Classical Scholarship in Wei-Jin Period and Restoration of Ancient Literary Tradition

Confucian classics,especially the Book of Songs,were one of the leading forces shaping the literature of the Wei-Jin Period. In terms of the poetic style,Wei-Jin literature mimicked the Book of Songs,with siyan poems( the poems with each line composed of four Chinese characters) as its major pattern. In terms of the subject matter and theme,Wei-Jin literature directly mimicked the Book of Songs,and created three types of poems: the poems depicting Confucian Classics; the poems supplementing the missing part of the Book of Songs; the poems parodying the Book of Songs. The fervor of restoring ancient literary tradition reached its peak in that period. In terms of the artistic style,WeiJin literature gave priority to ya( odes) and song( hymns),and transformed feng into ya,making a bold exploration of how to inherit the literary tradition of the Book of Songs. Wei-Jin literature forms a key link in the long history of Chinese literature.