Tao Qian

Between the Han and Sui dynasties fell the Age of Division, a period of constant political strife.  In the north, non-Chinese ruling houses rose and fell until the Northern Wei dynasty built a state that persisted for over a century.  In the south, Chinese dynasties struggled to assert control over an entrenched aristocracy while confronting attacks on their borders.  Despite the turmoil of this period, the Age of Division was a time of great intellectual and artistic accomplishment.  An able—if reluctant—statesman and gifted poet, Tao Qian (365-427 C.E.) exemplifies the creativity of this period.  Explore the sites below to learn more about Tao Qian's world and legacy.

1. Tao Qian saw the transition from the Jin Dynasty to the Northern and Southern Dynasties.  Read more about the Jin Dynasty (make sure to click on the links to the Western and Eastern Jin dynasties) and the Northern and Southern Dynasties.  What were the major political events and intellectual, religious, and artistic achievements of these dynasties?
2. In Chapter 7 of McKay, A History of World Societies, you read some excerpts from Tao Qian's poetry.  To enrich your sense of his work, read these additional poems.  When you finish, take a look at the poems in the original Chinese.  Notice how differently the poems appear on the page.  Keep in mind that these are standardized Chinese characters.  Like other classical Chinese poets, Tao Qian would have written his poems in his own particular style of calligraphy (i.e. handwriting).  To learn more about calligraphy and its relationship to other arts in China, read about the Art of Chinese Brush Painting.  Then take a look at some examples of the Calligraphy of Chinese Poems.  What is the relationship between Chinese painting and poetry? How would you characterize the style of each of the examples of poetic calligraphy?
3. Tao Qian came to occupy an important place in the imaginations of later Chinese intellectuals and artists.  Examine these Images of Tao Qian from the Song Dynasty (960-1275 C.E.) to recent times.  How do these images resemble and differ from each other? How does Tao Qian appear in each image? How do conceptions of him change (or stay the same) over time?