From Ballad to Written Poetry——The Origin of Chinese Poetry and its Initial Development

Before written record came into existence, the development of poetry can be divided into three stages, i.e., ballad, original ballad and poem, and in the process of evolvement certain elements of emotional expression and narration are added. After written record came into existence, it witnessed a new trend of development in the formats of poem, poem ballad and poetry. From the initial ballad to a mature poetry, classical Chinese poetry experienced a process of confluence and transition.