2020-09-19
12 分钟Discovering the social lives of the Song Dynasty Literati.
Why we love the Sung dynasty exploring the history and charm of one of China's most fascinating dynasties episode 23 the literati the Song Party animals in this podcast, we're going to delve a little deeper into the social lives of the literati during the Sung dynasty to discover what made them such party animals.
I'm Bob Jones, and in this why we love the Song dynasty podcast, I'm throwing the spotlight on what was to become one of China's most iconic dynasties in the country's long and colourful history.
Let's get some terminology sorted out before we get all dressed up and accept the invitation to a literati gathering.
Make no mistake, if you got an invite, you were very privileged to do so.
We should remind ourselves of what, or rather who, the literati were in in Sung dynasty times.
You might recall that one of the big, seismic social shifts in the Sung dynasty was the move from rule by warrior kings and their courts to a society governed by a bureaucracy of scholar officials known as the literati.
The military, which had previously had a major role to play in society, was sidelined somewhat.
In came a new strand of people chosen through a civil service examination.
These neo confucian scholars saw public life as a calling, even a duty.
However, where there are people, there will always be disagreement.
And occasionally they had to retreat from political engagement until it was their turn again to rule, not unlike political party systems in the west.
So what did they do while they were resting?
They had to fill their time with something.
Many pursued artistic interests, painting, poetry and, of course, calligraphy.
Some of these activities often spilled over into their time on duty, often to the neglect of their official responsibilities.
But the arts gave them freedom to express their innermost feelings and their wonder at the world around them, which was revealing its secrets daily through trade, exploration and science.
During the sung period, they loved nature and spontaneity, and this was reflected not only in their art, but also in their daily lives, how art fitted into those lives and how they fitted into the world around them.
They also departed from the idea that their art should serve the state and used it instead as an amusement or a form of personal expression.
And this is where literati gatherings came in.
There was little point in seeking elegance and noble and beautiful things if you kept them all to yourself.