Thinker | Fang Xiaoyi: Bringing Ancient Poetry to Life in Today's Era

Ancient poetry is an important component of traditional culture. How can they truly "come to life" in today's era, enter our lives today, and make Chinese people truly love it? Professor Fang Xiaoyi from East China Normal University recently gave a speech on this topic at the "Millennium Flowing Wine and Prosperous New Life" series of lectures at the Oriental Lecture Hall.

Today's lecture is not about ancient poetry itself, but about the revitalization of ancient poetry to discuss the inheritance and innovation of excellent traditional Chinese culture.

Traditional culture is a historical relic that advocates creative transformation and innovative development. Through various means, it can truly "come to life" in today's era, enter our lives today, and make today's Chinese people truly love it. And ancient poetry is an important component of traditional culture, and the revitalization of ancient poetry is undoubtedly one of the hotspots in the dissemination and popularization of traditional culture in recent years.

I have participated in the production of poetry TV programs such as CCTV's "Chinese Poetry Conference" and Dongfang TV's "Poetry of China". I have also been interested in animated films related to poetry such as "Three Thousand Miles in Chang'an". I have some thoughts on the "revitalization" of traditional culture and ancient poetry. Today, I would like to share them with you. It should be noted that what I am referring to here as "traditional culture" refers to excellent traditional Chinese culture.

There are four aspects of traditional culture that deserve attention

What kind of content does traditional culture contain? I believe that there are four main aspects worth absorbing and valuing today: correct moral and value systems, outstanding ideological concepts and ways of thinking, rich lyrical and aesthetic abilities, and unique ways of personality development.

One is the correct moral and value system. For example, as Confucius said, "Do not do to others what you do not want to do." Do not impose something on others that you do not want to do yourself. This is a very important concept in Confucianism, and it still appears to be correct today.

Secondly, unique ideological concepts and ways of thinking. Ideas and concepts involve values, and Chinese people's way of thinking also has its own characteristics, such as valuing intuition and understanding. Unique ideological concepts and ways of thinking directly affect our behavior.

Thirdly, rich emotional expression and aesthetic ability. This is particularly prominent in literary works dominated by poetry. Every time I read Du Fu's "Meeting Li Guinian in Jiangnan", I feel that the poet is truly remarkable. The earth shattering changes of the times, the various hardships of personal fate, and the mixed emotions of reuniting old friends are all condensed in the four words "Falling Flower Season", and there is no need to say anything else. The emotions in the four words are of great importance, and experienced readers can naturally understand them.

Fourthly, unique ways of personality development. Traditional culture contains unique ways of personality development, such as Confucianism's "self-cultivation, family harmony, governance, and world peace", which links the cultivation of personal morality, family harmony, national governance, and the rule of the world, allowing individuals to reach the world.

Of course, there are many other aspects in traditional culture, but personally, I think these four aspects are particularly important and have the most distinctive features.

The Status of Ancient Poetry in Traditional Culture

Traditional culture encompasses both material and spiritual aspects. What is the nature and characteristics of the ancient poetry we are going to talk about today? What is its position in traditional culture?

Poetry and ci are two literary genres in ancient China. They belong to rhyme and rhyme, which is different from non rhymed prose. Overall, the length of poetry is relatively short. In a broad sense, ci is also a type of poetry, but the sentence structure of most poems is relatively neat, such as five character poems and seven character poems. However, the sentence structure of most words is not neat, with some length and some short, so ci is also called "long short sentences". In terms of content, there was an ancient saying called "poetry is elegant and charming". Poetry is more solemn and serious, often expressing grand emotions, while poetry is generally more delicate, often depicting love between men and women. In terms of artistic realm, Wang Guowei said, "The realm of poetry is broad, and the words of poetry are long." These are the basic differences between poetry and ci.

Compared to other contents in traditional culture, I believe that poetry has different characteristics, mainly in four aspects. Firstly, poetry contains rich emotional expressions; The second is that poetry has exquisite language forms, such as rhythm; Thirdly, poetry has profound humanistic connotations. Although it is short in length, it often hides profound historical, cultural, and ideological connotations behind it; Fourthly, poetry contains a variety of life interests, showcasing the daily lives of literati.

