In classical Chinese poetry, scenery is one of the most important aesthetic concepts. With abundant poems as examples, this book studies several aesthetic patterns during the period between the Southern Dynasties and the early Tang Dynasty, i.e., between the fifth and the seventh century, including “the travel note pattern of natural sceneries” in Xie Lingyun’s scenic poems, “the pattern of city sceneries” of Xie Tiao, “the pattern of wandering trips” of Yin Keng and He Xun, and “the pattern of royal palace sceneries” of Shen Quanqi and Song Zhiwen. The basic paradigms for writing scenic poems set by these poets were continuously imitated by later poets and had a direct influence on the poetry during the golden age of Tang Dynasty. The summarization of the patterns of scenic poems and the contributions of the poets during this period can fill the vacancy in the studies on ancient Chinese scenic poetry writing. This book is a project of BLCU’s Young Scholars’ Book Fund.

Ms. Diao Wenhui, born in 1978, is a teacher in the College of Intensive Chinese Training of Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). With a Doctor of Letters degree received from BLCU, Ms. Diao’s research focuses on ancient Chinese scenic poetry. As a talented young teacher, Ms. Diao has published quite a number of articles in refereed journals, such as “An Analysis of Poetic Form of Xie Lingyun’s Poems on Mountains and Rivers”, “A Rethinking of the Beauty of Xie Lingyun’s Poems on Mountains and Rivers: A Discussion with Mr. Jiang Yin” and “An Analysis of the Concept “Landscape” in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons”.