In the development of Confucianism in ancient China, the belief of Confucius (551-479 BC) to pass on the thinking of past sages without change led the trend to restore and revere the thinking of the ancients. Later generation scholars who studied Confucianism adopted this trend as a special approach to study. As described by Liu Xie (465?-520? or 532?) in The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, this was “tracing the fundamental way of nature, following what sages said and the guidance of Confucian classics.” Liu advocated that all poetic and other literary works should be written in accordance with the Confucian classics and that such works should inherit the refined styles of the classics and give play their educational role. Confucius lived less than a hundred years, but his thinking has been passed on for more than a thousand years and is still influential today.

The sage’s vision is as encompassing as the sun and moon, and his expressions are as vast in scope as mountains and overflowing as the sea. He has passed away, but he will always be remembered. (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)