Question

1. Peach Blossom Spring (1003)

What is the place described in this short peace and what kind of human ideal does it represent?
2. Master Five Willows (1007)
This is a brief autobiography. How does the poet describe himself? Do you think he is actually as desperate as he describes? Is he unhappy? What kind of sentiments do you think this poem presents?
3. "Returning to Farm to Dwell" (1009)
What are the most striking images in this poem? How do you characterize the mood?
Ln3. Define "dusty net". Ln 5 "migrant bird—native grove" & Ln 6: "fish in the pond—former depths." What do these metaphors mean? What is the poet trying to say?
4. "In the Sixth Month of 408, Fire"
The poet’s house was burnt down. Second Stanza: What is the mood of the lines 7-8 and lines 11-12?
Re-write in normal prose, lines 15-16.
Ln21 to end: What attitude is the poet expressing when he said he would go on "watering my garden"?
5. Now that we’ve discussed Confucianism and Taoism, which philosophy do you think is dominant in Tao Qian’s poems? Why?
6. What do you think Tao Qian will say about our lives constantly captured by social media?

Answer 1

The Peach Blossom Spring was a fable written by Tao Yuanming in 421 about a chance discovery of an ethereal utopia where the people led an ideal existence in harmony with nature, unaware of the outside world for centuries.

Tao Yuanming lived during a time of political instability and national disunity. The story describes how a fisherman haphazardly sailed into a stream in a forest made up entirely of blossoming peach trees, where even the ground was covered by peach petals. When he reached the end of the stream, he found a grotto. Though narrow at first, he was able to squeeze through and the passage eventually reached a hidden village.

The villagers were surprised to see him, but were kind and friendly. They explained that their ancestors escaped to this place during the civil unrest of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and they themselves had not left since or had contact with anyone from the outside. As a result, they had heard nothing of subsequent changes in political regimes.

The fisherman was warmly received by the hospitable villagers and stayed for over a week. Upon leaving, he was informed that it was worthless to reveal this experience to the outside world. However, he marked his route on his way out with signs and later divulged the existence of this idyllic haven to others. They tried to find it repeatedly but in vain.

Step-by-step explanation:

Since then, the peach blossom spring has become a popular symbol of an ideal world in the hearts of the Chinese people. The story inspired many later poems, paintings and music compositions.