The Research And Discussion Of Liu Shang

Liu Shang, a famous poet and painter of mid-Tang Dynasty, who is also good at playing zither. He is very versatile and has legend experiences. Liu Shang was born in a official’s family as the fourth generation grandson of Liu Dewei, a famous minister in Wu De. Liu Shang’s original home was Xu Zhou, and his hometown is Chang An. When he’s young, he travels beyond the Great Wall, wrote the poem Hu Jia Shi Ba Pai.After passing the imperial examination, he flits from one location to another, then begin his life as a alderman for nearly twenty years. He used to be a He Fei magistrate, and a Yuanwailang in Yu Department, and a Langzhong both in Bi Department and in the Ministry of War, and an official of Bian Zhou, etc. In his later years, he lives in seclusion and studies Taoism.Because of the material’s lose, the introduction about Liu Shang is scant. At present, researches of scholars both inland and abroad about Liu Shang are also just concentrated in his life and some of his poetry’s appreciation. The textual criticism is inadequate and many of them are too subjective. The textual criticism is biased in the parts of when did he pass imperial examination and the situation of being a official. The writer do a lots of correction and supplement in this thesis. According to the textual criticism of Liu Shang’s teachers and friends, the writer count55association targets, remedy deflect of The compile of textual criticism about names in the Complete Poetry Of Tang Dynasty and Poets in Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties’s association poetry index, and classify Liu Shang’s poems which spread in many books, find out there are99poems and another5sentences altogether. The writer do detailed analysis about Liu Shang’s poetry theme, form and artistry, figure out the writing time of Hu Jia Shi Ba Pai. Through the systemic textual analysis in this thesis, Liu Shang’s life experiences, association targets and works are displayed perfectly. At the same time, the complete analysis of Liu Shang’s psychological development, his whole life is presented is a stereoscopic and direct way. Liu Shang has a multiple personality. The great influence of the flouring period of Tang dynasty facilitated the romantic elements in his character so that he could preserve the enterprising spirit and took part in the imperial examination after witnessed the dark reality in the later period of prime Tang dynasty. However, the grave social crisis and the lasting darkness of political environment caused by the rebellion of An Lushan and Shi Siming smashed his dream of morality cultivation and statecraft. This catastrophe drew the curtain of the turbulent days in Mid-Tang dynasty when the nation declined in every aspect. Served as a local official over a long period of time, Liu Shang watched all the phenomena in the society and all the walks of life in his frequent shift of post. As his sight was drawn to the reality, he chanted the people living in destitution and sighed for his own senility. Despair prevailing in his mind after hard struggle, he wrote that he did’t understand the decree of providence until then in his poem. Looking back,he found his earlier life was with an air of unreality. Suffered physically and mentally, he finally decided to retire to the country. Till then, the romantic elements in his character took advantageous position. He lived leisurely and carefree in the picturesque landscape with the solitary cloud and the wild crane for his rest life.Liu Shang’s life track is the result of diverse cultures on earth. As a scholar-official, he has been reared in the Confucianism. He gorges himself on the superabundance of books and takes part in the imperial examination in order to reach his goal of morality cultivation, statecraft and creating a prosperous and peaceful world. As a local official, he is conscientious and does his best to settle the government affairs. Frequent relegations and diplomatic missions make him drifting from place to place all the time. That’s why he extremely treasures the happy reunion moments with his family and friends. His wide circle of acquaintances is a way to face out the tedious official life as well as a spiritual comfort in the homeless circumstance. Liu Shang is not an exception to the atmosphere of the mastery of Zen in Mid-Tang dynasty. To him, the Buddhist and Taoist are like a teacher and a friend all in one. The undesired spirit of Buddhism and the effortlessness of Taoism that have a great influence on his outlook of life, tally with his thoughts to some extent and finally affect his behaviour. When he is Confronted with disillusionment, the undesired secluded life is of enormous attract to him. The picturesque landscape must be a homeland for him.As a poet and a landscape painter, Wang Wei and Liu Liang come down in one continuous line both in the essential thoughts of life and in the artistic styles of their works. As to the life experience, Liu Shang totally fulfills his dream of roaming the hills with his action.