On Refinement and Popularity

The phenomenon of the refined (雅) and the popular（俗）：popular；folk (俗) in ancient Chinese literature is an objective existence in the process of literary development. Literature originated from the folklores, initially as improvisations and small tunes used to adjust emotions during leisure moments, reflecting life scenes. Love songs expressing emotions and attracting the opposite sex also embodied the spirit of play. With the establishment and development of civilization, the court began to collect and organize folk songs, selecting the superior and eliminating the inferior, which is the process of becoming refined. Through this initial refinement, the court obtained the classics of folk songs and formed norms for writing, which then guided further literary writing. This marked the beginning of court literature and the works of literati. Since refined works focused more on formal norms, they lacked creativity and freshness compared to folk works, leading to gradual rigidity. Meanwhile, unrestrained folk works that reflected the zest for life and the spirit of the times resurged, prompting literati to once again draw nourishment from popular literature for refinement. The poetry, drama, and novels of Chinese literature evolved from popular to refine. Popular literature plays a significant role in the development of Chinese literature, but the tendency to esteem the refined while suppressing the popular is also a progressive manifestation. As the spiritual sustenance of the masses and an important source of refined literature, popular literature complements refined literature in the developmental course of literature. Valuing both the popular and the refined, and appreciating both together, constitute the diverse and unified ecology of Chinese literature.