Regional Culture and the Southern and Northern Literary Circles in the Yuan Dynasty

Abstract

The blending of the southern and northern literary styles is one of the major characteristics of the literary circle of the Yuan Dynasty. After the Mongols conquered the Jin and extended their rule over the northern regions, and before they achieved the unification of the state in the Yuan Dynasty, due to the prolonged separation between the Song regime in the south and the Jin regime in the north, characterized by limited cultural exchange, divergent scholarly traditions, and different geographical conditions, the academic backgrounds of literati in the south and the north differed, and so did the focuses of their poetry and prose. The northern literary circle inherited the tradition of the Jin Dynasty, and the southern literary circle inherited the tradition of the Song Dynasty. They each cultivated a distinctive literary style. After Kublai Khan 忽必烈, the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, commissioned Cheng Jufu 程钜夫 to seek talent in the Jiangnan region, with southern scholars, such as Zhao Mengfu 赵孟頫, Zhang Bochun 张伯淳, and Yuan Jue 袁桷, entering the Yuan court, a large number of southern scholars migrated north. The Hanlin National History Academy 翰林国 史院 and Kuizhang Hall 奎章阁 became vibrant hubs where northern and southern scholars, famous officials, and literati from various ethnic backgrounds mingled. As northern literati, such as Yao Sui 姚燧 and Lu Zhi 卢挚, journeyed south, the enhanced exchanges between northern and southern scholars further promoted the blending of northern and southern literary styles. As a result, the literary circle of the Yuan Dynasty gradually formed a grand literary style characterized by its simplicity, inclusiveness, majesty, tranquility, elegance, and harmony.

Keywords

Yuan Dynasty / regional culture / northern and southern literary circles / northern and southern literary styles

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Higher Education Press