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 | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2008 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- Cultural Studies
- Language and Linguistics
- History
- Linguistics and Language
- Literature and Literary Theory
- History and Philosophy of Science
User-Defined Keywords
- "Nüguanzi" ("The Daoist Priestess")
- Alienation and recognition
- Allegory
- Grotto
- Seduction and abandonment
- Two worlds