A tale of two worlds: The late tang poetic presentation of the romance of the peach blossom font

Timothy Wai Keung Chan

doi:10.1163/008254308X385879

A tale of two worlds: The late tang poetic presentation of the romance of the peach blossom font

Timothy Wai Keung Chan

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article examines late Tang poetic representations of the early fifth-century tale of Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao's romance with divine maidens at a Shangri-La-like peach blossom font. Shi poems by such poets as Liu Yuxi (772-822) and Yuan Zhen (779-831), and a group of Huajian ("among the flowers") ci poems under the tune "Nüguanzi" ("The Daoist Priestess") by Wen Tingyun (ca. 812-866) and others, reveal the exploration of the old tale as a rich source of allegorical tropes. In particular, the late Tang poets consistently revitalize the Liu-Ruan tale's bifurcation between the immortal and the mortal worlds, a division between "two worlds" that enabled them to express a range of different meanings at different levels, for example in politics or when talking of love affairs.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	209-245
Number of pages	37
Journal	T'oung Pao
Volume	94
Issue number	4-5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1163/008254308X385879
Publication status	Published - 1 Nov 2008

User-Defined Keywords

"Nüguanzi" ("The Daoist Priestess")
Alienation and recognition
Allegory
Grotto
Seduction and abandonment
Two worlds

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10.1163/008254308X385879

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A tale of two worlds: The late tang poetic presentation of the romance of the peach blossom font

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