Culture and literature in an early medieval Chinese court: The writings and literary thought of Xiao Tong (501--531)

Xiao Tong, the Crown Prince of the Liang, not only compiled the most influential Chinese literary anthology, the Wen xuan, but also led a literary court that promoted ideas of tradition and moderation in literary production. However, Xiao Tong lived a rather short life, and his importance as a literary figure in the first half of the Liang has been overshadowed by that of his younger brother Xiao Gang, who after Xiao Tong's death gained much acclaim and attention for his propagation of an innovative literary trend that separates literary writing from traditional and classical learning. Although Palace Style poetry, as the poetry written at Xiao Gang's court is called, has incurred more criticism than approval, nevertheless, it has long become the only literary icon of the Liang, a dynasty whose downfall is often attributed to its "decadent literature." Such a narrow and reductive view of Liang literature erroneously disregards the literary activities and production at Xiao Tong's court for the first thirty years of the Liang, and thus is inaccurate and misleading. In order to revise this long-held misconception and misinterpretation and bring to light the neglected yet critical aspect of the Liang literary arena, this dissertation gives full attention to the writings of Xiao Tong, the literary patron whose public role and personal taste shaped the literary milieu of the time. A careful and thorough examination of writings covering biographies, letters, prefaces, edicts, and last but not least, poetry is carried out to capture the essence of not only Xiao Tong's life and work, but also those of his literary entourage, of which Liu Xiaochuo deserves a special mention. The aim of this study is to gain an accurate view of Liang literature, which is essential for understanding the culture and literature of the entire Early Medieval period.