In ancient times, composing poetry and lyrics was a fundamental skill for literati, integrated into their daily lives, and a fundamental cultural skill. What kind of situation is poetry in contemporary times? I think there are three main groups paying attention to poetry. Firstly, there are poetry enthusiasts who enjoy reading poetry. Secondly, there are poetry creators, and in recent years, there are also many young friends who are enthusiastic about writing their own poems and lyrics, following the rhythm of writing old style poetry. Finally, there are researchers of poetry, mainly engaged in the teaching and research of poetry in universities or research institutions. Apart from these three groups, poetry has basically faded out of our daily writing and also faded out of the daily lives of most people.

Revitalizing ancient poetry means bringing it back to the public's lives from ancient books, so that those who were not originally poetry enthusiasts, creators, or researchers can also care about poetry and even fall in love with it. Because poetry has its own characteristics in traditional culture, it plays an irreplaceable role in cultivating the cultural quality of Chinese people. In short, it is useful for the public, especially for young friends. We can experience the beauty of ancient Chinese language and writing by reading and memorizing poetry. Of course, modern Chinese is also very beautiful. Mr. Zhu Ziqing wrote "Moonlight in the Lotus Pond", "Above the winding lotus pond, the leaves of the fields are visible," which is very beautiful and artistic. But as he wrote, he began to quote Emperor Yuan of Liang's "Lotus Picking Ode" and the Southern Dynasty folk song "Xizhou Qu", not to mention that adjectives like "Tian Tian" themselves came from ancient poetry. So modern Chinese and ancient Chinese are not completely separated. Although we use vernacular Chinese today, we can still feel the beauty of ancient poetry and absorb its nutrients in daily speech and writing.

We can also have a strong resonance with the emotions expressed in ancient poetry by reading it. Although our living environment and historical situation today are very different from those of the ancients, in the workplace, at home, and in our circle of friends, when experiencing various situations in life, we need an emotional resonance. It is not only a form of venting, but also a form of empathy and comfort. There are many forms of literature and art that can resonate with you, such as a song or a movie. However, ancient poetry expresses emotions in a very delicate way, often closely combining emotional expression with the changes in natural phenology and landscape. Therefore, you may be particularly prone to resonating, as stated in "Wen Xin Diao Long": "Climbing a mountain fills you with emotions, and watching the sea overflows with emotions." Li Bai said, "The road is difficult, the road is difficult, and there are many wrong paths. Where is safety today?" The road is too difficult to walk, but the long wind and waves, the clouds and sails of the vast sea, all of a sudden make you jump out of the predicament spiritually and gain a strong emotional connection. Resonance. In this sense, ancient poetry is a good medicine.

Nurturing Our Life with the Poetic Meaning of Ancient Poetry

At a deeper level, contemporary people can use the poetic meaning in ancient poetry to nourish our lives. This poetic meaning is neither purely about content nor just about form, it is a whole. There are many interpretations of "poetic meaning" in Chinese and foreign literary theories, and I will only analyze a few common ancient poems here.

The poem "Ascending the Stork Tower" by Wang Zhihuan is very famous. There is a consensus in the academic community that it was written by Zhu Bin. We will not discuss the issue of the author for now, but only talk about the poem itself. Wang Zhihuan described the scenery he saw when climbing the stairs, which consists of four parts: the day, the mountains, the Yellow River, and the sea. But in today's Shanxi, the Stork Tower, no matter what, the poet cannot see the sea. In fact, what he sees is the day, the mountains, and the Yellow River, and the sea is an imagined scenery. But as the ancient poem goes, "When will all rivers reach the sea from the east and return to the west?" This imagination is not only natural and reasonable, but also instantly enhances the artistic conception of the poem. The author only used a total of 10 words to write these four scenes, using a contrasting technique: "The day follows the mountains, the Yellow River flows into the sea." The colors of the scenery, the positional relationship between the scenery, and the dynamics of the scenery are all condensed into these 10 words, which is a highly condensed form of poetry. The scenery has both reality and emptiness, and the realm is very broad, which is a kind of Tang Dynasty atmosphere that we often refer to. Looking at the following two sentences again, "If you want to be poor for a thousand miles, take it to the next level." What is it? It is a hypothesis, also like an inquiry. If you want to see further, then you need to climb up the stairs again. What is written here is actually the immediate feeling of the climber. Ancient buildings were generally not high, and from a visual perspective, climbing a tall building can indeed see a distant place. From the perspective of the climber, he only described a simple objective fact that we all understand. But when you read poetry, it is natural to associate this fact with a philosophy of life, which is that if you want to see far, you need to stand higher, and only by standing higher can you see further. Did the poet notice it while writing? Perhaps it flashed through his mind, or maybe he just wrote down the immediate feeling of climbing the stairs, but I believe every reader will have a strong resonance with these two lines of poetry, and this resonance will vary depending on the stage of your life. The depiction of natural scenery, the genuine feeling of climbing stairs, and the philosophy of life that arises from it are actually three in one, and we cannot ignore either end. The poetic meaning of this poem is enough to broaden the hearts of contemporary people and elevate our realm of life.

