A Study On The Southern-migrated Literati And Literature Of Shanxi In The Period Of Eastern Jin Dynasty

During the reign of Yongjia,the minorities invaded the Central Plains during the Upheaval of the Eight Princes,a large number of literati of Central Plains moved south along with the southward migration of the Jin Dynasty,which is known as the“Yongjia Southern Migration” in history.This migration promoted the exchange and integration of the northern and southern culture,changed the spatial pattern of the development of the northern and southern literature to a certain extent,and had a great influence on the literature of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.With their unique regional culture,special historical opportunities,profound ethics and learning handed down from generation to generation and diverse thoughts,the works of Shanxi literati stood out among many groups of literati in the southern migration,and even led the literary fashion of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.The “Yongjia Southern Migration” changed the course of literati’s life.In order to seek survival in the changing current situation,the different life experiences of Shanxi literati created different literati mentality and literary works.The south-migrated literati of Shanxi represented by Guo Pu and Wen Qiao in the early Eastern Jin Dynasty,experienced many changes on the occasion of the Eastern and Western Jin Dynasty and thus created different literati mentality due to their different political experiences.Guo Pu was born in a poor family and was not politically successful,therefore,he not only had the entry-world mentality of praising the Yangtze left regime,but also had the out-world mentality of seeking immortal.His poems and essays present a more complex theme: concerning for the country and the people while desiring to hide to be immortal.Although Wen Qiao was not a first-class family,but because of his personal opportunity he held the office of Grand Admiral of the Hussars finally.Most of his literary works are imperial documents or correspondence letters.The south-migrated literati of Shanxi represented by Sun Chuo and Sun Sheng in the middle period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty,experienced a brief period of ease,however,the coexistence of stability and turbulence derived from the two types of literati mentality of "hedonistic" and "pragmatic".The content of "hedonistic" Sun Chuo’s poems and essays mainly focus on talking about metaphysics and reasoning and understanding the mountains and rivers.Sun Sheng,a "pragmatic",was keen on making achievements and good at talking and analyzing,his works are mostly argumentative writings.In addition,in the middle and late period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty,the first and second generation of immigrants,were mostly protected and helped by their family and served in the court,so most of their works are practical writings of memorials and speeches.The experience of southern migration not only enriched the theme of poems and essays,but also deeply influenced the style and artistic characteristics of poems and essays.From the communication and fusion at the beginning to the Yangtze left to the influence of long-time residence in the Yangtze left,the southern-migrated literati of Shanxi in different periods presented different styles and artistic characteristics of poems and essays.Guo Pu in the early period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty went to the south in a hurry after the collapse of the country,and his poems were mostly generous and melancholy,because he lived in the Yangtze left for a long time in the later period,he was influenced by the beautiful scenery in the south and showed his artistic characteristics of rhetoric and elegance.And because there was no door to enter the official and was more eager for fame,his articles presented the style of both emotion and reason.Sun Chuo in the middle of the Eastern Jin Dynasty,his style of poems and essays is completely in line with the fashion of the literary field in the middle of the Eastern Jin Dynasty,and his theme is lofty and rational,and his language is plain and simple.Growing up in the south,Sun Chuo was fully integrated into the Yangtze left.He not only took the scenery of mountains and rivers into poetry,but also emphasized the beauty of rhyme,which enriched the aesthetic elements of poems and essays.Other literary works of the southern-migrated literati in the middle and late period have the general characteristics of simple language and rigorous logic,which has a lot to do with the regional culture,family style and home learning and even the working experience of Shanxi literati.The mentality and literary works of literati of Shanxi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty show the changes of the northerners joining "the Yangtze left" and being integrated into "the Yangtze left" until their becoming of "the Yangtze left".Although with the passage of time,the personality and work style of the southern-migrated literati of Shanxi are constantly changing,the general characteristics of the literati quality with profound knowledge and no fear of the powerful and the literary creation with far-reaching literary fame and works reflect the distinctive regional characteristics of the literati of Shanxi and the characteristics of the times they experienced.