The Collapse Of Ritual Music And The Pre-Qin Literary Quality Dispute

Perhaps due to the constraints of a narrow professional perspective,aesthetic and literary circles tend to conflate the debate over literary quality with questions of content and form.However,with further research,it becomes apparent that there are inherent challenges in explaining Chinese literary quality solely through the lens of content and form.Thus,it is imperative to delve into the historical context in which the discourse on literary quality emerged,and to revisit the meaning of the term itself.During the pre-Qin period,a multitude of schools of thought vied for influence,and nearly all factions,not just Confucianism,had their own perspective on literary quality.The diverse interpretations of this concept were,in fact,attempts to grapple with the issue of "Zhou Wen fatigue," which was intimately connected to the social and historical milieu of that era.Therefore,this paper aims to investigate the collapse of ritual music during the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty,and conduct a comparative analysis of the discourse on pre-Qin literature and the decline of ritual music.By drawing insights from ancient sources,this paper seeks to reconstruct the original conceptual framework of Chinese literary quality and gain a holistic understanding of this concept during the pre-Qin period.This article will be structured into three main sections.The first section delves into the origins of pre-Qin culture.By exploring the significance of "wen" and "quality" during this period,we will gain insight into their relationship with the ritual music system of the Western Zhou Dynasty.The second section of this article focuses on the decline of ritual music culture during the pre-Qin period.Specifically,we examine the various manifestations of the collapse of ritual music during the Spring and Autumn period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty,including the extravagance and impracticality of etiquette,the abuse and encroachment of etiquette,and the abandonment and trivialization of etiquette.By adopting a critical perspective,we analyze the changes in the specific etiquette system and the inappropriate behaviors of the nobility,in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the collapse of etiquette during this period.We further argue that it was precisely due to the significant shifts in the social and historical context that pre-Qin philosophers were prompted to contemplate and explore the issue of literary quality.The third part of the paper delves into the reflection of pre-Qin princes on the quality of ritual music.During a tumultuous era marked by decay,these princes authored books and theories centered around the shared theme of "Zhou Wen literature in the Zhou Dynasty",with the aim of reinstating social order and rescuing society from peril.This section also provides a succinct analysis of the Confucian,Taoist,and Moist perspectives on literary quality.