Let's take a look at two famous farewell poems again. Wang Wei's "Farewell to Yuan Er Shi Anxi" and Gao Shi's "Farewell to Dong Da" are both seven character quatrains written by poets from the prosperous Tang Dynasty, but the relationship between emotions and scenery is different in the two poems.

At the beginning of the poem "Farewell to the Second Envoy of the Yuan Dynasty in Anxi", it reads: "In the morning of Wei City, the rain is light and the dust is light, and the guest houses are green and the willows are fresh.". These two sentences read with a refreshing feeling. Especially the word "new" makes people feel very relaxed and happy. But the following two sentences, "I urge you to drink more wine and leave Yangguan without any old friends," suddenly changed my mood. It's very sad and helpless, even a bit sad, to have no old friend like me again after leaving Yangguan. So, overall, the mood of this poem changes from joy to sadness.

The scenery described at the beginning of "Farewell to Dong Da" is very desolate and tragic, with "yellow clouds and white sun setting for a thousand miles, and geese and snow blowing in the north". The melancholy has already been reflected in the scenery, and the mood is a bit oppressive. Then the third and fourth sentences write about bidding farewell, which is a saying to Dong Da: "Don't worry about having no confidants on the way, no one in the world knows you." The poet has already felt that such a scenery will make you feel blocked, and the sorrow of parting will intensify. He tells you not to worry, your reputation is already big enough, and there must be people who know you in the distance, and confidants who your heart is in harmony with. ". They have heard your name and will appreciate your talent. They are willing to make friends with you, and new emotions and friendships will be established, so there is nothing to be sad about. The overall mood of this poem presents a change from sadness to joy.

Both are poems of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, both are about parting, and they first depict scenery and then express emotions, but the relationship between scenery and emotion is different in these two poems. Although there is a sense of separation and sorrow, there is no such heart wrenching sadness. When reading the second poem, there is a bright color hidden in the separation and separation between people. Everything is pointed to the end, and complex emotions interweave into seemingly the simplest poetic lines. This poetic meaning naturally condenses into the lines.

Let me give another example of a Song poem, Su Shi's "Spring in Qinyuan: Early Departure to Mizhou, Immediately Sending My Son", I believe everyone is also quite familiar with it. On his way to Mizhou, Su Shi immediately wrote a poem and sent it to his younger brother Su Che. In the previous section, he wrote, "The world is endless, and labor and life are limited, just like the district chief Xian Huan." Life is long, and he is busy all day just to make a living, without any happy moments. This emotion is relatively low and helpless. But at the end of the poem, there are a few lines: "When I choose to give up, my actions are hidden in me. Why not look around with my sleeves? I am tall and healthy, but I am a veteran, and I will fight in front of you." Whether the court uses me or not is determined by fate, by the times, or in other words, by opportunities. But I can't become an official myself. I can decide what lifestyle to choose. Why don't you just look around with your sleeves open. Sometimes people need to learn to be an observer, see clearly what you are facing, and then make clear choices. You need to maintain a proactive attitude in life, don't think that fate is controlled by others, and ultimately fate is still in your own hands. And the key to maintaining good physical health and a calm mindset is to have a healthy physique, but to be outstanding in passing and fighting in front of others! Whether you are "good" or "hidden" is actually okay, but you need to have a calm mindset.

This was said by Su Shi to his younger brother, and in fact, I think it was also said to each of us. After reading this poem, I believe that many people who are indecisive in the face of choices will suddenly have a much brighter mood and a more calm mindset. This is the power of poetry. So, poetic meaning is actually a foundation for the revitalization of ancient poetry. Because the poetic meaning of ancient poetry is closely related to us today, it is possible for poetry to be revitalized.

How to "revitalize" ancient poetry

So, how to "activate" ancient poetry? I would like to discuss the ways to revitalize ancient poetry by combining the production of the CCTV "2023 Chinese Poetry Conference" that I participated in with the animated film "Three Thousand Miles in Chang'an" that was popular this summer. Of course, this is still constantly being explored.

