{"title":"Xiaofei Tian","description":"Xiaofei Tian is Ford Foundation Professor of East Asian Studies at Harvard University. Her many books include Tao Yuanming and Manuscript Culture: The Record of a Dusty Table (2005); Beacon Fire and Shooting Star: The Literary Culture of the Liang (502-557) (2008); and Visionary Journeys: Travel Writings from Early Medieval and Nineteenth-Century China (2012).","products":[{"product_id":"writing-empire-and-self-poetic-and-cultural-transformation-in-early-medieval-china-paperback","title":"Writing Empire and Self: Poetic and Cultural Transformation in Early Medieval China - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChina's early medieval period, from the fifth through the early seventh century, from the Northern and Southern Dynasties through the unified Sui, was a time of political fragmentation, military strife, and ethnic conflict. It also witnessed brilliant artistic creations as well as a full flowering of court culture, with poetry at its heart. How did poetry come to be regarded as the most potent form of cultural capital, a privileged literary genre, and a foundational skill for members of the elite? How was poetry transformed from an instrument of empire building to a venue for articulating personal trauma and voicing critique of the state? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTracing the evolution of poetry's role in Chinese society, \u003ci\u003eWriting Empire and Self\u003c\/i\u003e uncovers the profound cultural changes that took place in the early medieval era. Xiaofei Tian argues that in this period, a social community, eventually known as the \"scholar elite\" and treated as if it had always been a permanent fixture of the Chinese social order, came into being. She investigates the formation of this community, which left its mark on all later Chinese arts and letters, through a careful account of its history and textual production. Combining meticulous readings of numerous previously untranslated texts with a long-term, large-scale view of social and cultural history, \u003ci\u003eWriting Empire and Self\u003c\/i\u003e offers a fresh perspective on poetry's intricate relationship with the state.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51368967274719,"sku":"9780231223140","price":72.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/WJU4-5zkWR9780231223140.webp?v=1789135966"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/xiaofei-tian.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}