yu, Angelababy, Serina Liu) and the poetess Cai Yan inherited the realistic tradition of folk songs in Han Yuefu, and generally adopted the five-character style, which was famous for being vigorous and generous. No matter "Cao Shi and his son" or "Jian 'an seven sons", they all lived in the land of Heluo for a long time, and this handsome and vigorous style is closely related to Heluo culture.
3. Characteristics
Due to the social unrest and years of war at the end of the Han Dynasty, the literati in this period had both political ideals and ambitions, as well as pragmatic spirit, open-minded attitude and resilience. They are no longer bound by Confucianism and show distinct personalities. The writers of Jian 'an, who are centered on Cao Shi and his son, are characterized by lofty political ideals, short lament, strong personality and strong tragic color in their literary works, all of which constitute the era style of "Jian 'an style".