ABSTRACT
The main current of the long river of Chinese literature is formed of poetry and ballads. Compared to the lengthy tradition of poems and ballads, the novel and the drama in China were tardy bloomers. Lyricism is the mainstay of the Chinese poetry and ballad genre. Epic was developed in ancient Greece and India. The instructive function of poetry, to which a lot of attention has always been paid in China, is sometimes called the theory of poetic instruction. The recital of poetry on diplomatic occasions was done to express or hint at one's meaning when the use of blunt language would have seemed too challenging, or undiplomatic. The importance of poetry can also be shown by the fact that the ability to compose poetry was a necessary condition for entry to an official career during the Tang Dynasty. Poetry and ballads had an important influence on all other aspects of art in China.
