From Metropolis Fu to Pastoral Shi ——Pondering on the Literal Creation of Traditional Fu and Shi

The creating of Chinese ancient literature originated from Ci (a form of classical poetry) of Chu Dynasty and Fu (descriptive prose interspersed with verse) of Han Dynasty, and then the penta-word Shi (poetry) of Wei and Jin Dynasties, which formed the literary tradition centered on Shi and Fu in Pre-Tang period. During this period, the Fu writers represented by Ban Gu wrote a series of metropolis Fu, and Shi writers like Tao Yuan-ming composed a series of pastoral Shi. While the former is regarded as the orthodox Fu, the latter is hailed as exquisite masterpieces. Both metropolis Fu and pastoral Shi are artistic peaks with numerous followers. With the transition from metropolis Fu to pastoral Shi, this literary tradition of Shi and Fu also differentiates the metropolitan literature and rural literature, which reflect the different material surroundings and spiritual features. Reconsideration of the artistic value of Shi and Fu is evidently elicited in this change.