I think that at a remove of more than 1000 years, we can't say that there's any kind of direct historical connection between protests today and protest back then. But the whole point of poetry is that it gives us a way to connect to people so distant from us, and yet wrestling with many of the same issues. The white sheet of paper protest echoes the white cloud in many ways: deliberately blank; a colour that represents purity; a determination to have a voice, even when there is nothing that can be said...
Most of the time, I find the focus of mediaeval Chinese poetry to be very different from the common topics of poetry today; and yet we still seem to be able to understand and connect with these poets very clearly and directly. It's a very mysterious situation!
I think that at a remove of more than 1000 years, we can't say that there's any kind of direct historical connection between protests today and protest back then. But the whole point of poetry is that it gives us a way to connect to people so distant from us, and yet wrestling with many of the same issues. The white sheet of paper protest echoes the white cloud in many ways: deliberately blank; a colour that represents purity; a determination to have a voice, even when there is nothing that can be said...
Most of the time, I find the focus of mediaeval Chinese poetry to be very different from the common topics of poetry today; and yet we still seem to be able to understand and connect with these poets very clearly and directly. It's a very mysterious situation!
A wonderful post. I learned so much. Thank you.
A nice choice for International Mountain Day :-)