Literary Controversy at the Liang Court Revisited

Abstract The literary thought of the Liang 梁 dynasty (502–557) has occasioned considerable debate in recent years. The fulcrum of discussion in Chinese and Western scholarly circles is a half-century-old article in which Zhou Xunchu 周勛初 presented a tripartite classification for Liang literary thought. In 2007, Tian Xiaofei argued that Zhou had overstated the degree of disagreement at the Liang court, and claimed instead that Liang writers agreed on most literary principles. On reexamination, Zhou's scheme certainly oversimplifies the Liang literary scene, and there is room for disagreement about individuals and the content of the three schools. But close reading of primary texts by three Liang princes confirms the existence of real controversy as well, particularly with regard to the direction of literary change and the proper balance of classical scholarship and belles lettres. This article addresses the question in a new way by translating key primary sources, either in entirety or in substantial extracts. The principal texts translated are two letters to Xiao Yi 蕭繹 (508–555) from his older brothers Xiao Gang 蕭綱 (503–551) and Xiao Tong 蕭統 (501–531), as well as some revealing quotations from Xiao Yi himself. These texts collectively substantiate Zhou's general thesis, while individually indicating some important corrections to it as well.