The Tongcheng School of Writing
This school of wrinting represented the Qing Dynasty's most influential style of classical Chinese writing.Its representative figures were all natives of Tongcheng,Anhui Province,hence the name.It was formed during the reign of Emperor Kangxi(1662-1722)and reached its height during the reigns of Emperor Qianlong(1736-1795)and Emperor Jiaqing(1796-1820).Its founder,Fang Bao(1668-1749),believed that men of letters should follow the style of writing of the neo-Confucian moralists Cheng Hao(1032-1085),Cheng Yi（1033-1107），and Zhu Xi(1130-1200),and that of great men of letters like Han Yu(768-824) and Ouyang Xiu(1007-1072).This set the tone for this school of writing.Among its prominent figures were Dai Mingshi(1653-1713),Liu Dakui(1698-1779),Yao Nai(1732-1815),Meizegliang(1786-1856),Fang Dongshu(1772-1853),and Wu Rulun(1840-1903).Writers of this school emphasized that writings should convey moral ideals and be refined and well-laid out in form.Such a style of writing was based on FangBao's "guidelines for writing good prose,"Yao Nai's stress on "conveying righteous message,facts and evidence,and rhetoric and technique,"and Liu Dakui's theory about "a piece of writing and its author's charm."The Tongcheng School of Writing inherited Chinese scholars' tradition of writing in classical Chinese and offered a theoretical summary about prose writing.It enjoyed high prestige until the Revolution in the Literati circle led by Liang Qichao（1873-1929），when it came under attack as a symbol of conservatism.
清代影响最大的古文流派，因代表人物都是安徽桐城人，故名。形成于康熙（1662-1722）年间，鼎盛期在乾隆（1736-1795）、嘉庆（1796-1820）年间，文脉绵延近两百年。创始人方苞（1668-1749）提出“学行继程朱之后，文章在韩欧之间”，该观点奠定了学派的风格基调。主要人物先后有戴名世（1653-1713）、刘大櫆（1698-1779）、姚鼐（1732-1815）、梅曾亮（1786-1856）、方东树（1772-1853）、吴汝纶（1840-1903）等。桐城派普遍重视文与道的关系，要求在内容上“文以载道”，形式上“雅洁”，其重要理论有方苞提出的“义法”说，姚鼐提出的“义理、考据、辞章”说，以及刘大櫆提出的“神气”说。桐城派继承了中国古文写作的优良传统，对散文创作做了系统的理论总结，长期享有盛誉，直至近代梁启超（1873-1929）等人倡导“文界革命”，桐城派才被认为是保守的象征而受到诟病。
