Poetry in the pre-Qin period is mainly lyrical, and its content is mostly related to labor, religion and love. Poetry in this period is characterized by simplicity and sincerity, such as Guan Ju and Jia Jian in The Book of Songs. After the Han Dynasty, poetry gradually developed to metrical and antithetical aspects, forming new forms such as modern poetry and metrical poetry.
Poetry in this period mainly depicts natural scenery and expresses humanistic feelings, such as the works of the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu's Ascending the Mountain. In the Song Dynasty, poetry began to pay attention to the discussion of artistic conception and philosophy, and many philosophical poems and pastoral poems appeared. The poems of this period have profound and meaningful characteristics, such as Su Shi's "Topic of Xilin Wall" and Lu You's "Tour of Shanxi Village".
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, poetry developed further, and many schools and styles appeared, such as the first seven poets in the Ming Dynasty and the Tang and Song Dynasties in the Qing Dynasty. Poetry in this period mainly expresses personal feelings and thoughts, but also involves the discussion of social reality and philosophy of life. Since modern times, with the social change and ideological emancipation, the form and content of poetry have been constantly innovated and developed.
After the New Culture Movement, vernacular poetry began to rise, and many poets began to try to express their thoughts and feelings in new languages and forms. After the reform and opening-up, with the trend of cultural diversification and internationalization, China's poems also showed more diversified styles and characteristics.
Characteristics of poetry
Poetry is full of the author's thoughts, feelings and rich imagination. The language is concise and vivid, with distinct rhythm, harmonious phonology and rich musical beauty. Sentences are generally in rows, paying attention to the beauty of structure and form.
He Qifang, a modern poet and literary critic in China, once said: Poetry is the literary style that most strongly reflects social life. It is full of rich imagination and feelings, and it is often expressed in a direct lyrical way. Moreover, in the exquisite and harmonious degree, especially in the bright rhythm, its language is different from prose.