THE VIEWPOINTS OF TAO CHIE’N
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March .11.2020
Tao Ch’ien is one of the famous poets to ever live in China. Tao Ch’ien was born in the modern-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi and he was better known as Tao Yuanming. Even though Tao happened to live in the six dynasties, he was very influential in the pre-Tang dynasty, mainly because he composed unique poems. It is ironic and hypocritical that modern society is attracted to Tao’s work, yet he was not appreciated during his lifetime. Tao is regarded as one of the greatest poets in Chinese history, even though he is less appreciated. Tao lived in an era when China was suffering from disunity among its people. It was not easy for one, especially the poor in the Chinese society, to live in peace and comfort since there were overwhelm injustices and treatment from the dynasties and public leaders.
Tao lived when the government was harsh to its critics, and through his work of art, he dared to put his thoughts and express everything about society, sages, nature, and agriculture. Tao employed the use of expressions and vivid literacy to put his thoughts into writing. Tao’s work was informative and, at the same time, entertaining, and this saw most poets admire and look up to him (Chang, 2011). Tao wrote unique pieces of art given that he could poetically transcend his thoughts, and still, that work is appreciated in the modern time. Hence it is time that people understood the linguistic conceptualization that Tao used in his career.
Looking at Tao’s work, it is clear that the projects warmness, personal susceptibility, and humankind as a poet. Tao was unique in his career, given that he never wrote like his predecessors, whose main work was lofty and exaggerated the virtue of reclusion. Looking at Tao’s artistic work, it is clear that he was inspired by what was happening in society at the time, and this saw his work become very different from what was written by his contemporaries and predecessors (Lin, 2013). When one reads the poems of Tao, he can realize that he was loyal to his friends and family, realistic about life and its hardships, and skeptical philosopher who constantly toiled towards making life better and worthy of the sages and hermits of the past.
Most of Tao’s works and thoughts were inspired by poverty. Unlike the contemporaries and predecessors of Tao, who wrote about bucolic scenes and how idyllic the rural life was, Tao chose to write his poems on how he lived his life and the first-hand experiences he witnessed. In one of his works, Tao argues that despite the hardship that farmers go through in rural areas, farming is not merely an avocation but also a safeguard to reclusion, which defines his life and identity (Olaniyi). Tao also accepts that poverty can be traumatizing as he was a victim at some point, and he was forced to seek rescue in the wine and eventually became an alcoholic. When Tao became an alcoholic, he attached himself to visitors bringing wine gifts, or he could meager family grains for brewing and sometimes followed up party invitations. It is unique and ironic that even though Tao and his family were very poor at not affording the wine, Tao was still determined to use all the possible ways to drink wine (Jong-seong, 2012). Tao spent most of his time drinking wine to avoid service and at the same time for reclusion.
Another fact that is clear from Tao’s work is that he never accepted the ritualism of Confucianism. In ancient China, Confucianism was a social and ethical philosophy that embraced the teaching of religion. Confucianism advocated for a governance system that ensured institutions were built on religion. Tao also opposed the teachings of esoteric Taoism regarding karma and immorality (Olaniyi). Looking at Tao’s philosophical ideals, it is clear that he never struggled to find the truth in his life as he returned to nature for a fulfilling life.
In most cases, Tao’s philosophical thoughts differed from that of the government and another school of view. This saw him resign from the government and returned to his natural habitat, free from the outside pressures or needed to conform (Lin, 2013). Therefore Tao was a man who was determined to live for what he believed in and was content to follow the dictates of his nature.
Another lesson that is clear from Tao’s work is that he lived his life fully and with satisfaction. It is clear from his work that although sometimes he experienced hunger and cold, he always soldiered on and never lost heart, nor did he complain. At no point in Tao’s work, he says that he chose the deliberate asceticism practices by certain Buddhist and Taoist religious beliefs (Jong-seong, 2012). Tao lived his life with all the pleasure he could afford in life though he was poor; for example, he usually enjoyed the pleasures of wine whenever he could afford it. Tao also acknowledged that he enjoyed family life as well as the company of his neighbors and friends.
Question 2
Looking at the biography of Tao, one thing is evident and apparent. Tao just wrote himself as a person in his “Biography of Mr. Five willows.” The whole short prose piece is only, but the entire life of Tao summarized by himself. In the Biography, Tao expresses how he has lived an incredible life after retiring to nature. Tao describes how he is a man of few words who has no desire for money or fame (Chang, 2011). Tao also accepts that he is an avid reader who will never seek more interpretations of a piece of art, and on some occasions, he forgot his meals whenever he was interested in a book. Tao acknowledges that he had a notable weakness for wine in his biography, and since he was poor, he depended on his friends and neighbors who invited him for a drink. Tao also informs his audience that being poor, his house’s walls were dilapidated, and giving him little protection from wind and sun, and his rice jar was often empty.
One of the non-Chinese biographies I have read is that of the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi. Looking at the mahatma biography, it is evident that it has captured all the life events and contributions he achieved while he was alive. The memoir is divided into various sections, which touch the family, education, and mahatma achievements. Mahatma is considered one of the most outstanding Indian leaders whose fame spread worldwide during his lifetime and only increased after his death (Sharma, 2013). The biography of mahatma is structured very well. One can see all the praise he has been given from his childhood to death, unlike Tao’s biography, which contains not even Tao’s single achievement. Unlike the biography of mahatma, which is full of only praises, Tao wrote his biography in the Chinese biography literature, which requires one to sum up his whole life in an analogy (Chang, 2011). Tao writes his memoir to express how he feels about his life, while mahatma’s biography has been written to be mindful of public opinion. Certainly, Tao’s biography is a full episode of a man who was never interested in worldly gains or loss but lived his way of life.
References
Chang, C. Y. (2011). Creativity and Taoism: A study of Chinese philosophy, art, and poetry. Singing Dragon.
Graham, A. C. (2015). Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical argument in ancient China. Open Court.
Jong-seong, K. I. M. (2012). A Study of Tao Yuan-ming′ s View on Life. Journal of Dalian Nationalities University, 06.
Lin, Y. A. N. G. (2013). The Life of Hermit of Thoreau and Tao Yuan-ming, and It’s Meaning as a Reflection on Life [J]. Journal of Shantou University (Humanities & Social Sciences Edition), 3.
Olaniyi, B. A. An Analysis to the Poems and Life of Tao Yuan-Ming (365-427).
Sharma, A. (2013). Gandhi: A spiritual biography. Yale University Press.