Jianan Literature

During the Jianan period at the end of the Han Dynasty, the "Three Caos" (Cao Cao, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi) and the "Seven Jianan Masters" (Kong Rong, Chen Lin, Wang Can, Xu Gan, Ruan Yu, Ying Xi, Liu Zhen) sustained the realism of yuefu folksongs and wrote five-character poems, unleashing an upsurge in scholarly poetry. Their poems spoke to the spirit of the times and invoked an ambience of heroism and sadness, molding a style later referred to as Jianan.

Among the seven Jianan masters Wang Can is the most acknowledged, his Poem of Seven Sorrows mirroring the chaos caused by the war at the end of the Han Dynasty. The three Caos were very well-known in the literary circles of the Jianan Period.

The work of the eminent poet Cao Zhi (AD 192-232) was exacting and robust with exquisite description, flowery language and elegant metaphors, as in his Presented to Biao, King of Baima. Greatly influenced by yuefu folksongs but more lyrical, Cao Zhis poems mark the transition in poetry from yuefu folksongs to five-character poetry.