1

           What kind of imagery do ancient Chinese poems bring to mind?

           The childlike innocence of 

           “Goose, goose, goose, 

           with a curved neck singing straight up to the sky”?

        The elegant gatherings at the Orchid Pavilion, where guests flowed along the stream, drinking and composing poetry under a clear sky and gentle breeze?

      Or the bustling poetry contests in the Grand View Garden, where young masters and ladies, dressed in their finest attire, laughed and competed with each other?

2

      In April 2019, I seized an opportunity and initiated a poetry study group called Ancient Path. We invited teacher Linzi to teach us regularly every month, filling in the gaps in our knowledge of ancient Chinese literature.

      I never imagined the difficulties I would encounter when I actually started practicing ancient poetry. I realized there were so many characters in the Chinese character library that I had never come across. I didn't know how to pronounce them, nor did I understand their meanings.

        Once I figured out how to pronounce them, I discovered that ancient Chinese had an additional strong accent (入声), so the pronunciation of ancient Chinese was not necessarily the same as ours.

    My lack of understanding of word classes earlier was definitely a personal weakness, and the meticulousness of parallelism was another hurdle.

         Word classes and tones often conflicted with each other. On many nights, in order to complete my homework, I sat upright at my desk, staring intently at the computer screen, struggling alone for hours, waiting patiently for fleeting inspiration to appear. I was anxious and nervous, how could I dare to drink alcohol? How could I dare to be unrestrained? How could I dare to play music that would distract me?

      Writing couplets is actually just the beginning of poetry. However, this beginning was enough for me to realize that ancient Chinese people's character training began in their childhood use of language.

      Comparing Chinese and Western literature, the romance of ancient Chinese people and the romance of Westerners are actually two unequal states. The emphasis of Romeo and Juliet's tragic love and Liang Zhu's (梁祝) transformation into butterflies is different. Both are sharing a same theme on  “Love", but two different kinds of romance. The former uses the process of the tragedy to empathize with the reader, expressing the entanglement of love. The latter allows the reader to quickly withdraw from the dramatic plot of throwing themselves into the grave, allowing their emotions to wander and sublimate in the fantasy of transforming into butterflies. The former seizes the opportunity to express oneself, while the latter uses the story to introduce a myth.

3

       Half a year later, the study of ancient poetry entered another stage. The Tang Dynasty was in a period of economic rise, everywhere showing its grandeur, luxury, and magnificence, while the Song Dynasty had a sense of composure and tranquillity after experiencing the vicissitudes of life. The same land, two different landscapes.  From the vastness and grandeur of Tang poetry to the subtle and delicate beauty of Song lyrics, the experience was another great gain from this journey.

        “All the birds have flown high, 

        The lone cloud drifts idly by. 

        We look at each other without tiring, 

        Only Mount Jingting and I.”

     When you read this poem, do you see Li Bai's openness, leisure, and loneliness, or the mountain's depth, mystery, and fullness?

      Song lyrics have a natural and effortless sense of proportion in their narration, without leaving any trace. Suddenly I realized that this characteristic is precisely the spiritual pursuit of Chinese culture, which is calm and composed, pervades thousands of miles away.

4

       The  Record of “Pointing to the Moon” says,  

       “Seeing a mountain as a mountain” 

which refers to the initial, unblemished perception of the world.  

       “Seeing a mountain not as a mountain” 

refers to the thinking and planning involved in dealing with the world.  

       “ Through the trials and tribulations, the true  character of the mountain unearthes”. 

        Is it the detachment of transcendence, or is it a further step in the cultivation of a complex life through experience? 

     One eye opens, one eye closes, everything is understood without saying a word.

5

      Poetry, like mountains;

      the beauty within unfolded,

      layer by layer.