ABSTRACT
The Laozi, which contains only 5,000 words, can be regarded as a philosophical work written in verse. The basic line of thought of this book is the ideology of Lao Dan, who lived in the Spring and Autumn Period. There was a close connection between the burgeoning of fu poetry during the Han Dynasty and its encouragement by the ruling group. Wang Liu'an of the region south of the Huai River was an erudite man who gathered around him thousands of scholars and other men of learning. As the capital of the Han Dynasty, Chang'an naturally became a gathering place for the literati. Yedu was located in the northern part of Linzhang County, in Hebei Province. It was chosen by Cao Cao as his capital. Jinling was the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties, and became a center of literary activity, particularly during the latter's Liang and Chen Dynasties.
