Generally speaking, Tang poetry can be divided into four periods: early Tang, prosperous Tang, middle Tang and late Tang.
(1) The outstanding poet in the early Tang Dynasty was Chen Ziang. At the beginning of the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, it was the frivolous palace poems of the Southern Dynasties that occupied the poetic world. Until the reign of Tang Gaozong, Chen Ziang, whose life experience, thoughts and feelings were different from those of palace poets, tried his best to get rid of the "decadent" poetic style advocated by Liang Chen and advocated "style" in his poetry creation under the call of restoring ancient ways. His Story of Youzhou Tower contributed to the development of Tang poetry.
(2) The prosperous Tang Dynasty was an era of brilliant poetry, and the development of Tang poetry reached the peak of prosperity, with many famous poets, schools and poetic styles. The pastoral school, represented by Wang Wei and Meng Haoran, describes a leisurely and quiet pastoral life. Although they sometimes reveal the negative thoughts and political frustrations of Buddha and Lao, they have made great achievements in art. Their poems have enriched the pastoral poems formed since the Jin and Song Dynasties and have a certain position in the history of literature. At this time, students can recall the characteristics of Wang Wei's poems they learned in middle school at first. The poems of frontier poets Gao Shi and others not only depict the magnificent frontier scenery, but also reflect the fearless spirit, optimistic spirit, homesickness and the difference between soldiers, adding fresh and magnificent colors to Tang poetry. Li Bai and Du Fu were the highest achievers in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Li Bai despises powerful people, is cynical, yearns for light and pursues freedom; His poems are magnificent, passionate, imaginative and far-reaching, with outstanding romantic style, and are known as "poetic immortals". He is another great romantic poet after Qu Yuan. "Difficult Road to Shu" and "Looking at Lushan Waterfall" are all masterpieces of the ages. Teachers can also recite Li Bai's A Word to Meng Haoran to students and experience the style of Li Bai's poems. Du Fu is an outstanding realistic poet in our country, and he is known as "Poet Saint". Du Fu lived in the era of prosperity and decline before and after the An Shi Rebellion, and was poor and frustrated all his life. Therefore, his poems exposed the political fatuity and decadent life of the ruling class, reflected the tragic situation of the lower class before and after the war, and showed sympathy for the working people and concern for state affairs. His poetic style is deep and ups and downs; The language foundation is very profound. "For human nature, language is not surprisingly endless." This serious creative spirit of "no regrets" makes him a great representative of realistic poets, and his excellent works include Three Officials and Three Farewells.
(3) After the Anshi Rebellion, the vitality of the Tang Dynasty was greatly weakened, and the social contradictions at the bottom became increasingly acute. The realistic spirit of poetry completely replaced the high-spirited optimism and became the mainstream in the middle Tang Dynasty. Bai Juyi, a poet in the middle Tang Dynasty, inherited Du Fu's tradition, further advocated that "articles should be written on time, and songs and poems should be written according to events", and set off a new Yuefu movement, arguing that poetry should develop along the realistic direction of "supplementing current events and releasing human feelings" and pursue a simple and simple poetic style in art. Bai Juyi's 50 satirical poems "New Yuefu" are the representatives of this kind of poetry.
In the late Tang Dynasty, feudal rule was in jeopardy and class contradictions were unprecedented. With the decline of the national situation, the style of poetry has also changed. Du Mu and Li Shangyin are two highly accomplished poets who were active in the early stage of the late Tang Dynasty. Du Mu advocates "paying attention" in literary creation, and opposes the simple pursuit of "rhetoric", which is more in line with reality. Li Shangyin's career was bumpy all his life, but he always cared about politics, and chanting historical poems accounted for a large proportion in his poems. The epics of these two poets both reflect the declining reality of the Tang Dynasty, but both reveal personal frustrations. In art, Du Mu pursues "sublime" and is not satisfied with "wonderful"; Li Shangyin, on the other hand, formed a unique style of deep affection, grace, elegance and delicacy, and made new contributions to the development of China's classical poetry.