Where Did Chinese Poetry Originate From?

There are three eras of Chinese poetry: Early Poetry, Classical Poetry, and Modern Poetry.

Early Chinese Poetry

As with other civilizations, the folk songs and stories of early people are the origins of Chinese poetry and other forms of art.

Examples of poetry from the Early Poetry period are found in the first major collection of Chinese poetry that is called Shi Jing. It is translated “Classic of Poetry” also called the Book of Songs. It contains aristocratic poems, or odes, and poetry from folk songs.
Another collection of poems is the Chu Ci, or Songs of Chu. These poems are more lyrical, and most of them come from the poets Qu Yuan and Song Yu.

Classical Chinese Poetry

Classical Chinese poetry originated during the Han dynasty from 206 BC to 220 AD.

Chu lyrics changed and became the fu, which is a poem that rhymes, except for the beginning and ending sections, which are written in prose. These were often in the poetical essay form, which has questions and answers.
Another new form of poetry was the yue fu. They were song lyrics and folk song lyrics.
Toward the end of the Han dynasty, the yue fu evolved into shi, which had five or seven lines. This was the dominant form Chinese poetry took until modern times.
Next came the ci lyric poems, which were new lyrics written to existing melodies.

Modern Chinese Poetry

Modern Chinese poetry has no set pattern or style.

Poets of this time wanted to break with the traditional forms and adopted some of the Western styles.
A group of poets named Misty Poets were influential during this time. They used allusion and references that made their writing obscure and hazy.

Important Misty Poets include: Bei Dao, Duo Duo, Gu Cheng, and Yang Lian. After the crackdown on civilian protests in 1989, they were all exiled.

Chinese Influence on Other Cultures

Chinese poetry also influenced other cultures:

Around the 6th century, Chinese poetry was introduced in Japan.
Chinese writing, poetry, religious texts, and literature had a profound effect on Japanese literature, which is similar to the influence of Latin of European languages and culture. Knowing Chinese was a sign of education in Japan and courtiers wrote poetry in Chinese.
Chinese poetry heavily influenced the music and poetry of Korea. It also had an impact in Vietnam. Vietnamese poetry was written in Chinese until the latter part of the 13th century.

Examples of Chinese Poetry

When learning about Chinese poetry it is useful to see examples of Chinese poems from various periods. Here are a few:

Under the Border Fortress by Wang Changling (698 to 765)

Drink, my horse, while we cross the autumn water! The stream is cold and the wind like a sword, As we watch against the sunset on the sandy plain, Far, far away, shadowy Ling-t'ao. Old battles, waged by those long walls, Once were proud on all men's tongues. But antiquity now is a yellow dust, Confusing in the grasses its ruins and white bones.

A Night-mooring Near Maple Bridge by Zhang Ji (712-715 to 779)

Moon sets, crows cry and frost fills all the sky; By maples and boat lights, I sleepless lie. Outside Suzhou Hanshan Temple is in sight; Its ringing bells reach my boat at midnight.

Remembrance by Su Shi (1037 to 1101)

To what can our life on earth be likened? To a flock of geese, alighting on the snow. Sometimes leaving a trace of their passage.

Excerpt from The Boat with a Red Sail by Bei Dao (1949 - ) Misty Poet

If the ruins of the walls are all about, how shall I insist the only road is the one we're on? Are you fooled into believing the street lights that fill the eyes come out nightly like stars?

Chinese poetry originated from folk songs and has evolved into an array of styles and poets.