Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan
The concept of "ancient prose" was first proposed by Han Yu. He regarded parallel prose, which had emphasized rhythm, rhetoric, and arrangement of couples since the Six Dynasties, as secular writing. "Ancient prose" refers to parallel prose and refers to the prose of the Pre-Qin and Han Dynasties. Han Yu advocated ancient prose in order to restore the ancient Confucian orthodoxy and turn the reform of literary style and the revival of Confucianism into mutually reinforcing movements. When advocating ancient prose, we further emphasized the need for culture to clarify the Tao. In addition to Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan in the Tang Dynasty, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, Zeng Gong, Su Xun, Su Shi, Su Che and others in the Song Dynasty are also representatives.
Extended information:
Although the classical prose movement in the Mid-Tang Dynasty achieved victory in the literary world at that time, parallel prose did not disappear. It continued to be popular after the late Tang Dynasty. From the Five Dynasties to the early Song Dynasty, the flamboyant and gorgeous writing style spread again. Niu Xiji of the former Shu once pointed out in his "Article Theory" that the articles at that time "forgot the way of education and relied on coquettishness to win."
In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wang Yucheng and Liu Kai began to advocate ancient prose again, and both proposed the integration of literature and Taoism. However, they fought alone and did not form a strong movement. In the early years of Song Zhenzong and Song Renzong, the "Xikun School" represented by Yang Yi and Liu Jun swept the literary world at that time, pursuing the formalist trend of beautiful sounds and rhythms. It wasn't until Shi Jie and others came out that they dealt a powerful blow to the obscene literary style that had lasted for hundreds of years.