The development of poetry has a long history. Judging from the earliest collection of poems, poems should have existed in the Western Zhou Dynasty, mainly in four-character poems, 19 ancient poems in five characters, six-character poems in Chu Ci, seven-character poems in Han Fu, folk songs in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties (such as Mulan poems) and modern poems in Tang Dynasty. Until modern times, vernacular Chinese prevailed, and no one wrote classical poems (ancient poems and modern poems) anymore. The development process is as follows: The Book of Songs → Chu Ci → Han Fu → Yuefu Poetry in Han Dynasty → Folk Songs in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties (represented by Jian 'an Seven Sons) → Tang Poetry → Song Poetry → Yuan Song → Ming and Qing Poetry (based on this, classical poetry and modern poetry are divided) → Modern poetry and new poetry.
The development of writing is similar. Ci originated in Nanliang, formed in the Tang Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. Although Yuan Ci inherited the legacy of the Song Dynasty, its achievements were unsustainable, but there were many poets, including many famous works. Ci in Ming Dynasty is still in decline. In the Qing Dynasty, it flourished again (Nalan Rong was the most famous poet). After the Qing Dynasty, Ci has completely declined. Until today, no one can write ancient Chinese characters.
Everything has ups and downs, ups and downs and deaths, and poetry and songs are no exception. Therefore, in this contemporary context, the classical poetry culture will inevitably weaken or even die out. Nowadays, the so-called literati writers rarely talk about poems and songs. Even if they say poetry, they are basically talking about contemporary poetry, not classical poetry. What's more, the general public? There are so many teachers teaching students poetry in China, and so many students are learning poetry, but often both teachers and students can recite several texts fluently, but they can't write half a decent five-character quatrain. In recent decades, I have never heard of anyone who has published a collection of classical poems, nor have I seen any literati write a famous seven-character quatrain. Writing words and poems should follow strict rules, not only even occasionally, but also pay attention to rhyme and sometimes quote classics. Unlike modern poetry, a few words can be called poems or words if they are slightly broken.
Nowadays, ancient poetry, even poetry, seems to have become a minority culture and a hobby for a small number of people to pass the time. Whether it is campus or society, network or real life, most people seem to be keen on endless hot spots and endless games. No matter on which platform, it seems that the number of people who are willing to read a poem appreciation article will never be comparable to the number of people who watch current events and social entertainment, just like an arrow on the string. If you talk about poetry in front of people with great interest, it is estimated that people around you will cast strange eyes. If you write poetry seriously, how many people will think that you are not putting on airs, putting on airs, or even showing off your literary talent? All these phenomena illustrate a problem, that is, the classical culture of China, represented by ancient poetry, has been getting farther and farther away from us, and its demise is almost foreseeable.
You may think I'm talking nonsense and worrying, but this is really some of my inner worries! Some people say that our descendants can't find jobs after 30 years. It will take time to verify whether this sentence is true or not, but thirty years later, how many people in China are still writing classical poems, and how many people can read classical Chinese fluently? Even if there are such people, how many people can do it well? Today, the general trend has been set, and there is nothing you and I can do! But we can still be calm: let the past die and let the doomed die. If you no longer belong to this era, why feel sorry?