Three Hundred Tang Poems is a widely circulated anthology of Tang poetry. The Tang dynasty (618–907) was a golden age in the development of Chinese poetry. Its literary scene flourished, producing many famous poets, and more than 50,000 Tang poems were written.
In the preface to his Summary of Six Hundred Tang Poetry Anthologies, Sun Qin’an notes, “Many Tang poetry anthologies have been lost over the years, but more than 300 still survive. Of these, the most popular and best known in every household is Three Hundred Tang Poems.” The anthology draws on a broad range of poetry, featuring 311 poems by 77 poets. Du Fu has the most poems, with 38, followed by Wang Wei with 29, Li Bai with 27, and Li Shangyin with 22. It is an excellent introductory book for primary and secondary school students discovering classical Chinese poetry.
