The Aesthetic Positions of Taiwan Poets in the Qing Dynasty:A Case Study of Taiwan Shih Ch'eng
Selected Poems about Taiwan(Taiwan Shih Ch'eng)(hereinafter referred to as"Shih Ch'eng")is a brief history of the development of poetry in Taiwan compiled by Lian Heng.It features over a thousand poems authored by about 250 poets from the early Qing Dynasty to the Japanese occupation of Taiwan,providing valuable insight into the origins and development of poetry in Taiwan during the Qing period.At the time,a group of poets who came to Taiwan from the mainland organized the famous Eastern Poetry Society(Dongyin She)and frequently gathered to study and recite poetries,which not only sustained the tradition of classical Chinese poetry but also opened up broad prospects for the development of poetry in Taiwan.As a medium for emotional expression,poetry reflects the hidden feelings of poets.From this perspective,Shih Ch'eng serves not only as a record of Taiwan's poetic history but also a presentation of the aesthetic positions of the many poets who lived,worked,and grew up in Taiwan over more than 250 years before the Japanese rule.
Qing dynastyTaiwan poetryDongyin Shepoets'aesthetic position