Xiaoxiang poetry is one of the Classical Chinese poetry genres, practiced for over a thousand years. It is a poetry of scenic wonders, a poetry of officials exiled for their views and beliefs, and a poetry of dissent against submitting to government control. The genre is geographically associated with the Xiaoxiang region, around and south of Dongting Lake, and it is often linked with similarly themed Chinese calligraphy and painting. Poets associated with the genre include Qu Yuan, Song Yu, Jia Yi, Wang Yi, Yu Xin, Shen Quanqi, Zhang Yue, Li Bai, Du Fu, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan and Su Shi.
Facts
Place of OriginXiaoxiang region, roughly modern Hunan Province 1 Notable Example Defining TraitScenic wonders, exile and dissent against government control 1 Connections
Sources
1. Xiaoxiang poetry - Wikipedia
Xiaoxiang region
The Xiaoxiang poetry genre is symbolically oriented around a certain geographic region, known as the Xiaoxiang, more-or-less modern Hunan Province.
History
The Xiaoxiang poetry tradition begins with Qu Yuan, of the Kingdom of Chu, before the initial unification of China into an empire.
Introduction
It is a poetry of scenic wonders, a poetry of officials exiled for their views and beliefs, and a poetry of dissent against submitting to government control.
View the SourceFrequently Asked Questions
Why is Xiaoxiang poetry linked with exile and dissent?
It is a poetry of scenic wonders and of officials exiled for their views, voicing dissent against government control.
Xiaoxiang poetry is named for the Xiaoxiang region, roughly modern Hunan Province, around and south of Dongting Lake. Its sources describe it as a poetry of scenic wonders, a poetry of officials exiled for their views and beliefs, and a poetry of dissent against submitting to government control. That mix of landscape and political protest is what sets the genre apart, and it is why the tradition is traced back to Qu Yuan, a poet of the Kingdom of Chu.
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