The first is the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the governors became independent, and countries fought for talents. A large number of outstanding military strategists and politicians rose in troubled times, displayed their talents, created many ingenious stories handed down from generation to generation, and left valuable ideological wealth.
During the Warring States period, the emergence of a hundred schools of thought contended, which made the culture of this era reach its peak, with Confucianism, Taoism, France and military strategy; A hundred schools of thought contend, Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Gou Zi, Mozi, Shang Yang, Han Feizi, Su Qin, Zhang Yi, Sun Bin, Bai Qi, Wang Jian; Thinkers, diplomats and military strategists, big and small, can be like a galaxy. The ideological wealth of this era is worthy of China people's pride and yearning.
Unfortunately, Qin Shihuang used the policy of "burning books to bury Confucianism" to burn many books that recorded valuable ideological wealth, and buried the descendants of a hundred schools of thought alive in batches. Many small sects were extinct, orthodox Confucianism and Taoism were weakened, and the first "Renaissance Movement" was over.
The second is the Tang and Song Dynasties, when people's literary cells were particularly active, and the main achievement of the "Renaissance" was literature. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, political stability and economic prosperity led to the prosperity of poetry creation, and the national strength gradually declined after the "An Shi Rebellion". However, the development of Tang poetry did not stagnate. The addition of realistic works made the content more colorful, and the Tang Dynasty became the heyday of China's classical poetry.
The Big Three, Li Bai, Du Fu and Bai Juyi, are of course famous in history, and there are more than 2,300 other famous poets today. More than 48,900 of their works have been preserved in the whole Tang poetry, far more than today's pop songs, and the famous poets at that time had the same influence in society as today's pop music stars.
Song ci, which is as famous as Tang poetry, emphasizes literature and suppresses martial arts. In addition, people put their energy into writing words, absorbing the essence of the previous generation of literature, and creating more flexibly. There are about 10,000 Song Ci poems that have been handed down to this day.
In addition to Tang poetry and Song poetry, prose is essential. The prose of "Eight Masters in Tang and Song Dynasties" is an important treasure of China culture.
After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the people were divided into four classes, and most of the Han people were classified as the lowest class. The oppression of the nation has destroyed the soil for the development of literature, people have lost their passion for creation, and excellent writers rarely appear. Although there are many excellent works in Yuan Qu and later novels in Ming and Qing Dynasties, there is no phenomenon that a large number of famous artists emerged in Tang and Song Dynasties.
The third is the era of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, in which great changes have taken place in national thought and many excellent works have been produced.
At the end of Qing Dynasty, China was repeatedly invaded by foreign powers. More and more people of insight realized the all-round gap between Chinese and western powers and the incorrigibility of feudal system, so they began to abandon the old ideas handed down from generation to generation and actively learn from advanced western places, and then came up with the idea of establishing democratic political power through revolution. The corruption of the government made new ideas spread rapidly in China like a fire in midsummer.
After the demise of the Qing Dynasty and the founding of the Republic of China, although social unrest and wars continued, the impact and integration of Chinese and foreign cultures made a large number of thinkers and writers stand out. Most of them were educated in western powers, and many of them, such as Gu Hongming and Lin Yutang, have become famous in European and American countries. These people also have a deep understanding of China culture and a broad vision. Their personal thoughts and pursuits are different, and the styles and positions of their works are also very different. There are many famous works of various types, which can be described as a hundred flowers blossom.
Due to well-known historical reasons, the culture of the Republic of China has little influence on today's society, mainly revolutionary literature in the liberated areas and "left-wing" literature dominated by Lu Xun's works. In the 1990s, firstly, Qian Zhongshu's Fortress Besieged attracted people's attention, and then Liang Shiqiu's Essays on Elegant Rooms was introduced to the mainland, which won many praises, and people gradually became interested in the culture of the Republic of China.
Summarizing China's three "Renaissance", we can find that the period of social system change is often also the period of cultural prosperity. During this period, people's thoughts have undergone drastic changes, and great energy has been generated in the process of drastic changes, resulting in a large number of excellent works. For example, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, China was in transition from a slave society to a feudal society; During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the feudal system was gradually replaced. In addition, we can find that when there is social stability and economic prosperity, as long as the rulers vigorously advocate it, there will also be cultural prosperity. For example, during the Tang and Song Dynasties, the society was stable. At that time, most emperors had certain artistic accomplishment, and some emperors were artists. Under their leadership, the cultural scope is strong, and ministers and ordinary people are generally keen on literature, thus making great achievements in literature.