The first way to activate ancient poetry is to visualize the text of ancient poetry. Poetry is a literary text. Today, we are entering an era of image reading or visualization, so try to visualize poetry as much as possible to make the audience more interested. For example, the opening of the 2023 Chinese Poetry Conference is to present the artistic conception of poetry through visuals. In this short video, there is a "circle" as the core image behind each scene. At the same time, the green mountains and water blend with contemporary elements such as high-speed trains, rotating wind turbines, and transverse cable bridges, which are closer to life and reflect the achievements of national construction.

When making propositions, emphasis is also placed on visualizing ancient poetry. For example, the first episode revolves around the Qing Dynasty painting "Fu Gui Sui Chao Tu" collected by the Palace Museum, which features activities such as children folding plum blossoms and pulling ice beds on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Our approach is to make the children dress up like the children in the picture, referring to the scene in the picture, and have them perform various games and activity scenes in the "Fugui Suichao Tu", which fully enlivens the title of the "Fugui Suichao Tu". In the fifth episode, the digital figure Su Shi made his official appearance, and he had a natural conversation with Huang Tingjian, who was played by actors around him. The title of the poem appeared later. The image of the digital figure Su Shi is completely reproduced according to the appearance of Su Shi in ancient paintings. It is really difficult to distinguish whether it is a real person or a digital person when looking at the distance. This is also an attempt to visualize ancient poetry using modern technology.

The second way to activate ancient poetry is to establish a connection between ancient poetry and current life. In the 2023 Chinese Poetry Conference, we recreated the scene of colorful clay figurines unearthed from the Astana ancient tomb group in Xinjiang, making food. We invited four actors to perform. The four people demonstrated the entire process from pounding grain to rolling noodles and pancakes, putting all the utensils in place. Then, they focused on the "soup pancakes", "Hu pancakes", and "cooking pancakes" in the poetry, filled with a sense of life, just like making pancakes at home. This has also attracted widespread media coverage.

The third way to activate ancient poetry is to contextualize the historical context of ancient poetry and poets. People from ancient times have always existed, but when presenting poets and poetry, we view them as living beings living in their historical context, rather than as objects in literary history. I think a successful example is the animated movie "Chang'an 30000 Miles". Many people were moved to tears when they saw Li Baiyin's scene of "a light boat has crossed countless mountains". Seeing the elderly Gao Shi in the film saying to the children around him, "As long as those poems from the Yellow Crane Tower are there, the Yellow Crane Tower will be there.". Li Bai suffered a huge setback in his life. He was pardoned, and people were immediately liberated. What moved you was the feeling of Li Bai regaining his freedom. Gao Shi's words about the Yellow Crane Tower actually demonstrate a spiritual and cultural power that transcends concrete material existence. Isn't this the power of Tang poetry and traditional culture? Many of the things described in Tang poetry are no longer visible to us today. With the vicissitudes of time, the building is no longer that one. However, as long as those poems are still there, your imagination of the prosperous Tang Dynasty in history, the beautiful imagination of traditional Chinese culture, and recognition are there.

I personally believe that the revitalization of ancient poetry in "Three Thousand Miles in Chang'an" is successful, as it effectively portrays the fate of poetry and poets in historical contexts. The path to its success can be summarized into four points: firstly, capturing the poets, cities, and historical periods that contemporary people are most interested in; The second is to restore and present the relationships between historical figures as understandable relationships for contemporary people, which of course includes moderate fiction; The third is to seek the connection between the poet's psychological state and the contemporary people's psychological state; The fourth is to highlight the significance of continuing and inheriting traditional culture, and cultivate the cultural identity of the audience.

The revitalization of ancient poetry is ultimately an attempt to inherit and innovate traditional culture. Only when cultural relics such as ancient poetry come to life can traditional culture truly integrate into our lives today.

Biography of Thinkers

Fang Xiaoyi is a professor and doctoral supervisor in the Chinese Department of East China Normal University, as well as the director of the Institute of Ancient Books. He also serves as a director of the Chinese Song Dynasty Literature Society and the Chinese Historical Literature Research Association. Expert in the proposition of CCTV's "Chinese Poetry Conference". His main works include "Ten Lectures on Poets", "Poetic World", and "Classic Studies, Imperial Examinations, and Ancient Song Dynasty Prose".