A Study On The Poems About The Princesses' Manors In The Early Tang Dynasty

It had been a long history that princesses had manors built of their own. But it had never been so prevailing as in the early Tang dynasty. Thanks to the prosperity and peace of the country, and also the deep affection for them of the emperors and empresses, some princesses in the early Tang dynasty emulated one another to have manors built, enjoying great luxury. The emperors and empresses visited their manors once and again, having retinues write poems to add to interest. With their distinguishing features, the poems made certain contribution to the development of the Tang poetry. But little attention has been paid to them. In this thesis, the poems about the princesses'manors in the early Tang dynasty are discussed in five aspects. In the first part, the origin of princesses'manors is tracked down, and a phenomenon is found that princesses in the early Tang dynasty were especially keen on the building of manors. In the second part, the reasons why the princesses were so keenly emulated each other to have manors built are discussed. Owing to the development of the economy of the country, the princesses had enough money to have magnificent manors built. As a result of the emperors'and empresses'affection for the princesses, and the emperors'and empresses'interest in sightseeing in the princesses'manors and in having poems written during their stay in the manors, poems about the princesses'manors came into being in large numbers. Feminine authority in the early Tang dynasty added a flavor of politics to these poems. In the third part, the value of the appreciation of beauty is discussed, the beauty of unique fairy images, of nature, of gardening skills and of music and dance. In the fourth part, the contribution of the poems in content and style and rhythm is discussed. In the fifth part, the poems about the princesses'manor are compared with those about other aristocrats'manors, and some differences between them are found.