Yongming poetry

Yongming (Chinese: 永明; pinyin: Yǒngmíng; Wade–Giles: Yung-ming; lit.

[1] However brief this era, it is now associated with a major movement within Classical Chinese poetry.

Despite the disturbances and instability which preceded and followed the Yongming era, there was also something special about it.

In his Zizhi Tongjian, Song dynasty historian Sima Guang characterized the Emperor Wu and his Yongming era, saying that: during his era of Yongming, the people were rich and peaceful, and there was little crime.

However, he also favored feasting and gaming, and while he expressed displeasure at luxuries and wastefulness, he could not avoid them himself.This was also an era that came to be associated with significant poetic achievements.