Abstract:

The four generations of the epigones of the Aixuan School in the Southern Song dynasty laid equal emphases on wen and dao, the artistic and ideological aspects of literature. The importance of human nature rose to prominence in this process, and finally obtained the same position as the ideological requirement for writing to "convey the truth". The increasing focus on the nature of literature was a projection of the secularization of Neo-Confucianism from the Southern Song period. Despite the Neo-Confucian repression of literature, it was a special phenomenon that the Aixuan School insisted on its belief in literature and continued its creative and critical practices in poetry and essays. This article analyzes the Aixuan School's perceptions of wen and dao, and examines the changes in these perceptions over time, thus exploring its cultural significance in the historical context of the Southern Song dynasty.

Key words: the School of Aixuan, equal valorization of wen and tao, literary self-nature, secularization of Neo-Confucianism