Songs of Chu (Guomai Classic)

The Songs of Chu are the source of Chinese American literature and the first poetry collection with an author in China. It is also the classic that has the most profound influence on Chinese literature. Directly influenced the spiritual temperament and literary creation of later famous figures such as Sima Qian, Jia Yi, Li Bai, and Du Fu. The emergence of "Chu Ci" filled the gap in the poetry world more than 300 years after the publication of "The Book of Songs". Lu Xun's evaluation of Chu Ci's influence on Chinese literature was even greater than that of The Book of Songs. The famous lines in "Chu Ci" have been passed down from generation to generation. They are a golden stone for sharpening the virtues of literati in the past dynasties and a treasure book for naming. Qu Yuan's work "Li Sao" pioneered Sao-style poetry and was the most representative among Chu Ci. From this, later generations called "Chu Ci" and "The Book of Songs" both "Feng Sao". Qu Yuan is the first great patriotic poet in the history of Chinese literature. His noble spiritual qualities of perseverance, faith, and unwillingness to be servile and change his mind were a spiritual model for countless literati in later generations.